William Wrightsman, ScD, MSOT, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Director of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program
Dr. Wrightsman joined Cedar Crest College as the founding director for the entry-level occupational therapy doctorate program. Previously, Dr. Wrightsman had been the founding doctoral capstone coordinator for Touro University Nevada, where he taught for 10 years. His previous experiences include extensive management and leadership positions in the corporate world and academia. His clinical background is in physical dysfunction and rehabilitation, working with adults and older adult populations. His teaching responsibilities include adult and older adult populations, qualitative research, leadership, and social justice courses.
Dr. Wrightsman has completed the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) Academic Leadership Institute and the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent College’s (LVAIC) Higher Education Leaders Institute. He has also earned his Certificate in Effective College Instruction, awarded by the Association of College and University Educators and the American Council on Education.
Dr. Wrightsman has presented at several AOTA Inspire Conferences and the Society for the Study of Occupations. His primary research methodology is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
Dr. Wrightsman received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Touro University, and his Doctor of Science in Occupational Science from Towson University.
Cerissa Z. Clark, OTD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Clark is an occupational therapist and former special education teacher. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary/Special Education from La Salle University and entry-level OTD from Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Clark’s clinical interests include intervention for groups and individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), autism, and/or serious mental illness (SMI). Her background in education informs her therapeutic process, and she hopes to instill in her students the importance of understanding how individuals perceive the world, learn, and move toward growth and change. Scholarly interests include health-behavior change, substance-use and addictive disorder recovery, life skills for adults with cognitive challenges, parenting, and caregiver collaboration.
Allison Giannone, OTD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Giannone is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. Prior to her work at Cedar Crest, she served as an Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and adjunct faculty at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Giannone earned her Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Thomas Jefferson University, where her doctoral capstone focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Giannone initially conducted qualitative research exploring faculty perceptions of supports and barriers to OT student success within their academic program, and she looks forward to continuing this scholarly inquiry. Dr. Giannone’s clinical experience primarily includes school-based practice and early intervention. She also has clinical experience in acute and home-health care. Dr. Giannone transitioned to academia in September of 2022 but continues to work within early intervention practice settings. Her primary interests include school-based and early intervention practice with a focus on implementing trauma-informed care within preschool emotional support programming.
Megan E Gittings, OTD, OTR
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Gittings is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. Prior to her work at Cedar Crest, she worked with the Universal Institute of Rehabilitation in Bethlehem, PA. During her time at Universal Institute, she provided comprehensive occupational therapeutic services for adults living with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) as well as other neurological conditions. Dr. Gittings specialized in the delivery of prevocational services to assist clients in developing the skills to contribute to employability and volunteer opportunities in a supportive community setting.
Dr. Gittings completed her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Healthcare Science at Alvernia University in 2017 before achieving her Master’s of Occupational Therapy at Temple University in 2019. Dr. Gittings then returned to Philadelphia and graduated from Temple’s College of Public Health with a Post- Professional Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in 2023. During this time, Dr. Gittings conducted extensive research on the development of prevocational skills for individuals living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Her research resulted in the establishment and implementation of the Comprehensive Intervention for Prevocational Programming (CIPP), which aims to educate professionals on the return-to-work process for individuals with TB.
Joel Rodin Guerrero, OTD, MA, OTR/L, CDP
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Guerrero is an internationally educated occupational therapist with 25 years of experience in academia and clinics. His desire to rethink teaching revived this passion for rejoining academia, and Cedar Crest College is an excellent partnership. He assumed senior therapist and leadership roles while working in long-term care and inpatient rehab settings, and he specializes in aging-in-place and dementia care resulting from working with the adults and geriatric population. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy at Cebu Doctors’ University in Cebu City and Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, all in the Philippines. He received a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. His doctoral experiences strengthened his role as an OT educator and scholar to guide OT students in understanding healthcare inequities and tackling global issues through educational and research linkages, and building communities of like-minded practitioners.
Aimee Ketchum, OTD, OTR/L, CNMI
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Academic Fieldwork Coordinator
Dr. Ketchum is the founding academic fieldwork coordinator for the entry-level occupational therapy doctorate program. Dr. Ketchum has been practicing occupational therapy for over 20 years, primarily in pediatrics and neurological rehabilitation, but has also worked in early intervention, schools, geriatric psych, acute-care, home-care, outpatient, and rehab. She earned her doctorate from Thomas Jefferson University in 2018.
Dr. Ketchum’s passion for education led her to create STEM Starts Now through her child development company, Aimee’s Babies, LLC. The Aimee’s Babies family of DVDs, CDs, videos, mobile apps, and educational materials have been featured on the Rachael Ray Show and iPhone Essentials Magazine. Aimee’s Babies Word Gap App was a finalist in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Word Gap Challenge. Ketchum’s articles have been published in the Chicago Tribune, The New York Daily News, The Baltimore Sun, Babychick.com, and the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. She has worked with the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail Initiative, Zero to Three Child Advocacy Network, and Parents as Teachers to fulfill her passion for educating new parents.
Ketchum recently published a book to help fellow occupational therapists avoid burnout, entitled See Occupational Therapist Run. Dr. Ketchum is also a certified newborn massage instructor, an educator for PA Keys, and a certified yoga instructor.
Mark Koch, OTD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Doctoral Capstone Coordinator
Dr. Koch is an occupational therapist and educator whose areas of interest include community-based practice, trauma-informed care, occupational in/justice, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He received his Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from the University of Missouri and his post-professional OTD from Saint Louis University. Prior to his appointment at Cedar Crest College, Dr. Koch was a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas/University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. As an OT educator and scholar, Mark is interested in understanding how relational approaches to teaching and learning can optimize learner inclusion, participation, and socialization to the profession.
Teri S. Krassen, OTD, MHA, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Teri S. Krassen is an assistant professor in the OTD program. Dr. Krassen has been an OT for over 35 years, specializing in the treatment of the adult client. Dr. Krassen has experience in inpatient rehab, acute care, home health care, outpatient care, and skilled nursing facilities. Dr. Krassen has specialized expertise and a passion for working for over 20 years in an outpatient neuromuscular clinic treating those with Muscular Dystrophy or ALS. Dr. Krassen has a master’s degree in health administration and has experience in multiple levels of management and leadership. Dr. Krassen received her bachelor’s degree in OT from Boston University, her master’s degree from Saint Joseph’s University, and her Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Gannon university.
Kelly Mazur, OTD, ORR/L
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Dr. Mazur, is an occupational therapist with 35 years of experience. Early career experiences included working in a large rehab hospital and skilled nursing facilities. For the last 27 years, her practice has focused on pediatrics, including school-based, early intervention, home school, and clinic-based settings. She received a B.S. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary, an M.S. in Occupational Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her post-professional OTD from Chatham University. Her current expertise and interests for scholarly pursuit include autism, sensory processing, self-advocacy skills, and occupational therapy’s role in helping students with a disability transition to adulthood.