Karen Jacobs, EdD, OT, OTR, CPE, FAOTA has worked at Boston University, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College since 1983. Currently, she is the Associate Dean of Digital Learning & Innovation, a Clinical Professor and the Program Director of the on-line post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) program. She is a past president and vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association, received the 2011 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, and was a 2005 recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri in Akureyri, Iceland. She earned a doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Science in occupational therapy. In addition to being an occupational therapist, Karen is also a certified professional ergonomist and the founding editor of the international, interprofessional journal WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation. Karen is a faculty-in-residence and lives in an apartment in one of the dormitories at Boston University. She is the mother of three children-Laela, Joshua, and Ariel-and the Amma (grandma in Icelandic) to Sophie, Zachary, Liberty, and Zane. She balances work with occupations such as cross-country skiing, kayaking, photography, and travel. Laela Simon, OTR/L received her degree in occupational therapy from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Florida. She has been in clinical practice for more than 20 years, 10 of which was as a rehabilitation coordinator/manager with expertise in vestibular, neurological, and orthopedic rehabilitation. Laela and her husband, Craig, are the proud parents of Sophie and Zachary. Laela balances work with occupations such as music, art, travel, and spending time with her family.
