Rebecca Barton, DHS, OTR

Rebecca Barton is an associate professor. She teaches coursework related to fieldwork and professional issues and is the Director of Fieldwork. Becky's areas of expertise include community based practice and occupational performance issues for performing artists and people with arthritis, hand injuries, and neurological dysfunction. She also is an expert in Fieldwork Education. Her professional service includes membership and participation in the Indiana Occupational Therapy Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, and the Performing Artists Medical Association.

Becky's book publications include a chapter on arthritis in Physical and Occupational Therapy: Drug Implications for Practice (J.B. Lippincott, 1989) and a chapter in Osteoarthritis (Oxford University Press, 1998). She published an article based on her qualitative research in performing arts entitled "The Aging Musician" published in the Journal of Work, March 2004 and has two recent publications in the June 2008 issue of  the Medical Journal for Performing Artists: “Effectiveness of an Educational Program In Health Promotion and Injury Prevention for Freshman Music Majors” and Occupational performance issues and predictors of dysfunction in college instrumentalists”. She has presented locally and nationally on the subjects of occupational therapy's role with arthritis, the performing arts, clinical education, and competency-based education.

Dr. Barton received a 2009 UIndy Faculty Achievement Award. The following was read at the award presentation:

Professor Rebecca Barton from the School of Occupational Therapy was nominated for her outstanding achievements last year in the areas of service and scholarship.  Becky has contributed significantly in two critical areas in the School – she provided leadership along with her co-chair in the redesign of the MOT curriculum; in addition, her leadership during the School’s self-study provided the foundation for what we expect to be a very successful accreditation site-visit by ACOTE this November.  In addition to these contributions, Becky maintained her duties as Director of Clinical Education which involved overseeing numerous fieldwork placements across the United States.  Becky also had an outstanding year with respect to scholarship – her program of research resulted in the publication of two articles, Effectiveness of an Education Program in Health Promotion and Injury Prevention for Freshman Music Majors, and Occupational Performance Issues and Predictors of Dysfunction in College Instrumentalists, which appeared in the journal Medical Problems in Performing Artists. 

Dr. Terrence Harewood (School of Education) and Dr. Becky Barton (School of OT) co-led a 2011 spring term trip to Barbados with 24 undergraduate students representing education, business, nursing and pre-nursing, pre-physical therapy, communications, and social work. The focus of this international experience was on exploration of one's chosen vocation in a different culture.

Becky is the 2012 AOTA conference hospitality chair.

Click to view Dr. Barton's research.