Christine Urish, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA

• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• Board Certified Occupational Therapist in Mental Health (BCMH)
• Iowa Occupational Therapy Association (IOTA)
• World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT)
• Occupational Therapy Academic Fraternity - Pi Theta Epsilon, Lifetime member
• Phi Kappa Phi - Academic Honor Society

• Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year:
  Iowa Occupational Therapy Association - 2017 & 1998
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation:
  University of Iowa - May 2013
• Awarded the Roster of Fellows:
  American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA) - April 12, 2008

• Past Member, AOTA Board & Specialty Certification Committee (BASC)
• Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Instructor
• Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor
• Adult Mental Health First Aid - Higher Education Module Instructor
• AOTA AESIS Fieldwork Educator Mentor (2020-2021)
• AOTA DCC Mentor (2022-2024)

• CPHS Student Wellness Task Force
• Promotion & Tenure Committee
• Pre-Promotion & Tenure Committee
• Wellness Ad Hoc Group
• OT Department Assessment Committee
• BUILD Presenter for Drake University

Respect. Dedication. Engagement. Kindness. These are of utmost importance within the learning environment and are key concepts related to the instructor’s teaching philosophy. Respect for oneself, classmates, course instructor(s), and community members is required. Individual differences within all aforementioned persons need to be acknowledged and respected. Dedication to one’s preparation for class and community activities in a professional manner is of significant importance. The course instructor is dedicated to providing challenging and engaging learning environment(s) and activities; however, students must also be prepared to engage in and with the material presented. The course is a lecture/lab structure with community involvement as well. Active engagement in course material is essential to student success. Students cannot rely solely upon the instructor’s lecture for their learning. Students need to accept personal responsibility for independent learning and mastery of course material. Questions posed within the class will not always be immediately answered by the course instructor; rather will be directed at times to the class as a whole to foster additional learning and collaboration. Within a clinical setting, students will learn to rely on themselves, but also collaborate with others. Assignments are to be completed independently unless noted by the course instructor. Asking classmates for feedback related to a completed assignment is completely acceptable, as a practitioner may engage in such behavior within a clinical setting. Information within the course will be built upon learning acquired within other courses; learning does not occur in isolation or in a silo. Lastly, kindness is a concept that I fear many have forgotten. The instructor encourages you to be mindful of the language and behavior you utilize, as well as what you observe in your classmates. As Ian McLaren stated, “Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Demonstrate compassion toward yourself, toward your classmates, toward others you come into contact with on a daily basis. A smile, a kind word, a thoughtful gesture can have an impact you may never know. In the end… just be kind.

• Urish, C.K., Gerash, M., & Hortop, A.C. (accepted presentation) WFOT- World Federation of Occupational Therapy 2026 Congress Bangkok Thailand International Allies to Increase International Occupational Awareness, Social Participation, and Support. Poster Presentation 
• Urish, C.K, Brockman, C., Beirlein, E., Osborn, L., & Tupy, A. (accepted presentation).  WFOT- World Federation of Occupational Therapy 2026 Congress Bangkok Thailand. Mindfulness in the Workplace to foster identity development and joy among OT Students and Practitioners. Poster Presentation 
• Urish, C.K, (2024). Preconference Institute: Youth Mental Health First Aid. AOTA Mental Health Specialty Conference, Chicago, IL. 
• Urish, C.K., (2024). Adult resilience curriculum. 1^st European Occupational Therapy Congress. Krakow, Poland, research paper 
• Urish, C.K. (2024). Adult Mental Health First Aid for Students and OT Practitioners. 1^st European Occupational Therapy Congress. Krakow, Poland. Poster presentation 
• Urish, C.K, & Allen-McHugh, R.M. (2024). Move Mindfully with At Risk Youth. 1^st European Occupational Therapy Congress. Krakow, Poland. Poster presentation 
• Urish C.K., Tegtmeier, M., Boevers, Z., Gregoire, J., Ngyuen, S., & Spears, L., (2023). Occupation Station: Doing, Being, Becoming. Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association State Conference. Omaha, NE
• Urish, C.K (2023). Preconference Institute: Adult Mental Health First Aid: Higher Education Module. AOTA Education Summit. Denver, CO