Drs. Liu and Angell each awarded AOTF Research Grant

Chiung-Ju Liu photo

Chiung-Ju Liu, PhD, OTR/L, FGSA

American Occupational Therapy Foundation Implementation Research Grant

Dr. Liu has recently been awarded a Two-Year Implementation Research Grant from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, entitled “Implementing 3-Step Workout for Life to Improve ADL Outcomes in Home Health.” The purpose of the project is to test the occupational therapy-led “3-Step Workout for Life Program” in home health clients who are Medicare beneficiaries. Dr. Liu will work with the rehabilitation team of UF Health Shands Home Care to identify the facilitators and barriers of implementation as well as to evaluate the clinical outcomes of self-care. The project will inform occupational therapy practitioners, empirically, on how to implement the program to achieve better ADL performance.


Amber Angell photo

Amber M. Angell, PhD, OTR/L

American Occupational Therapy Foundation Health Services Research Grant

Dr. Angell has been awarded an American Occupational Therapy Foundation Health Services Research Grant. The project, titled Health Services Utilization of Autistic Youth: Are Therapeutic Services Associated with Reduced Acute Psychiatric Care?, will utilize the OneFlorida Data Trust, a large repository of electronic health record and healthcare claims data for >50% of all Floridians. The purpose of the project is to investigate whether community-based therapeutic services, such as occupational therapy, reduce the risk of acute psychiatric healthcare utilization among autistic youth. For this two-year project, Dr. Angell will collaborate with mentor Tim Reistetter, PhD, OTR, from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and biostatistician Susmita Datta, PhD, from the University of Florida Department of Biostatistics.