Wendy Wood, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Dr. Wendy Wood received a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University in 1975. Inspired by her clinical work with frail elders, she went on to earn a post-professional Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy in 1988 and a PhD in Occupational Science in 1995, from the University of Southern California. Her doctoral research investigated how the psychological being of zoo chimpanzees could be enriched by access to ‘chimpanzee occupations.’After completing her PhD, Dr. Wood joined the faculty in the Division of Occupational Science and Graduate Program in Occupational Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she remained for 9 years. While at UNC-Chapel Hill, her research increasingly focused on the everyday quality of life of older adults with dementia. In 2004, she became an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a position she still holds. Also in 2004, Dr. Wood moved to New Mexico to take a position as Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy at the University of New Mexico, School of Medicine.
She has recently refashioned her career around three core commitments: clinical practice, research and writing. Toward these ends, Dr. Wood became a home health occupational therapist at Presbyterian Health System in March 2007. Also in 2007, she became a Research Associate Professor in the Center on Aging, Division of Geriatrics, within UNM’s School of Medicine. Dr. Wood has published extensively in the field, and continues to find writing one of her most rewarding occupations. In addition to her publications, she has extensively presented her work in occupational therapy, occupational science and gerontological conferences in the United States and internationally.
