Alisa Jordan Sheth, PhD, OTR/L

Dr. Sheth earned her PhD in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago where she also participated in the interdisciplinary Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and the Scholars and Leaders in Interprofessional Geriatrics program. As a founding member of the Occupational Therapy and Disability Studies Network, she is interested in studying the ways in which the field of disability studies can be effectively incorporated into occupational therapy education, practice, and research to foster critical reflection and responsiveness to the needs of the communities we serve. Her collaborative work in this area has been published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and Journal of Occupational Therapy Education.

After earning a bachelor’s degree and post-professional master’s degree in occupational therapy from Boston University, Dr. Sheth has many years of experience working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), their families, and other caregivers across the lifespan, from school-based services to end of life care. She has a scholarly focus on creating opportunities for people with I/DD to participate in research activities and share their experiences, as well as better understanding the aging needs of the I/DD community.

Dr. Sheth has presented her work at numerous conferences, including the American Occupational Therapy Association, Occupational Therapy Summit of Scholars, Chicago Disability Studies Conference, and Society for Applied Anthropology.