Sandra Edwards Colloquium

This annual series is funded by an endowment from Sandra Edwards and her husband Al Garcia. Sandra Edwards is a native of Gainesville, Florida, and a 1965 graduate of the UF Occupational Therapy program.


This colloquium is open to the public.

Attendees can request accommodations or special needs on the registration page in the Comments section.

*Regular rate is $35 after Friday, December 15, 2023.


Saturday, January 27, 2024

The 360-Degree View of Mental Health and Well-Being for Occupational Therapy

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST

Live Virtual Online Event

The Zoom meeting link will be emailed to attendees the week before the event date.

Earn up to 4 contact hours

The University of Florida is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID# 5912. This distance learning-interactive is offered at .4 CEUs (4 contact hours), intermediate level, OT Service Delivery, and Professional Issues, Foundational Knowledge. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

AOTA Approved Provider Program logo color

Program

9:00 – 9:15 AM EST

Welcome and Introduction

  • Dr. Sherrilene Classen, Professor and Department Chair of Occupational Therapy, University of Florida
  • Dr. Beth Virnig, Dean and Robert G. Frank Endowed Professor of the College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida
  • Dr. Chiung-ju (CJ) Liu, Associate Professor, University of Florida

9:15 – 10:20 AM EST

Keynote Speaker

Talking the talk, Walking the walk: Mental Health and Wellbeing of the Occupational Therapy Workforce

Dr. Ginny Stoffel, Associate Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

10:20 – 10:25 AM EST

Break

10:25 – 11:20 AM EST

Plenary Session

Systems-level change in community mental health: Contributions from occupational therapy

Dr. Antoine Bailliard, Associate Professor, Duke University

11:20 – 11:25 AM EST

Break

11:25 AM – 12:15 PM EST

Science and Practice

Immigrants’ Experience of Occupational Disparity: Psychological Hazards at Workplaces and their Coping Strategies

Dr. Shu-Ping Chen, Associate Professor, University of Alberta

Understanding Trauma Informed Care

Dr. Martie Gillen, Associate Professor, University of Florida

12:15 – 12:20 PM EST

Break and panel setup

12:20 – 1:00 PM EST

Panel Discussion

All speakers

Moderator: TBD

1:00 PM EST

Closing Remarks

Dr. Chiung-ju (CJ) Liu, Associate Professor, University of Florida

Speakers

Dr. Ginny Stofell photo

Keynote

Ginny Stoffel, PhD, OT, FAOTA

Dr. Ginny Stoffel is renowned for her significant contributions to the fields of mental health and substance use recovery, as well as for her efforts in enhancing leadership capacity within occupational therapy. She co-authored the book “Occupational Therapy for Mental Health: A Vision of Participation.” The newest edition will be published in 2024. She plays a pivotal role in bringing this edition to occupational therapy students, educators, and practitioners worldwide. Over the course of 47 years, Dr. Stoffel has held numerous leadership positions, starting during her time as a student and reaching the pinnacle of her career with her service as AOTA vice president and president from 2009 to 2016. She also represented the United States as the delegate to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists from 2021 to 2025. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, she was honored with the prestigious Award of Merit from AOTA in 2020. Furthermore, during the AOTA Centennial Celebration in 2017, she was recognized as one of the 100 Influential Individuals who have shaped the profession during its first 100 years in the United States.

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Dr. Antoine Bailliard photo

Plenary

Antoine Bailliard, PhD, MS, OTR/L

Dr. Antoine Bailliard is an Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Division at Duke University. His community-engaged scholarship focuses on improving the delivery of community-based services for adults with serious mental illness. Dr. Bailliard uses participatory methods to partner with people with lived experience with mental illness to design and implement research activities and in the development of tools and programs that improve the health, wellbeing, meaningful participation, and community integration of persons with serious mental illness. Dr. Bailliard is Co-Principal Investigator of a 5-year $2.4 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to design an innovative assertive outreach team to meet the needs of adults with serious mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Dr. Bailliard is also a consultant for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to implement a state-wide community mental health pilot involving occupational therapy.

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Dr. Shu-Ping Chen photo

Presenter

Shu-Ping Chen, Ph.D., OT Reg(Alberta)

Dr. Shu-Ping Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta, Canada. She worked as an OT Director in a psychiatric hospital for over 12 years. With a focus on mental health promotion and recovery, her teaching and research aim to improve social inclusion and the well-being of marginalized populations. Dr. Chen specializes in studying stigma and disability, substance misuse, employment, and participatory action research. Her current funded projects include occupational health and safety for new immigrant workers, student mental health and drinking culture on post-secondary campuses, and the development of Canada’s national psychosocial rehabilitation competency framework. She currently co-chairs the scientific committee of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada.

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Dr. Martie Gillen photo

Presenter

Martie Gillen, Ph.D., MBA

Dr. Martie Gillen is an associate professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences at the University of Florida. She is a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner, a Financial Social Work Educator, an Accredited Financial Counselor, and a Certified Family Life Educator. She is also a research affiliate of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Her current sponsored projects include leading the Florida Youth Experiences Study (FL YES), a five-year longitudinal study of youth who are at risk of aging out of foster care in Florida. She teaches undergraduate courses in personal finance, human services, and trauma. Dr. Gillen also teaches the graduate capstone course. Personally, she was a foster parent for over five years and is an adoptive parent to two children. She is also a Guardian ad Litem volunteer.

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Meet the Planning Committee

Chiung-ju (CJ) Liu

Chiung-ju (CJ) Liu PhD, OTR/L, FGSA

Associate Professor
Nichole E Stetten

Nichole E Stetten PhD, MPH, CPH

Research Assistant Professor
Hongwu Wang

Hongwu Wang PhD

Assistant Professor And Director, Technology For Occupational Performance (TOP) Lab

Past Colloquia