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AT-A-GLANCE PDF

Courtney R. Bland, OTD (she/her/hers)

Doctor of Occupational Therapy
Midwestern University

Courtney Bland graduated with a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois, where she served as president of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) and led the SOTA Professional Development Committee. While in occupational therapy school, she was the recipient of the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association (ILOTA) Outstanding Occupational Therapy Student Award. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance from The Ohio State University and previously worked at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) as a clinical research assistant. During that time, she also performed professionally as a dancer and brand ambassador for the National Basketball Association, holding leadership roles across three NBA-affiliated dance teams. At OSUWMC, she collaborated with neurological physical therapists to integrate arts-based motion feedback into rehabilitation, collecting and analyzing performance data to enhance patient outcomes. She contributed to four IRB-approved studies, including two on biomechanical measurements of disability and two clinical trials focused on novel interventions for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Before starting OT school, she returned to OSUWMC as a full-time clinical research assistant, receiving an NIH R21 diversity supplement grant to study rhythmically entrained targeted dance for breast cancer survivors. She led participant recruitment and data collection and taught private and group-adapted Argentine Tango. She presented three sessions at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, including “The State of Science in Dance and Neurorehabilitation.” Currently, she is continuing data collection for her IRB-approved doctoral capstone project in partnership with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. This project examines barriers to accessibility, physical environment, cognition, and social participation that affect engagement in the Dancing with Parkinson’s program.

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