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Professor, Occupational Therapy

Dr. Julie D. Bass, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is Professor and past Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy and the Founding Director of the Public Health Program in the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health at St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University. Dr. Bass also served as the Director of Research at the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Dr. Bass is an established and well-published scholar who has been a frequent presenter at national and international conferences and an invited member on several AOTA task force committees. Her areas of expertise include population health and health disparities, program development and evaluation, statistics and research methods, educational methods and emerging areas of practice for occupational therapy.

Associate Professor, OTA Online, Occupational Therapy

Dr. Kristen Maisano, OTD, MAEd, OTR/L has been practicing occupational therapy since 2005. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Master of Science in occupational therapy in 2005 from Misericordia University, Dallas, Pennsylvania. Kristen earned her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy at Boston University, Boston Massachusetts, in May 2010. In 2011, Kristen joined the Department of Defense as an occupational therapist working with service members diagnosed with mild traumatic brain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kristen has presented on the topics of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder at multiple state conferences.

Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy

Jennifer Hutson is an associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University.  She teaches courses primarily in assistive technology and adult rehabilitation in both day and hybrid formats.  She facilitates problem based learning sessions and advises ´ºÓêÖ±²¥s on evidence or research based Doctoral Capstone projects and Master's projects, covering a range of topics some of which include twenty-four hour postural care, seating and positioning for wheeled mobility, sleep and nighttime positioning.   From 2002-2021, Jennifer's clinical practice has been at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in the area of assistive technology, primarily seating and positioning.

Fieldwork Specialist and Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Teresa has been practicing as an Occupational Therapist since graduating from Creighton University in Omaha, NE in 2009 with an Occupational Therapy Doctoral degree. Clinical work includes serving individuals across the lifespan from pediatrics to older adulthood. Practice areas have included inpatient, ICU, pediatric outpatient, TCU, Skilled Nursing, and home based services; wheelchair assessment and home modification assessment as specialty areas. Areas of expertise and passion include older adult rehabilitation where her clinical practice continues on a monthly basis. Teresa teaches across many of the practice-based courses such as rehabilitation, older adults, assistive technology and wheelchair seating and positioning, and physical assessment and rehabilitation.

Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Kimberley Persons, DHS, OTR/L, CLA joined St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University's Occupational Therapy Department in August 2020. She teaches in the both the master's and doctoral program and mentors master's projects. Kimberley's current research is exploring community-based practice and the role of the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator in occupational therapy education. In 2018, she became a Certified Leader in Academia. She has been an occupational therapy educator for more than 10 years including 6 years as an AFWC. Her clinical background is working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in home and community-based setting.

Assistant Professor, Doctoral Capstone Coordinator, Level I Fieldwork Coordinator, Occupational Therapy

Ginny Green, OTD, OTR/L is an assistant professor in the occupational therapy department at St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University. She serves as the doctoral capstone coordinator for the occupational therapy entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD EL) Program in which she oversees each phase of the ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ doctoral capstone from development to completion and dissemination. She also serves as the Level I Fieldwork Coordinator for the occupational therapy program in which she coordinates level I ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ clinical experiences with community partners. Ginny teaches Entering the Profession, Psychological and Social Factors Impacting Performance, Fieldwork Practice Reflection, and Capstone Experience.

Professor, Occupational Therapy

Kristine Haertl, Ph.D., ACE, OTR/L, FAOTA, has been with St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University since 1997. She loves teaching and outside of the department has taught additional courses in the psychology department and in the CORE. She too has served for a number of years on the CORE Lead committee.
Within the department, Kristi has taught masters and doctoral courses related to foundations of occupational science, educational methods and practice, sensory-perceptual-cognitive processing, and introductory and advanced mental health practice.

Kristi has been active in mental health research related to peer-supported mental health housing models and exploration of the nature and efficacy of services at a free standing psychiatric occupational therapy clinic.

Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Amy Haynes, DPT, PT is an assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Department at St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University.  She serves as the Director of Curriculum Development and Assessment, in which she oversees the annual planning of curriculum goals and objectives within the OT department, development and engagement of course planning with faculty members, coordinates Problem Based Learning labs and provides facilitator training, and serves as the Department Assessment Lead (DAL).  In addition, she collaborates with the Program Director to mentor faculty in teaching strategies, provides curricular feedback and faculty development, and contributes to scholarship of teaching/learning.  She is a Physical Therapist by training and also serves as a senior affiliate faculty member for the Center for Interprofessional Health Program at the University of Minnesota.  She teaches a variety of courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs, including Kinesiology, Physical assessment and Rehabilitation, and IPE evidence-based practice in healthcare.  Her clinical background includes a variety of settings throughout the Midwestern United States, with subject matter expertise in the topics of Falls and Balance/Bone Health and Joint Replacement, as well as practice guideline development and clinical instructor to graduate therapy ´ºÓêÖ±²¥s during their Fieldwork and Clinical Rotation placements.

Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Assistant Professor

Sarah S. Greene is in the Graduate Occupational Therapy department, where she is the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and an Assistant Professor. Her research focuses on the importance of mental health and well-being from an occupational perspective for all within the school-based setting, focusing mainly on the adolescent years. She has presented both locally and nationally on this topic. She hopes to continue her research and mentor others on the importance of integrating mental health into all areas of occupational therapy practice. Prior to coming to St. Kates as a faculty member, Sarah S. Greene earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ in Occupational Therapy and Psychology, a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, and Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University. She had been a practicing occupational therapist for over 21 years, focusing on pediatrics throughout her career, before coming to St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University in 2023.

Graduate Occupational Therapy Program Director and Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy

Dr. Coss joined the graduate occupational therapy department at St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University full time in August of 2016 after serving as an adjunct instructor and PBL facilitator since 2012. She received her BA in Health Science and MA in Occupational Therapy (1996) from St. Scholastica in Duluth MN. Dr. Coss graduated with her post professional OTD from St. ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ University in 2016. She is a founding member of the SMMART clinic (St. Mary's Medical and Rehabilitation Therapies) where she enjoys mentoring Level I Fieldwork ´ºÓêÖ±²¥s and treating patients with chronic and acute conditions. As Graduate Program Director, beginning in June of 2024, she is looking forward to increased collaboration, visibility, and innovation in delivering education and healthcare to those she serves.

Associate Professor, IPE Director for the Institute of Simulation and Interprofessional Learning (I-SAIL)

Stephanie de Sam Lazaro is Associate Professor and Interprofessional Learning Director for the Institute of Simulation and Interprofessional Learning (I-SAIL). She is an occupational therapist by training and has practiced in pediatric and adult acute rehabilitation settings, outpatient pediatrics, K-12 schools, and early childhood intervention services. Her teaching focuses on the occupational therapy role and process with children, adolescents, and their families, evidence-based practice in occupational therapy and interprofessional healthcare, and graduate ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ advising through master's and doctoral projects.