2007

Florence Clark, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

"Lifestyle Redesign: How to Sculpt a Meaningful and Healthy Life in Older Adulthood"

Dr. Florence Clark is an associate dean, chair and professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry. She has been principal investigator of three National Institutes of Health-funded studies, including her current project, Health Mediating Effects of the Well Elderly Study, and the recently completed U.S. Department of Education and National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-funded project Daily Living Context and Pressure Sores in Consumers with Spinal Cord Injury. Her research studies have been published in both domestic and international journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the International Journal of Aging and Human Development. Appointed as a charter member of the Academy of Research of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Clark has served as special consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General, served on the board of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research and been the recipient of the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, the highest academic honor of the American Occupational Therapy Association. 

In 1999, the American Occupational Therapy Association honored her with its Award of Merit and in 2001 she received a lifetime achievement award from the Occupational Therapy Association of California. In 2004 she received the Presidential Medallion from the University of Southern California, its ultimate honor, awarded to those who have brought distinction and honor to the university. Clark has also recently been elected as the vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Clark's research interest over the past two decades has largely centered on the relationship of activity and lifestyle to health and wellness. Her latest scholarly activity focuses on the design of lifestyle interventions for various populations such as independent-living older adults, business executives, obese adults, and individuals with spinal cord injury.

Other sessions held

"Occupational Therapy's Centennial Vision: Preparing Students for Action"
Speaker: Cindee Quake-Rapp, Ph.D., OTR

"Mental Health: Dementia Prevention"
Speaker: Perry Westerman, M.D.

"Matter of Balance"
Speaker: Elizabeth Walker Peterson, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA

"Livable Communities"
Speakers: Debra Lindstrom-Hazel, Ph.D., OTR, and Karen Kafantaris, B.A.

"Tai Chi: Blending Movement, Imagery and Awareness"
Speaker: Roger Byrd, B.S., NCTMB

"Home Modifications and Community Connections"
Speakers: Carla Chase, Ed.D., OTR; Bill Owens, CGR, CAPS; Annie Morgan, CAPS; and Tuesday Toolmen