JoAnne Wright, Ph.D., OTR/L, CLVT
Occupational Roles
Professor, occupational scientist, occupational therapist, wife, step-mother, daughter, sister, aunt, nap-lover, combination rockhound/fossil hunter; theater-goer, book-worm; care-giver; administrator.
Occupational History
Jo juggles her time between her work and her family. She was raised in Utah and then left the state for exotic places such as Taiwan, Boston, Michigan and Los Angeles. In 1997 she returned to SLC and the best mountains in the world to spend more time with her family. She developed the current MOT program and worked to get the necessary University and Legislative ($$) support so that Utah could have an OT program.
Her roles as the Developer/Chair have included recruiting students and faculty, acquiring and overseeing the remodeling of space for the school, curriculum design and teaching. Her research passion at this time has to do with low vision and helping older adults age in place. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Creative Solutions for Kids—a non-profit organization devoted to helping children who have parents with disabilities. She is married to a free-lance writer, proofreader and anthro-buff. They are the proud parents of a cat-child who thinks she owns the universe and her step-brother. One of Jo’s favorite pastimes is rock hounding or fossil hunting. Utah is a wonderful playground for such activities but her favorite is to go sapphire hunting in Montana.
Education
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Doctor of Philosophy, Occupational Science, 1995
Graduate Certificate in Gerontology, 1992
Tufts University, Boston School of Occupational Therapy, Boston, MA
Master of Arts, Occupational Therapy, 1986
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Bachelor of Science, Health Education, 1981
Certified Low Vision Therapist, 2005
Current Position
Program Chair; Professor (Clinical) of Occupational Therapy; Adjunct Associate Professor (Clinical) of Gerontology; Adjunct Associate Professor (Clinical) of Health Promotion and Education.
Research Interests
Occupational Science; Low Vision; Aging in Place; Gerontology; Principles of Life Redesign
Recent Scholarship
Lysaght, R., Wright, J. (2005). The use of occupation-based strategies in worker rehabilitation programs. American Journal of Occupational Therapy; Mar April Issue
Lysaght, R., Wright, J. (2003) Occupational therapy student recruitment: Attracting applicants in uncertain times. Education Special Interest Section Quarterly, Vol 13, #4 Dec 2003 Bethesda, MD. American Occupation Therapy Association, Inc.
Wright, J. (2002). Developing your professional portfolio. In Sladyk, K. (Ed.) The successful occupational therapy fieldwork student. (pp167-171). Thorofare, NJ: Slack Pub.
Wright, J. (2002) Epilogue: What next? In Lou, J.Q. Genetics: Challenges and opportunities for health care professionals. (pp85-89) Dubuque, Iowa: AOTA Press/Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Contact Information
Email: joanne.wright@hsc.utah.edu
Phone: 801-585-7788
Address: 520 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City; Utah 84108