Alyson Stover, assistant professor of occupational therapy in the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, was recently elected to lead the American Occupational Therapy Association. She will begin her three-year term on July 1. Stover is the first Pitt occupational therapy alumnus or faculty member to ever be selected to hold this national position.
The American Occupational Therapy Association is the national professional association established in 1917 to represent the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students of occupational therapy and to improve the quality of occupational therapy services. Current AOTA membership is approximately 65,000, including occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and occupational therapy students. Members reside in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and internationally.
Stover’s interests include using occupational therapy as a force for larger health care change, advancing occupational therapy’s national and global relevance and its role as a leader in policy development and implementation. Stover is also interested in access to care for underserved and underrepresented populations. “I am confident that I have the passion to fulfill these responsibilities with enthusiasm, innovation, and unity for the profession,” she said.
Stover holds a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation science and a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned a juris doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.