Owls in Occupation: A Temple Occupational Therapy Panel Discussion
Event description
Join us for a special and informative Occupational Therapy Month virtual panel featuring distinguished OT alumni as they reflect on how Temple OT has shaped their career trajectories and answer your questions during a Q&A panel.
Whether you're a prospective student, current learner, or seasoned practitioner, this alumni panel aims to inspire, inform, and ignite a spirit of inquiry and growth. Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and envision new horizons for the future of occupational therapy!
Panelists include:
- Emily (Thomas) Dimon, occupational therapist in the Orthopaedic Trauma unit at University of Rochester Medical Center Strong Memorial Hospital
- Megan Gittings, occupational therapist at the Universal Institute of Rehabilitation
- John Kirby, president of Virtua Mount Holly and Virtua Willingboro Hospitals
- Ozzie Moyer, occupational therapist at St. Luke's North Physical Therapy
- Lauren Sponseller, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Salus University and interim dean of the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation
- Janice Witt, executive director and occupational therapist at Special Equestrians
About the speakers
Emily (Thomas) Dimon graduated from Temple’s MOT program in December of 2020. Since then, she has worked as an OT in the acute care, subacute rehab, and outpatient settings. She currently treats patients on the Ortho Trauma unit at University of Rochester Medical Center Strong Memorial Hospital, with some time spent in the Burn Trauma ICU. In Emily’s time at Temple, she served as SOTA President and truly enjoyed connecting with her classmates, professors and the Philadelphia community.
Megan Gittings is an occupational therapist working with the Universal Institute of Rehabilitation in Bethlehem, PA. Megan completed her bachelor of science degree in healthcare science at Alvernia University in 2017 before pursuing her master of arts in occupational therapy at Temple. Megan later returned to Philadelphia and graduated from the College of Public Health with a clinical doctorate in occupational therapy in 2023. Megan currently provides comprehensive occupational therapy services for adults who are living with traumatic or acquired brain injuries as well as other neurological conditions. Megan specializes in the delivery of prevocational services to assist her clients in developing skills to contribute to employability and volunteer opportunities in a supportive community setting. She has conducted extensive research on the development of prevocational skills for individuals living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Her research resulted in the establishment and implementation of the Comprehensive Intervention for Prevocational Programming (CIPP), which aims to educate professionals on the return-to-work process for individuals with TBI. Her research was selected to be presented at AOTA Inspire 2023. Megan and her motto proudly represent what it means to be Temple Made: “Don’t aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.”
John Kirby works for Virtua Health, a five-hospital, $2 billion healthcare system located in South Jersey. He is the president responsible for two hospitals, Virtua Mount Holly and Virtua Willingboro, managing a total of 552 licensed beds. John is an accomplished healthcare leader who started his career as an occupational therapist after graduating from Temple University. He later earned his master of business administration from Holy Family University. John’s professional career includes over 30 years of progressive experience as clinician, director, vice president, chief operating officer, chief executive officer, and president in the nonprofit, for-profit, and academic medicine sectors of healthcare. John is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and American Occupational Therapy Association and serves on the Board of Visitors for Temple University’s College of Public Health.
Ozzie Moyer earned his master of occupational therapy degree from Temple University in 2018 and his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from the University of North Carolina in 2016. Ozzie is a certified hand therapist with experience in both orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation. Ozzie believes in incorporating evidence-based interventions and functional activities into therapy to rehabilitate the injured person as a whole. Outside of work, Ozzie enjoys traveling to warm places, training for spartan races and playing golf with friends and family.
Lauren Sponseller is the current chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at Salus University and was recently named interim dean of their College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER). She originally joined the Salus OT faculty in 2012 while the program was in its infancy. Lauren’s first entrée into the OT profession was as an occupational therapy assistant, earning her AS, BS, and MSEd from Kent State University. She went on to earn her MS in Occupational Therapy from Philadelphia University and her OTD from Temple University and completed her PhD at Salus University.
Janice Witt received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Ursinus College, where she found her calling for equine-based therapy at a local therapeutic riding farm. After encountering therapists providing hippotherapy intervention, Janice decided to continue her education in Temple University’s occupational therapy program while continuing to provide therapeutic horseback riding instruction. After graduating, she worked in school-based therapy and early intervention before joining Special Equestrians full time. Janice now works as the executive director and one of three occupational therapists at Special Equestrians using hippotherapy-based intervention for clients of all ages. Janice and her colleagues provide several equine-assisted therapeutic programs for individuals ages 2 and up with physical, mental or emotional disabilities. Special Equestrians continues to partner with Temple University to provide fieldwork sites for both Level 1 and 2 students in the OTD program.