In this edition of faculty spotlight, we feature one of our newest clinical faculty, Beth Gibson, OTR/L, CDRS. She joined the Department of Occupational Therapy as a Clinical Lecturer in October 2021. Ms. Gibson is a licensed occupational therapist and a certified driver rehabilitation specialist. She completed her Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy at the University of New Hampshire. Ms. Gibson worked in the Atlanta area as a driver rehab specialist for over 25 years.
Her role at UF is multifaceted and draws on the depth of her clinical expertise. She continues to deliver direct clinical services as the manager of the SmartDriver Rehab program located in the Oak Hammock community. She teaches in the Driver Rehabilitation Therapy post-professional graduate certificate program and is participating in driving related research through the Institute for Driving, Activity, Participation, and Technology (I-DAPT).
Prior to entering the field of driver rehabilitation, she worked as an OT at Shepherd Center on the spinal cord injury unit and with the MS center. She also spent several years working in acute care and outpatient therapy with a wide range of diagnoses. She started Shepherd Center’s first in house driver rehabilitation program in the mid-90s. Since 2007 she worked for a private practice, Freedom & Mobility providing driver evaluation and training throughout Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Ms. Gibson has a particular expertise in adaptive driving equipment. She has been an active member of ADED (Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialists) serving on the board of directors, as newsletter editor and on multiple committees. She is a member of the ADED speaker’s bureau and has worked extensively to provide continuing education programs to the field of driver rehab.