OTD Newsroom

Duke University School of Medicine welcomed new classes of physical and occupational therapy students this month as the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) programs launched a new academic year. 

Vision loss can have a profound impact on independence, but professionals best positioned to help— like occupational therapists — have historically received little formal training in vision disorders.  The gap has created a critically small workforce at a time when an aging population is driving an urgent need for greater vision rehabilitation services.   

Forty‑three Duke Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students marked a defining milestone in their professional journeys during the Duke OTD Commissioning Ceremony, held Friday, May 1. The ceremony formally recognized the Class of 2027 as they transitioned from classroom learning into fieldwork, capstone experiences, and expanded clinical practice grounded in service, dignity, and care.

The Duke Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program celebrated 42 graduates at its commencement on Saturday, May 2, at Duke Chapel. The event marked the completion of their doctoral journeys and honored Duke’s third cohort of OTD graduates. Held in the historic Chapel, the ceremony highlighted academic achievement, and the opportunities graduates now embrace as occupational therapy practitioners within a dynamic and evolving health care environment.

The Duke Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program contributed to campus-wide planetary health efforts by participating in the second annual Planetary Health Fair, held on April 1 in the main atrium of the School of Nursing’s Pearson Building.

After presenting work on participation, access, and adolescent mental health, a Duke OTD student shares how conferences helped broaden her perspective on occupational therapy’s role worldwide.

Duke Orthopaedic Surgery continues to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration in rehabilitation research through its Interdisciplinary Rehabilitative Research Seminar Series, which this week featured Megan Kennelly, MD, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery with expertise in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM).

Duke OTD students were among the presenters at the 2026 Orthopaedic Surgery Research Day & Symposium, held March 10 at the Interprofessional Education Building. The Poster Competition is a core component of the event, offering a forum for students and trainees to present research spanning clinical, translational, and educational domains.

A group of pre-health students from North Carolina A&T University recently visited Duke to gain an inside look at the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) programs. The visit provided students with the opportunity to explore campus facilities, observe classes in action, and connect directly with program faculty and staff.

Raheleh Ghasseminia, PhD, MS, OT/L, assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and a member of the Duke Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program, successfully defended her dissertation and earned her PhD in Community Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Public Health Education.