Dr. Doris Pierce, EKU’s Endowed Chair in Occupational Therapy, was flown to Sapporo, Japan, in July by the Japanese Society for the Study of Occupation to deliver the keynote address at the 16th meeting of the Society. Her presentation, “Building Occupational Science,” gave an overview of the theoretical and empirical development of the young science, as well as its effectiveness in honoring its founding promise to provide a unique professional knowledge to support occupational therapy.

“The JSSO meeting was so exciting because so many therapists were involved and active in Japan’s occupational science society,” said Pierce, who established several collaborations between EKU and Japanese occupational scientists, including a planned project to assist her Japanese colleagues develop and study equine-facilitated therapy through a multi-disciplinary, exploratory visit with leaders of the Horses, Humans, and Health Program at EKU.

Eastern’s Department of Occupational Therapy will host the 2013 Meeting of the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA, where further plans for international projects can be developed.