Rebecca Simon

Rebecca Simon, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, is an occupational therapist with more than two decades of experience in pediatrics and in academia. She received a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration from Stonehill College, an M.S. in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University, and an Ed.D. from Northeastern University with an emphasis on higher education administration.
For a decade, Simon was the fieldwork coordinator for Rhode Island’s first occupational therapy master’s degree program. As a former professor in JWU’s Physician Assistant program and current coordinator of interprofessional experiences for the OTD program, Simon’s interprofessional depth is an asset to the state’s first occupational therapy doctorate program.
Simon has been published in scholarly journals, and multiple textbooks, and has presented at both state and national conferences, primarily in the areas of fieldwork and pediatrics. In addition to multiple volunteer experiences, she is the co-chair of the New England Occupational Therapy Education Council (NEOTEC) and the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) Commission of Education Academic Fieldwork Coordinator Chair. Simon is also the Rhode Island Occupational Therapy Association Communications Chair. These local, regional and national positions allow her to interact with multiple practitioners and faculty from colleges and universities across the country, supporting creative educational opportunities, experiential learning, and mentorship.
In 2019, Simon was recognized as a Fellow of the AOTA for her leadership in fieldwork.

Education

• Ed.D., Higher Education Administration, Northeastern University
• M.Sc., Occupational Therapy, Tufts University
• B.A., Health Care Administration, Stonehill College

Teaching Interests

Her clinical practice has focused on pediatrics with a specialty in sensory integration. She offers private occupational therapy consultation and services to families with children who have special needs.

Scholarly Interests

Simon is primarily interested in qualitative research and leadership in the area of fieldwork. She embeds multiple layers of scholarship into her work and has a strong interest in guiding students with program development in the area of pediatrics and education. Simon was also a RI Campus Compact Faculty Fellow, with an emphasis on interprofessional education.

Courses

• OTD7070: Introduction to Fieldwork
• All of the Level I fieldwork courses
• OTPIV Pediatrics
• OTD9810: Fieldwork IIA
• OTD9860: Fieldwork IIB