Farewell From the AESIS Chairperson

Grajo, L. (2019). Farewell from the AESIS chairperson. SIS Quarterly Practice Connections, 4(3), 15.

What an exciting time in occupational therapy education! In the last 3 years, it has been such a humbling and gratifying experience serving as Chairperson of the Academic Education Special Interest Section (AESIS) alongside such dedicated and passionate educators as committee members. I would like to thank these committee members for all the work they have done: Giulianne Krug, PhD, OTR/L, CLA (Faculty Subsection Coordinator); Rebecca Simon, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA (Fieldwork Subsection Coordinator); Christine Myers, PhD, OTR/L (Quarterly Editor); Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR (Professional Development Coordinator); Julia Henderson-Kalb, OTD, OTR/L (Communications Coordinator); Catherine Killian, OTD, MEd, OTR/L (Advocacy and Policy Coordinator); Penny Rogers, DHA, MAT, OTR/L, CEAS (Leadership and Management Coordinator); Megan Edwards Collins, PhD, OTR/L (Technology Coordinator); Kalyn Briggs, PhD, OTR/L (Young Professionals Coordinator); and Elizabeth Fain, EdD, MLD, CDT, OTR/L (Research Coordinator).

One of our shared priorities during our term as the AESIS Standing Committee was to help build the capacity of educators and academic fieldwork coordinators who have newly transitioned to their academic positions from clinical practice or have some experience doing adjunct teaching. We did this building capacity through a mentorship program using a strong community approach. Over three cycles of this mentorship program, we connected 85 new educators and academic fieldwork coordinators with seasoned educators as mentors. Over the course of 5 months for each cycle, we worked as a community to discuss issues, problem-solve challenges, and share best and evidence-based practices to support practitioners in their new roles. The program has been very well-received; many new educators look forward to upcoming cycles of the program, and seasoned educators continue to want to be involved in serving as mentors to our new educator colleagues.

The AESIS Standing Committee has also significantly increased member engagement through CommunOT™. Our AESIS Standing Committee members have been very active in sharing hot topics in education and teaching tips, as well as responding to membership comments, discussions, and requests for education-related resources. We have also used social media platforms to help AOTA members receive information and provided avenues for discussion on concerns and opinions about the entry-level education mandates and other important issues we face in education. Our articles in the SIS Quarterly Practice Connections have also served as a platform to share tips and best practices in teaching, fieldwork, use of technology, and other education-related topics.

I believe I share the same sentiment with all my committee members that serving in the AESIS has provided us such great opportunity to connect with fellow educators, learn from one another, listen to each other with differing opinions about the landscape and future of occupational therapy education, and continue to identify ways to enhance collaboration and involvement of our fellow occupational therapy assistant educators in our Association. Thank you for engaging with us, sharing your time with us, and most especially, for your passion for occupational therapy education. We hope you share the same, if not better, commitment and support you gave to all of us to Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, our newly elected AESIS Chairperson and her incoming Standing Committee.