At a key transition point in their studies, occupational therapy students across all USAHS campuses participate in a meaningful ritual, witnessed by family and friends. The OT pinning ceremony marks the end of the classroom portion of their studies and the beginning of their fieldwork. For Residential MOT and OTD students, this happens in their fourth term, and for Flex, in the seventh term.
A longstanding tradition in OT practice, the pin celebrates the diversity of practice areas, the client-centered nature of our practice and the values of our profession.
“It’s an opportunity for faculty to acknowledge our students’ transition from classroom learning to clinical learning,” says Mary Zadnik, ScD, MEd, OTR/L, director of the entry-level OT programs on Read more
OTD Bay Path University
MS in Occupational Therapy, Bay Path University
BA in Liberal Arts (Health Science concentration and Psychology minor), Bay Path University
Dr. Kelli Cabrera earned her Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) and Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Bay Path University. After her MOT graduation, she worked at an inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Western Massachusetts, where she was able to treat diagnoses including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions and general deconditioning.
Dr. Cabrera next joined the United States Air Force as an active-duty occupational therapist. She was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, where she worked in the outpatient orthopedic clinic and the inpatient hospital. During this time, Dr. Cabrera helped establish the hospital’s first pain clinic, breast cancer rehabilitation program, Special Operations injury prevention program and mental health wellness classes. She worked closely with the Thunderbirds and provided ergonomic assessments for the HH-60 helicopter crews. Dr. Cabrera obtained her hand therapy and trigger point dry needling certifications during her time in the Air Force.
Dr. Cabrera most recently was an outpatient clinic director at a senior living community in Florida. It is here that her passion for serving the geriatric population grew. Dr. Cabrera used this passion for her doctoral capstone research project, which studied the effects of occupation-based intervention on shoulder osteoarthritis in the older adult. She is currently in the process of publishing the results of this study.
Dr. Cabrera joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences as a full-time instructor in February 2021.
