Kelsey Gately
Post-Doctoral Teaching & Research Fellow
JWU Faculty Since 2023
Kelsey A. Gately, OTD, OTR/L is a nationally certified and RI-licensed occupational therapist and researcher serving her second year as JWU’s first-ever Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow. She teaches in the Health Science department, conducts research with the Center for Student Research & Interdisciplinary Collaboration (CSRIC), and supports the annual Student Research, Design & Innovation Symposium. Kelsey is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program and has earned bachelor’s degrees in both Sculpture and Photography from Marlboro College.
Prior to her current position, Kelsey has held various healthcare roles over the last 13 years in emergency and psychiatric settings. She has also held several positions in Respite, PASS, and HBTS programs, supporting children and families as a Direct Support Worker, Treatment Coordinator, and Program Coordinator.
During her time as a graduate student at JWU and during her postdoctoral career, Kelsey has focused her work on the intersection of disability and sexual/gender identity, particularly as it relates to health disparities and healthcare access. As a Graduate Health Equity Fellow, she had the opportunity to work with the CSRIC on the Health of Sexual and Gender Minorities Study and later continued the research during her doctoral capstone experience at the center. As a student, Kelsey was a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association, Social Media Chair for the JWU chapter of the Coalition for Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity, founding secretary for JWU's Health Equity Club, and founding president of the JWU Chapter of Pi Theta Epsilon, the national honors society for occupational therapists.
In her first year as a postdoctoral fellow, Kelsey has taught several Health Science courses, mentored undergraduate Research Fellows, supported undergraduate research projects presented at various conferences, presented research findings at local and national conferences in public health, occupational therapy, and scholarship, and authored articles published in several peer-reviewed journals.
As an occupational therapist and as someone who has needed her own accommodations to access higher education, Kelsey is passionate about making research and coursework accessible to all students.
Education
- Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD), Johnson & Wales University
- BA, Sculpture & Photography, Marlboro College
Teaching Interests
• Health Research
• LGBTQ+ Health
• Scientific Writing
Scholarly Interests
• Health Equity
• Accessibility
• LGBTQ+ Health
• Disability Justice
• Neurodiversity
• Discrimination in Healthcare
Courses
- HSC1010: Intro to Health Professions
- HSC2040: Research Methods for Health Sciences
- HSC4900 Data and Evidence in Health: Research Capstone
Extra Curricular Roles
• JWU Student Research, Design, & Innovation Symposium (SRDIS) Committee
• JWU Center for Student Research & Interdisciplinary Collaboration (CSRIC)
• Peer Reviewer, Journal of American College Health (JACH)
• Peer Reviewer, Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (OTJR)
Professional Affiliations
• Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (RI-INBRE)
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Rhode Island Public Health Association (RIPHA)
• The Network for LGBTQ+ Issues in OT (The Network)
• Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD)
Publications
- Noel, J. K., Rosenthal, S. R., Torres, J. N., Gately, K. A., & Borden, S. K. (2024). Driving after substance use in Rhode Island adolescents: A cross-sectional analysis of surveillance data. Traffic Injury Prevention, 25(4), 562–570.
- Rosenthal, S. R., Noel, J. K., Skierkowski-Foster, D., Gately, K. A., & Borden, S. K. (2024). Perceived parent and peer substance use disapproval and perceptions of harm among youth before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. Journal of Substance Use, 1–6.
- Rosenthal, S. R., Gately, K. A., Philippe, S. G., Baker, A. B., Dawes, M. P., & Swanberg, J. E. (2023). Everyday discrimination and mental health among sexual and gender minority adults: The moderating role of self-compassion. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication
- Rosenthal, S. R., Gately, K. A., Archibald, N., Baker, A. B., Dawes, M. P., & Swanberg, J. E. (2023). Substance misuse among sexual and gender minorities: The role of everyday discrimination and identity. Substance Use & Misuse, 58(14), 1874–1882.
- Gately, K. A., Zawadzki, A. H., Mosley, A. M., Badua, A. K., Swanberg, J. E., & Rosenthal, S. R. (2023). Occupational injustice and the right to play: A systematic review of accessible playgrounds for children with disabilities. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(2), 7702205040.
- Rosenthal, S. R., Li, Y., Wensley, I. A., Perez, D., Gately, K. A. (2022). Smartphone addiction and traffic accidents: The moderating role of texting while driving. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 7, 406-413.
Honors And Awards
- Original Scholarship Award, JWU Student Research, Design, & Innovation Symposium, 2023
- Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy, 2023
- Capstone Excellence Award, 2023
- Pi Theta Epsilon, Occupational Therapy Honors Society
- Lucy DeLaurentis Memorial Scholarship, Marlboro College, 2016
- Rhode Island Honors Society