Occupational Therapy Model Essay
"He was only 6, yet intuitively knew that people with disabilities could still lead productive lives," said his wife, Renee Taylor, also an occupational therapy professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Dr. Kielhofner, 61, of Lake Geneva, Wis., the former head of the occupational therapy department at UIC, died Thursday, Sept. 2, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, after a short battle with cancer.
In the 1970s, before completing a doctorate in public health at UCLA's neuropsychiatric institute, Dr. Kielhofner began work on a model to help understand the psycho-social challenges faced by people with disabilities.
"He changed the way we think about and conduct research and the way we help people live fulfilling lives," said Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, professor and current head of UIC's occupational therapy department. …show more content…
Kielhofner also played an instrumental role in creating UIC's nationally renowned Ph.D. program in disability studies and the doctorate program in occupational therapy.
"Many of us came to UIC because of Gary," said Gail Fisher, a longtime professor of occupational therapy at UIC. "He built the department to national prominence in a very collaborative and collegial way. He was a decisive, charismatic leader who put our program on the map."
Born and raised on his family's farm in Missouri, Dr. Kielhofner graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from St. Louis University. He later got a master's degree in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California.
As a doctoral student at UCLA, Dr. Kielhofner began developing his Model of Human Occupation, which for nearly three decades has been used not only by his own students, but by therapists worldwide.
Referring to his model in a 2004 interview with UIC News, Dr. Kielhofner said, "Following the onset of a disability, people need to adjust their understanding of themselves and, in many instances, reappraise what they're going to do in
Dr. Kielhofner, 61, of Lake Geneva, Wis., the former head of the occupational therapy department at UIC, died Thursday, Sept. 2, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, after a short battle with cancer.
In the 1970s, before completing a doctorate in public health at UCLA's neuropsychiatric institute, Dr. Kielhofner began work on a model to help understand the psycho-social challenges faced by people with disabilities.
"He changed the way we think about and conduct research and the way we help people live fulfilling lives," said Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, professor and current head of UIC's occupational therapy department. …show more content…
Kielhofner also played an instrumental role in creating UIC's nationally renowned Ph.D. program in disability studies and the doctorate program in occupational therapy.
"Many of us came to UIC because of Gary," said Gail Fisher, a longtime professor of occupational therapy at UIC. "He built the department to national prominence in a very collaborative and collegial way. He was a decisive, charismatic leader who put our program on the map."
Born and raised on his family's farm in Missouri, Dr. Kielhofner graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from St. Louis University. He later got a master's degree in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California.
As a doctoral student at UCLA, Dr. Kielhofner began developing his Model of Human Occupation, which for nearly three decades has been used not only by his own students, but by therapists worldwide.
Referring to his model in a 2004 interview with UIC News, Dr. Kielhofner said, "Following the onset of a disability, people need to adjust their understanding of themselves and, in many instances, reappraise what they're going to do in