James (“Jamie”) Tatti, is pleased to announce both passing the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam and being selected to attend the third annual Summer Institute for Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy in Kansas this summer. “This is an amazing accomplishment considering our students graduate with a Master of Science degree and compete with students graduating with Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) degrees,” says Winifred Schultz-Krohn, Chair, Occupational Therapy.

The event is hosted by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in collaboration with the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Selected occupational therapy (OT) students earn a scholarship to travel from across the United States to the University of Kansas Medical Center on June 7, 2018. After the program, students attend a two-day research summit alongside occupational therapy scholars. The program provides mentorship opportunities with scientists in their field for OT students aspiring to a career in research.

Tatti demonstrated a commitment to research from his application letter and throughout his time at San José State University. He submitted a critically appraised paper (CAP) for publication through the AOTA Evidence Exchange and is pursuing publication of a manuscript on a theory of meaning in life and occupation, developed as a part of his contribution to his research teams’ capstone research project. Tatti was the lead session presenter for his teams’ research on Meaning in Life at the End of Life at the 2017 annual California Occupational Therapy Association conference in Sacramento, CA. As well, he has consistently incorporated his research skills into improving his clinical performance during fieldwork opportunities, most notably creating a flow chart with supporting research articles to illustrate a method for rapid evaluations in an acute psychiatric environment.

Tatti is interested in upholding a high standard for evidence-base practice and continuing his research efforts as a clinician and would like to eventually pursue a doctorate degree. His research interests are currently focused on supporting occupational justice for gender and sexual minorities, improving the application of mindfulness techniques to occupational therapy practice, developing a theory of motivation for occupational choices, and the maintenance of the psychosocial and holistic core of occupational therapy services across practice settings.