SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Susan Bazyk, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is Professor Emerita of the Occupational Therapy Program at Cleveland State University where she taught for 34 years. In addition to authoring the book, Mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention with children and youth: A guiding framework for occupational therapy (2011), Dr. Bazyk has authored over 40 journal articles and book chapters in leading OT textbooks. She is the founding director of Every Moment Counts, which was launched in 2012. This multi-pronged mental health promotion initiative focuses on helping all children and youth participate successfully throughout the day in academic and non-academic settings. Her current efforts focus on building capacity of OT practitioners and interdisciplinary teams to do this work. 

Bryden Carlson-Giving is a neurodivergent and disabled occupational therapy practitioner with experience in pediatric outpatient, inpatient, and school-based settings. He is also a recent post-professional doctoral graduate whose research focused on creating a toolkit to support OTPs and their ability to challenge ableism within pediatrics, leading to the first neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy model (EMPOWER). Bryden is the creator of Neurodivergent Nexus, an online resource hub supporting practitioners with challenging albleism throughout the OT process. From helping individuals discover and embrace their sensory processing differences to collaborating with their family and education team to improve their ability to be neurodiversity-affirming, Bryden aims to maximize his client's quality of life and well-being to support authentic neurodivergent development. 

Alexi M. Christensen, OTR/L & Marlee K. Olson, OTR/L are co-founders of SENSE-ational Spaces, LLC.  They are certified and licensed pediatric occupational therapists who have merged their desires for helping people in the community, sensory processing, and environmental modifications into a business in their home state of Minnesota. SENSE-ational Spaces team strives to develop sensory safe spaces that are individually tailored to a family or community partner's needs. Using their occupational therapy lens, the SENSE-ational Spaces team supports parents and community partners in the fostering of their child’s development through education and creation of sensory-friendly spaces. 

Dr. Supreet Deshpande has been at Gillette Children’s Hospital since 2008. She received her degree from Kasturaba Medical College in Mangalore India. She completed her residency for physical medicine at the University of Minnesota and her fellowship at Gillette Children’s Hospital. She is  board certified in pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation and pediatric rehabilitation. Dr. Deshpande has presented at several national conferences including the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and Association of Academic Physiatry as well as published several research articles. 

Dr. Michelle Fyle is an occupational therapist for infants and toddlers in Early Childhood Education. Her professional career spans 20 years in an educational setting, focused primarily on home visiting and coaching parents. She earned her Bachelor degree in Natural Science from St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN and her Masters of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Doctorate from St. Catherine University. Michelle also has her certification in Circle of Security and in an internal coach for evidenced-based practice in Early Intervention. Michelle is a native of Minnesota and grew up in the Twin Cities. During her free time, she enjoys time with her two children, 9-pound chihuahua mix, traveling, and Jazzercise. 

Maryann Girardi received her Bachelor of Science in physical therapy degree from the University of Lowell, Lowell, MA, and her Doctor of Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA. She is also a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP).  For over 40 years she has worked with adults and pediatrics with complex neurological conditions in home, school, in-patient and outpatient acute rehab settings.  She has used DME to augment her treatment, enabling patients to have the support and positioning they need for participation in meaningful activities and improve/maintain musculoskeletal function.  

She has presented at the local, national, and international level, on a variety of topics including service delivery, seating prescription, development of patient specific seating systems and therapeutic interventions for children with CHARGE Syndrome. Maryann is the Clinical Educations Specialist at Altimate Medical, Inc

Annelise (Annie) Grabowski, M.A. CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist at Gillette Children’s. Annie sees both children and adults with childhood-onset disabilities with communication, cognition, and swallowing impairments. Annie holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a Master of Arts from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and remains involved at the University of Minnesota through research with the Trajectories After Brain Injury (TABI) Lab. Annie has special interests in relationship-based therapy and is certified in LSVT Loud for Kids and VitalStim Therapy.

Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist with 20 years experience in pediatrics with a passion for treating feeding and sensory differences in children. She has worked in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, Schools, and Outpatient. She began YourKidsTable.com in 2012, has created several AOTA approved online courses, and has appeared nationally in a Talk Tools conference as well as in various magazines and online publishings.

Erika Buckhouse Hanson has been a school-based physical therapist in Fargo Public Schools for 21 years. Through mentoring new special education teachers, she has recognized needs of our students and teachers not priorly noticed. Erika assisted in developing the first PT/OT school-based guidelines for the state of ND.  

Candice Johnson is the Rehabilitation Therapies Supervisor of Clinical Outcomes Research and Education and an occupational therapist working with persons with special healthcare needs across the lifespan. She completed her doctoral work at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. She is actively involved in the development of Early Identification and Intervention work at Gillette through leadership, program development, and organizational collaboration. She is trained in the Prechtl General Movement Assessment and Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination to support this work.

Lois Lillie is an Occupational Therapist who has been working as a field specialist in the area of school-based therapy under the Low Incidence Projects grant from the MN Department of Education – Special Education Division, since 1999.  She provides statewide support regarding the special education role and responsibilities of OTs and PTs as special education related service providers in the state of Minnesota. With over 40 years of professional experience as an Occupational Therapist, Lois has focused on school-based practice, and has been active in promoting therapist’s professional growth through the development of resources and staff learning opportunities in this area of specialty.  Her efforts include her role as the facilitator/co-author, and workshop presenter of “Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Settings: A Manual for Minnesota Practitioners, 2014 Edition.” 

Michelle Eastey Mercado earned her BS in Occupational Therapy in 1997 from the College of St. Catherine. Shortly after graduation, she returned to the College of St. Catherine and earned her MA in Occupational Therapy in 2001 while working as a pediatric outpatient occupational therapist. She is an occupational therapist-educator, serving children and families across various settings, including early intervention, schools, hospitals, and outpatient clinics. After working 14 years in health care and schools, Michelle returned to college and earned her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from St. Catherine University in 2014. Michelle has a long-standing interest in disability, equity, and inclusion. She is the Lead for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Music Therapy, Art Therapy, Physical/Health Disabilities Teachers, and Developmental Adapted Physical Education Teachers for St. Paul Public Schools. She is also President of the Sotos Syndrome Support Association and sits on their Medical Advisory Board. In addition to her professional interests, the most rewarding is her lived experience as the parent of four children, one of whom has a rare genetic condition, autism, and complex developmental/health care needs. She resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and children, where they enjoy spending time working out and traveling. 

Therese O’Bright, PT, PCS received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse in 2009. She currently is a level III physical therapist at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and the program director for the PT pediatric residency program at Gillette.  She is a board certified specialist in pediatric physical therapy. She has expertise in the early identification and intervention for infants at risk for cerebral palsy and is trained in the GMA and the HINE. 

Jamie O’Conner is the Outreach Coordinator for Family Voices of Minnesota. She is a parent to two children, one of which was born with a rare genetic condition called Williams Syndrome (WS). She has 13 + years of lived experience advocating in healthcare settings, schools and in the community.

Jamie is also a Co-Lead for the 2023/2024 National Caregiver Coalition with Health Leads USA. The coalition is a group of caregivers, including institutional partners collectively tackling the issue of financial sustainability for all caregiver types. 
Jamie is a Class 34 Partners in Policymaking graduate and has completed a variety of Family Leadership Trainings over the last 10 years. She is certified in Charting the LifeCourse© as an Ambassador, Presenter and Good Life Group Facilitator. Jamie is a 2021 – 2022 graduate of AMCHP’s Leadership Lab. 

Kathleen Picard PT, DPT is an associate faculty member in the Physical Therapy Division of the University of Minnesota Medical School and an adjunct faculty member in the Program of Physical Therapy at The College of St. Scholastica. Her content area is the legal/ethical aspect of practice. She is the founder of Picard Consulting LLC, which offers health policy and practice management consulting to PT practices across the country. Kathleen serves as APTA Minnesota’s State Government Affairs Committee co-chair and is the APTA appointed advisor to the AMA CPT Editorial Panel.

Michelle Schluender, PT, DPT is a pediatric physical therapist at Benton Stearns Education District for the past 15 years working with children birth to 22 years old.  She has worked in outpatient, homecare, and the school setting.  Michelle is a committee member of the Minnesota School-Based OT/PT Institute.  

Dr. Angela Sinner is a physician specializing in Pediatric Rehabilitation medicine practicing at Gillette Children’s.  Dr. Sinner is a native of North Dakota, pursed medical school training in Des Moines Iowa, then residency and fellowship at the University of Minnesota and Gillette Children’s.  She sees children with diagnoses that include cerebral palsy, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury, gait abnormality and developmental delays.  She is co-director of Gillette’s inpatient rehabilitation program and also the Wellness program coordinator. 

Paula Vander Schaaf, OTR works in inpatient Rehabilitation as well as outpatient clinic settings with children with a wide spectrum of disabilities.  I’ve been the OT lead in Neuromuscular Clinic as well as our Powered Mobility and Seating clinics.  My passion has grown over the years for powered mobility and alternative access for driving powered wheelchairs.  I enjoy keeping up with continuously changing technology so I can apply it to my patients to get them independent in their mobility as well as positioning. I have unique splinting skills which include custom finger splints to house fiber optic switches for people with significant weakness to access driving, seating, and external devices for independence. I have performed in-house training among my peers at Gillette so they feel equipped to work with both the equipment and patients to get them driving.  I have also obtained powered wheelchairs and alternative driver controls for these chairs at all Gillette sites.