Awards
Dr. Lela A. Llorens Award of Excellence for Diversity Equity & Inclusion
This award was established in 2023 to honor Dr. Lela A. Llorens, an occupational therapy pioneer known throughout the profession. The purpose is to honor a member of AOTA who has utilized Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEIJAB) principles to address the needs of marginalized, under-resourced, and/or underrepresented persons, groups, and populations.
Description and purpose
- To recognize occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who demonstrate exemplary interprofessional collaboration in order to provide client-centered care or innovation in health professional education, or to improve health outcomes through research.
- To recognize occupational therapy practitioners (clinician, educator, or researcher) who work collaboratively with other professions to meet the needs of clients in health, community, or educational settings.
- To recognize occupational therapy educators who have made an outstanding contribution to interprofessional practice, education, or research.
Minimal requirements
- Individuals or teams are eligible for this award as long as at least one member of the team is an occupational therapist (OT) or occupational therapy assistant (OTA) who is a member in good standing of the Association at the time of the nomination and presentation of the award.
- The nominee(s) shall demonstrate exemplary leadership in the development and implementation of interprofessional practice, education, or research incorporating the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Roles and responsibilities
- Values and ethics
- The nominee(s) shall disseminate their interprofessional education or practice model and/or results through presentations or publications.
Specific information regarding award
- One award may be given per year.
- The individual selected for this award shall be notified by the President of the Association and shall, in turn, convey his or her acceptance before public announcement. Should the individual selected decline, the second ranked nominee who meets the award criteria shall be contacted by the President in the same manner described. If there is no qualifying second nominee, the award will not be given.
- Recipients of this award will present the Lela A. Llorens Lecture during the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo in the following year.
- A monetary gift shall be provided following delivery of the lecture.