Dr. Karen Atler, an assistant professor in CSU’s Department of Occupational Therapy, recently received the 2014 Marjorie Ball Award of Merit at the Occupational Therapy Association of Colorado State Conference.
Atler’s research at CSU is focused on understanding the relationship between the subjective experiences of daily occupations and health and well-being through the ‘Pleasure, Productivity, and Restoration’ profile she developed. She actively integrates service to the community into her research by evaluating the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions, which are designed to enable people with and without disabilities to become aware of and enhance their experiences of everyday activities.
“I am truly honored by this recognition,” Atler said. “I think it feels so special because it truly reflects what I am passionate about: connecting occupational therapy practice, education and research together. My work is motivated by my desire to encourage and enable students to strive towards integrity, fueled by their compassion for others and commitment to the core values and beliefs of occupational therapy.”
According to the nomination submitted by then-department head Wendy Wood, Atler “has acted on her conviction that it is the interconnections themselves that best help practitioners and educators in occupational therapy constantly improve their craft, and best help students enter the field with the highest possible levels of expertise: all to meet society’s occupational needs as only occupational therapy can.”
About the award
The Marjorie Ball Award is presented to an outstanding occupational therapist whose contributions have made a difference in the field of occupational therapy and specifically to the profession within Colorado. It is considered the highest honor that can be awarded by the Occupational Therapy Association of Colorado. Recipients are asked to speak at the annual State Conference the year following their selection as a way of honoring them.
Marjorie Ball was the department head of CSU’s Department of Occupational Therapy for 21 years and was instrumental in developing the OT program into one of the largest and highest ranked programs in the U.S. To honor her contributions to the field, OTAC established an annual lectureship award in her name.
