On Thursday, April 13, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., the College of Pharmacy and Health invites faculty and staff to an open house and tour of the occupational therapy program facilities at 3003 Forest Ave. (the previous bookstore location).

Some highlights of the space include:

The LifeStyle Redesign Lab is featured on the first floor, which will be used for instruction on adapting a home, as well as assisting students in teaching patients how to use lifestyle adjustments for different abilities and needs in daily living. The space includes a 1-bedroom apartment, an ergonomic office, a model Hy-Vee grocery store, and a streetscape featuring an ‘OT Cruiser’.  The Occupational Therapy Department has a community service goal to make the Lifestyle Lab available to the central Iowa occupational therapists periodically for use with their patients.

The lower level contains flexible learning labs/classrooms, a conference room, and a student commons area. Drake ITS has worked with the faculty on the technology incorporated into the classrooms and labs and will be available to demonstrate the new technology during the open house.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program began in Summer 2016 with the first cohort of 26 students. The OTD is a three-year program, requiring two years of classroom and laboratory work and one year of fieldwork experiences in practice sites around the nation. The second cohort of students will begin in May of 2017 with an expected enrollment of 28 students.

—Renae Chesnut, Dean, College of Pharmacy and Health Science