Faculty

Members of the Occupational Therapy faculty represent a wide variety of backgrounds and skills. Their areas of expertise include pediatrics, orthopedics, neurological treatment, mental health, geriatrics, assistive technology, health policy, work evaluation, neuroanatomy/physiology, health education, sexuality, and research design and statistics.

Expert occupational therapists from the community also work with students in the on-campus clinics, expanding and enriching the curriculum.

Among Occupational Therapy adjunct faculty are two certified hand therapists, three clinicians certified in sensory integration, and four in neurodevelopmental treatment, a specialist in the design, construction, and use of adaptive equipment, and an experienced clinical administrator. Physical Therapy faculty also teach some modules within occupational therapy courses.

Faculty Listing

Marie DeBenedictis, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator

• BA, University of Massachusetts, Boston, 1970
• MOT, University of Puget Sound, 1984

Ms. DeBenedictis coordinates the off-campus clinical education required of students. She facilitates student transition from the academic to the professional setting and works closely with clinical supervisors to ensure quality fieldwork education for our students. Her clinical experience, primarily in psychological occupational therapy, spans more than 13 years.

Ms. DeBenedictis has collaborated with Professor Juli McGruder and Mr. Ahmed A. Salim to establish a fieldwork placement at the Kidongo Chekundu hospital in Zanzibar (Africa). Puget Sound occupational therapy students willing to undertake the study of Kiswahili, the language of coastal East Africa, can elect to do a field placement in Zanzibar where they may work with the mental health system, the drug rehabilitation program and possibly the pediatric clinic at the general hospital.

Tatiana Kaminsky, Assistant Professor

• BS, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1995
• MS, University of Washington, 2003
• PhC, University of Washington, 2005

Professor Kaminsky teaches gerontology, health systems, health policy, and adult rehabilitation. Her clinical expertise includes eight years in adult rehabilitation settings. She has gained special expertise in assistive technology and low vision therapy. She has researched augmented reality for people with Parkinson disease, and is interested in low vision, assistive technology, geriatrics, environmental modification, and community-based health programs.

Martins Linauts, Clinical Associate Professor

• BS, Albright College, 1972
• PhD, Ohio State University, 1977
• BS, Physical Therapy, Oakland University, 1986

Professor Linauts is the lead instructor in functional human anatomy and neuroscience. He has clinical experience in pediatric physical therapy in public schools and more than 15 years of teaching experience. He is most interested in the anatomy of motor systems and theories of motor control and learning.

Marge Luthman, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor

• MS,  Colorado State University, 2005

Professor Luthman teaches in the occupational therapy foundations course, as well as in pediatrics.  Shealso oversee the on-campus student occupational therapy clinic.  She has six years of experience in general rehabilitation, more than 14 years of hospital-based pediatrics, and three years of experience in school systems.  Expertise in sensory integration and NDT.

Juli McGruder, Professor and Director of Post-Professional Studies

• BS, Occupational Therapy, Indiana University, 1975
• MSEd., Indiana University, 1979
• MA, PhD, University of Washington, 1994, 1999

Professor McGruder teaches treatment of neurological disorders and psychiatric disorders. She has practiced in neurological rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation, and psychiatric care and has more than 25 years of teaching experience.

She has done extensive research on cross-cultural mental health, specifically, the more benign prognosis of schizophrenia in the developing world. See pictures of the OT department she established collaboratively with Mr. Ahmed A. Salim at the Kidongo Chekundu hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania (Africa).

Christine Stephan, Clinical Adjunct Professor

• BA, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1968
• MS, University of Connecticut at Storrs,, 1969
• MAOT, University of Southern California, 1974

Professor Stephan is responsible for health systems, activity analysis, and mental health clinical supervision. Her clinical experience in both physical and psychosocial aspects of practice covers more than 20 years in various settings, including pediatric rehabilitation and mental health, adult day treatment, industrial injury prevention, home health, and private practice.

Yvonne Swinth, Associate Professor

• BS, Occupational Therapy, University of Puget Sound, 1985
• MS, PhD, University of Washington, 1991, 1997

Professor Swinth teaches foundations of occupational therapy, performance adaptation, pediatrics and assistive technology. She has more than 15 years of experience as a pediatric occupational therapist in school-based practice. Her research interests and clinical expertise focus on assistive technology, including adapted computers, powered mobility, communication devices, and environmental control systems for people with disabilities.

George S. Tomlin, Professor and Director

• BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1972
• MA, Boston University, 1977
• MS, Occupational Therapy, University of Puget Sound, 1982
• PhD, University of Washington, 1996

Professor Tomlin teaches biomechanics (the science of human movement), clinical measurement, and a three-course sequence in research. He has over 20 years of college teaching experience. His clinical background includes pediatric mental health, adult physical rehabilitation, and work rehabilitation programs. His research has focused on clinical outcomes, statistical properties of clinical measures, and clinical reasoning.

Adjunct Faculty

Among the occupational therapy adjunct faculty are two certified hand therapists, three clinicians certified in sensory integration, and four in neurodevelopmental treatment; a specialist in the design, construction, and use of adaptive equipment; and an experienced clinic administrator.