| Title: |
Chair and Professor
Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy and Doctoral Capstone Coordinator |
| Dept: | Occupational Therapy |
| Office: | HS 109 |
| Phone: | 216-687-3542, 216-687-3567 |
| Fax: | 216-687-9316 |
| Email: | B.EKELMAN@csuohio.edu |
| Web: |
https://health.csuohio.edu/occupational-therapy/occup ational-therapy |
| Address: | 2121 Euclid Ave. HS 109, Cleveland, OH 44115 |
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| Education: | ||||||||
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Ph.D., Human Services, Capella University, 2011
J.D., Law, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, 1991 Post-Baccalaureate, Occupational Therapy, Cleveland State University, 1985 B.A., Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, 1981 | ||||||||
| Brief Bio: | ||
| Dr. Ekelman joined the School of Health Sciences at Cleveland State University in 1994. In July 2022, Dr. Ekelman became the Chair of the newly formed Department of Occupational Therapy which is housed within the new College of Health. She has a long history of service and administrative experience at CSU. She served as the founding Program Director of the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Program from 2003-2011. Beginning in 2011, she served as the Associate Director of the School of Health Sciences. She began her term in 2016 as the Program Director of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program which transitioned to the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program. She led the OT faculty through several accreditation processes, most recently for the accreditation of the OTD Program.
Prior to coming to Cleveland State University, Dr. Ekelman was a practicing occupational therapist and also was a law clerk for the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She teaches primarily in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program with expertise in the evaluation and intervention of adults with physical disabilities and occupational science. She earned a Ph.D. in 2011 from Capella University. Her dissertation was entitled, "The Well-Being of College Students with Disabilities: An Occupational Perspective." Current research is framed by the social science of occupational science and explores occupational justice or injustice experiences of individuals with disabilities. She also is interested in how community participation and occupational engagement influence well-being and how occupational therapists can enhance practice in the area of health promotion and prevention within the community. | ||
| Honors and Awards: | ||
| Graduate Faculty Status renewed, Tier I: 2022, 2017, 2013, 2008, 2003, 1997
University Faculty Merit Award: 1997, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 Promoted to Professor, 2015 Award of Merit, Ohio Occupational Therapy Association, 2011 University Distinguished Faculty Award for Service, 2011 and 2022 | ||
| Research Interests: | ||
| Dr. Ekelman's current research focuses on wellness and health promotion. She is particularly interested in the health and wellness behaviors and meaning of occupational engagement experiences of college students and individuals with disabilities. Currently she is working with physical therapists and engineers to examine the benefits of gardening using a harness system. Her focus is on participation, meaning, and quality of life while the physical therapist and engineers are examining balance improvements using a sensor system. Recently she completed a study exploring how participation in a community wellness program influenced the well-being of individuals with a spinal cord injury. She completed a qualitative study on the health and well-being of college students with disabilities in relation to their participation in college activities. She also is exploring how lived experiences influence the decision to pursue the implantation of an FES device among individuals with a spinal cord injury. She has conducted culturally relevant wellness research internationally as well, focusing primarily on Mayan women living in Belize, Central America, with an emphasis on occupation applying occupational science principles. | ||
| University Service: | ||
| Member, Graduate Council, 2022-2023
Member, University Faculty Affairs Committee, 2012-2017 Member, Faculty Senate, 2012-2022 Chair, COSHP Caucus, 2014-16 Member At Large, AAUP, 2014-16 Member, Graduate Council, 2017-2019 | ||
| Professional Service: | ||
| Member, AOTA Commission on Education, 2022-2026
Chair Elect Legal Committee and Member of Board of Directors, Society for the Study of Occupation: USA Prior member of the Editorial Board, Occupational Therapy Journal of Research | ||
| Research Grants: | ||
| Goodman G., Zhao, W., Ekelman, B., Espy, D., Reinthal, A., Niederriter, J. (Co-PIs). Safe Patient Handling Among STNAs in Nursing Homes. Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation. Funded 2015-16, $250,000.
Ekelman, B, Bazyk, S., & Dal Bello-Haas, V. (Co-PIs). The wellbeing of mayan women in Belize, Central America. American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Funded. | ||