Michael A. Pizzi, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, has been an occupational therapist since 1981. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles and 25 book chapters, and is co-editor of a health promotion and wellness textbook. His research has focused on hospice, HIV/AIDS, wellness, and childhood obesity, and he is the only occupational therapist to guest edit the American Journal of Occupational Therapy on three different topics (AIDS, wellness, and childhood obesity). In occupational therapy, he has created clinical pathways in all of these areas. Dr. Pizzi created the first health and wellness interprofessional conference in 1993 and since then has focused on health, well-being, and quality of life in community practice. Dr. Pizzi developed the frst valid and reliable wellness tool that could be used inter-professionally called the Pizzi Health and Wellness Assessment (PHWA), as well as a health and wellness model called the Environment-Health-Occupation-Well-Being (E-HOW) Model. He created Touching Humanity, a not-for-profit whose motto is "given opportunity, always able." Mark Amir, PT, DPT, MPH, DipMDT, is currently the Director of Clinical Education at DUNY - DPT and Residency Director at JAG Physical Therapy. His passion is to help students integrate newly acquired didactic skills that match their innate strengths to their clinical setting, which can positively impact the lives of their clients, themselves, and their community. Matching clinical experiences with a student-centered focus allows graduates and experienced clinicians to thrive in their chosen physical therapy career. Dr. Amir was a private practice, multi-state outpatient physical therapy owner for over 20 years.
