Wednesday, April 2 | 6:30 pm–8:00 pm
The Assembly of Student Delegates Steering Committee (ASDSC) is excited to welcome the Assembly of Student Delegates to kickoff AOTA INSPIRE 2025. Join your peers for an evening gathering where we’ll celebrate our successes, share insights on SOTA initiatives, network for creative collaboration opportunities, and provide updates on our institutions.
Participation in the gathering is free and limited to current ASD representatives and ASD alternates. Preregistration is required.
Thursday, April 3 | 7:15 am–8:00 am
Sarah Michel, AOTA INSPIRE Host
Getting the Most Out of Your AOTA INSPIRE 2025 Philadelphia Experience
Some of the most valuable opportunities at AOTA INSPIRE 2025 will come from the people you meet. Start your experience off on the right foot and network with veteran attendees to learn ideas, strategies, and short-cuts to help you navigate your AOTA INSPIRE experience. Coffee will be served.
Thursday, April 3 | 11:15 am–12:30 pm
Darleen Santore
Darleen Santore, better known as “Coach Dar,” will open the conference with an inspiring keynote presentation that will help us rise personally, and professionally, taking our profession to new heights. From working in the traditional setting to pioneering a new path for occupational therapists, Coach Dar will share her inspiring story and give tips on removing roadblocks, igniting the passion within, seizing opportunities, and elevating our mindsets. You won’t want to miss this one!
Thursday, April 3 | 3:00 pm–4:15 pm
Shirley A. Wells, DrPH, OTR, FAOTA
As global communities increasingly embrace Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Access and Belonging (DEIJAB), the journey must go beyond mere awareness and symbolic gestures. In this interactive presentation, Wells will explore how occupational therapy practitioners can lead the way in integrating DEIJAB principles into their practice, moving from celebration to systemic change.
Attendees will gain insights on fostering cultural shifts, promoting institutional reforms, and ensuring accountability. By deeply embedding DEIJAB values into all facets of care, we can create a more just and inclusive environment where every individual has the opportunity to thrive. The inaugural Dr. Lela A. Llorens Award of Excellence for Diversity Equity & Inclusion is not to be missed.
Friday, April 4 | 7:00 am–9:00 am
Coming soon!
Friday, April 4 | 11:30 am–12:15 pm
Alyson Stover, MOT, JD, OTR/L, BCP
Occupational therapy stands at the intersection of innovation, client-centered care, and holistic health. It is a profession that doesn’t just adapt to change—it drives it. Our focus on improving quality of life and enabling participation across all areas of life makes us the solution to some of the most pressing issues in health care. Join AOTA President Alyson Stover as she highlights how the future is being written now. Will you be part of creating it?
Friday, April 4 | 12:30 pm–1:15 pm
Led by Renee Ortega, PhD, BC-DMT, LCAT, COTA and Alison M. Rangel, OTD, MS, OTR/L
An upbeat and active celebration of dance to Latin Rhythms. Terapeutas Ocupacionales para Diversidad Oportunidad y Solidaridad (TODOS) and the AOTA Multicultural Diversity and Inclusion (MDI) groups invite you to join this exciting Salsa Dance Break.
Friday, April 4 | 2:00 pm–2:45 pm
Arameh Anvarizadeh, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA
As we journey towards Vision 2030, it’s time to reimagine the role of occupational therapy within a rapidly evolving global landscape. This inaugural presidential address explores the power that often thrives in the shadows of underestimation, and how embracing communal diversity strengthens our collective identity. Through these themes, we’ll delve into the transformative potential of our field, harnessing the synergy of science, systems changes, and inclusion to forge a visionary future for occupational therapy.
Friday, April 4 | 3:00 pm–5:30 pm
Coming soon!
Saturday, April 5 | 9:00 am–10:30 am
Coming soon!
Saturday, April 5 | 11:15 am–12:30 pm
Roseann Schaaf, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Occupational therapy practitioners use multiple sources of information to solve complex problems and promote client participation and quality of life. It is essential that the data we collect is relevant and thorough; and that we organize and interpret these data to create interventions that are personalized, meaningful, and effective. Precision Occupational Therapy is a solution that provides an occupation-centered, science-driven, and theory-based approach using data to design tailored interventions and measure outcomes.
Schaaf will show how employing this strategy led to the recognition of occupational therapy as an evidence-based profession and, in turn, improved payment for, and greater access to, occupational therapy services for underserved populations. In this Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecture, Schaaf challenges practitioners and researchers in all areas of practice to embrace Precision Occupational Therapy using data driven decision making to create evidence for occupational therapy.
Saturday, April 5 | 2:00 pm–4:30 pm
Ready to make your NBCOT® preparations a blast? Connect with students from across the country as OT and OTA programs face off in a thrilling competition for prizes, like free Exam Prep tools and ultimate bragging rights. This is your chance to sharpen your skills, engage with your peers, and have a blast in a fun, interactive environment!
Saturday, April 5 | 4:15 pm–5:45 pm
Each year, AOTA and AOTF recognize and honor our colleagues who have made significant contributions to enrich the profession of occupational therapy. Feel the excitement and be inspired during this year’s engaging ceremony, as we unveil the winners of AOTA’s and AOTF’s most prestigious awards.
Saturday, April 5 | 5:45 pm–6:45 pm
It’s time to celebrate with AOTA and AOTF award recipients! Photo ops, music, socializing, and more create an unforgettable evening of festivities for all to enjoy as we close out AOTA INSPIRE 2025! Free to everyone.
Saturday, April 5 | 7:30 pm–10:30 pm
Join us for a fun and relaxing evening with your friends and colleagues while supporting AOTPAC and AOTA’s advocacy efforts! There will be music, dancing, a photo booth and celebration; it is the place to be Saturday evening! Snacks and a cash bar will be available. Join us on the last night of the conference and help create new traditions for an exciting evening to remember.
Tickets: $50; $25 for students (personal funds only, please). The cost is a contribution to AOTPAC to support its political purposes.
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814-6519
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is the national professional association established in 1917 to represent the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students of occupational therapy and to improve the quality of occupational therapy services.
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