Pediatric Research Leads to Interest in Pursuing OT

 Michelle Puma, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Psychology 

When I first started thinking of my capstone research, I thought I had it figured out. In my sophomore year, I was interested in physical therapy as a career and had planned ahead to do research related to that field. In the fall of 2019 I was lucky enough to have a mentor guide me in researching the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor on spinal cord injured mice. By the spring of 2020 most labs were closed in-person due to the pandemic, but I continued on with my research. I presented at the Undergraduate Conference and thought the hard part was over; I just needed to write my research paper.

Time passed, and I was in my senior year preparing to write my paper when unfortunately, my mentor was not available to help. This was a major setback considering I had completed most of the work. However, Cheryl helped me create a different capstone proposal that related to my passion of working with children with disabilities.

My idea for career paths has shifted since taking several elective classes for my Disability Studies minor. Understanding the bio-psycho social aspect of having a disability and the contextual factors that hinder the activities that are meaningful to someone with a disability has led to my interest in pursuing occupational therapy.

Cheryl connected me with Dr. Amanda Rotondo who had previous research in pediatrics. Dr. Rotondo was so helpful and accommodating. So much so, that writing a new topic didn’t seem as stressful anymore. I was able to work with her on the effect of disruption in continuation of PT/OT providers for children with disabilities.

After conducting this research, I gained a deeper understanding of the two professions, and understand how personal and environmental factors are considered when a person with a disability regresses in particular skills.