Occupational Therapy Program Receives Accreditation

ben herz
Ben Herz, director of the OT program

The Accreditation Council on Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) has granted accreditation to Mary Baldwin’s occupational therapy program (OTD) at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences.

At its April 9–10 meeting, the ACOTE reviewed the report of the on-site evaluation team and voted to grant accreditation. The benchmark occurred during Occupational Therapy Month, which is celebrated each April.

“This is a significant milestone for our nascent doctoral program,” said Ben Herz, OTD program director. Our emphasis on teaching and learning and interprofessional education make us a unique and innovative model of OT education.”

The program is the first entry-level occupational therapy doctorate in Virginia. The first students in the program enrolled in June 2014 and are set to graduate in May 2017.mdchs exterior

“Under the leadership of Dr. Ben Herz and the outstanding OT faculty we have developed a transformational OT curriculum that has already received numerous accolades from OT educators and clinicians nationally,” said Linda Seestedt-Stanford, vice president of health sciences.

The OTD at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences provides an interprofessional approach to education, which gives students a better understanding of how their profession meets the needs of patients in the spectrum of care. This unique program, which includes a doctoral-level clinical and research experience in the third year, has been praised for its innovative approach, preparing students for the profession and the complexities of healthcare delivery.