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Occupational Therapist, PhD Student
University of Missouri
Leah Botkin, MSOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist and PhD student at the University of Missouri, mentored by Dr. Rachel Proffitt, OTR/L. Leah is passionate about occupational therapy research with a special interest in neurological populations and evidence-based interventions, their dissemination and implementation into the clinical setting. Prior to starting her PhD, she was a full-time occupational therapist where she gained experience in the acute care, outpatient, and skilled nursing settings. She continues to work part-time as a clinician, largely as an outpatient provider focused on Parkinson's disease and other neurological populations, particularly through use of the LSVT–BIG® program. She obtained her Bachelor in Health Science from the University of Missouri in 2018. This is where she was first introduced to occupational therapy research through Dr. Rachel Proffitt, OTD, OTR/L, specifically within the areas of stroke and technology. She continued to Washington University in St. Louis, where she was mentored by Dr. Alex Wong, PhD, DPhil, OT in similar areas of research and completed her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2020.