Karen
Sladyk
, Ph.D.
Professor; Chair, Occupational Therapy Department
Department:
Occupational Therapy
Location:
Elliott House
207
Degrees
BS, Eastern Michigan University; MS, Southern Connecticut State University; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
Contact
Phone: 413.565.1450
Fax: 413.565.1116
Email: ksladyk@baypath.edu
Profile
A renowned author of Occupational Therapy (OT) texts and an established presenter at national OT conferences, Karen Sladyk, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, has served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Bay Path College since 1996. She brings her extensive experience in clinical settings and research to Bay Path, and to each undergraduate and graduate student enrolled in the OT program.
Under Dr. Sladyk’s direction, Bay Path’s OT program provides curriculum focused on clinical care as well as research and management. She has structured the program to integrate a humanistic approach with clinical applications and fieldwork, and students participate in research projects aimed at improving patients’ clinical outcomes as well as identifying methods that enhance their own learning experiences.
As Chair, Sladyk is responsible for administrative issues concerning OT faculty and students of this department. Her duties include hiring and supervision of OT faculty and staff, allocating department resources and budgeting, and she represents Bay Path’s OT Department on numerous committees and organizations. Currently, she serves as a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Sladyk edits and writes for several OT-related texts and journals. Several of her textbooks are currently second editions, and her text OT Exam Review Manual, first published in 1995, is in its fourth edition. During her 25-year career, she has contributed to numerous OT journals, such as OT Practice, Occupational Therapy in Health Care, and most recently, the American Journal of Occupational Therapy¬—the journal of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Dr. Sladyk received her doctoral degree in adult and vocational education from the University of Connecticut, and her research centered on clinical reasoning, reflective practice, and the influence of OT fieldwork activities. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she focused on hospitalization rates for patients with chronic mental illness, and she earned a master’s degree in community health education from Southern Connecticut State University. In the early 1980s, Sladyk began her path to an OT career by enrolling in the bachelor degree program at Eastern Michigan University, which offered one of the oldest OT programs in the country. Following completion of her bachelor’s degree, Sladyk returned home to Connecticut and spent nearly a decade as an OT clinician assisting patients with chronic mental illness and traumatic brain injuries. While completing her doctorate, she served on the OT faculty of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT, until mid-1990s.
