Occupational Therapy (OTD) - OCC

Background and Development

OCCUPATION is a journal created to serve as a medium of inquiry for students, faculty and other practitioners working to advocate for improved health in the community through studies of human occupation.  This electronic scholarly journal publishes articles from current students, recent graduates, occupational therapy practitioners and professionals from a variety of disciplines on a variety of topics intended to explore, analyze and advocate for issues related to occupational participation, justice, and health.  OCCUPATION and its corresponding virtual community, CHAOS, were founded in 2014 by six 3^rd year entry-level doctoral students in occupational therapy at Nova Southeastern University’s Tampa Campus.  As part of their work in their specialized occupational science course they recognized the need for dissemination of scholarly research related to health and human occupation. In response to that need they began what would later become known as the “Legacy Project”.  The Legacy Project refers to the inception of the journal OCCUPATION, and CHAOS. Thus began the tradition of passing down the task of maintaining and editing these platforms to each incoming cohort of students enrolled in the occupational science course.

Founding Editor
Ricardo C. Carrasco

Founding Board of Directors
Ricardo C. Carrasco
Mirtha Montejo Whaley
Ellie Edrissi
Larry Holmes
Kristin McMillen
Hillary Whitacre
Jamie Williams

Editorial Review Board
Ricardo C. Carrasco, Editor-in-Chief
Mariana D’Amico, Associate Editor
Rick Davenport
Thomas Decker
Sheila Longpre
Dennis McCarthy
Gustavo Reinoso
Mirtha Whaley

Inception

During the Fall of 2014, six third-year students from the entry-level doctor of occupational therapy (OTD) program at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Tampa campus enrolled in the specialized, elective course of Occupational Science. As they began learning about the discipline of occupational science, they recognized its importance in providing a research base that helps to inform the practice of occupational therapy. In addition, they came to discover that there were relatively few professional organizations and resources available to help further the study of occupational studies, especially for aspiring student and other scholars.

Working with their professor, these six students collaborated to create a brand new professional organization and scholarly journal dedicated to the advancement of occupational studies. After creating an organizational structure and electing to share equal responsibility as the founding Board of Directors, they invited the remaining nine students in their cohort, who had instead chosen to take the other specialized elective course Wellness and Health Promotion in Occupational Therapy, to join them as founding members and assist in the development and implementation of their new organization and journal. This venture would become known as The Legacy Project, and all 15 members of the Class of 2015—the inaugural class in NSU Tampa Campus’ OTD program—came together to work on this groundbreaking endeavor. Through the creation of this new organization and journal, the Class of 2015 hoped to not only fulfill the important mission of promoting occupational studies research globally, but to also create a lasting legacy that could be passed down to subsequent NSU OTD cohorts in the years to come. Every cohort will have a chance to leave their own legacy through the continued development and administration of CHAOS, the virtual community, and OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry for Students, Faculty & Other Practitioners Advocating for Health through Occupational Studies and each student will have the opportunity to leave an individual legacy by submitting a scholarly article for publication in the journal.

The class of 2016 answered the call to continue The Legacy Project conceptualized by the class of 2015. During the Fall 2016 semester the nine students in the Occupational Science course completed the CHAOS and OCCUPATION website and completed the first edition of the OCCUPATION journal. The occupational science class invited the remaining eleven classmates in their cohort, that elected to take the specialized elective course Wellness and Health Promotion in Occupational Therapy, to join them in writing publishable papers for the 2nd edition of OCCUPATION.

• Author Guidelines
• Author Agreement

• Manuscript Review Form