Christine Urish

June 2018-present:
Professor of Occupational Therapy & Doctoral Capstone Coordinator
Drake University, Des Moines, IA

2008 - present:
Senior Occupational Therapist
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA

2006-2018:
Professor of Occupational Therapy
St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA

2005-2006:
Associate Professor
St. Ambrose University

1997-2005:
Assistant Professor
St. Ambrose University

1994-1997:
Instructor/Fieldwork Coordinator
St. Ambrose University

1989 - 1995:
Staff Occupational Therapist
Mercy Health Center St. Joseph's Unit, Dubuque, IA

• 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

• 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

• Mentor of the Year: Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences - 2024
• 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

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 one’s self, classmates, course instructor(s), 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 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 oneself, but also collaborate with others. Assignments are to be completed independently unless noted by course instructor. Asking classmates for feedback related to 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 within 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.

• Reinoso, G., Allen-McHugh, R.M., Decker, T., Griffiths, Y., Huffman-Main, S., Jackson, L., Murray, A., Rognes, J., Urish, C.K. (Accepted for publication, in press). A Study of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Utilization Among Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy.
• Urish, C.K. (Ed.) (book under contract). Mental Health Across The Lifespan: Enacting the Occupational Therapy Process. Solana Beach, CA: Cognella.
• Urish, C.K. (2024). Adult Mental Health & Wellness in Michael Pizzi and Mark Amir (Eds). Interprofessional Perspectives for Community Practice: Promoting Health Wellbeing and Quality of Life. London, UK: Routledge.
• Urish, C.K. (2022). Children & Youth Who Have Experienced Bullying in L.C. Grajo & A.K. Boisselle Adaptation, Coping and Resilience in Children & Youth. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.
• Hemphill-Pearson, B., & Urish, C.K. (2020). Occupational therapy assessments in mental health 4th ed.). Thorfare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

• 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 

Enjoys domestic and international travel, live jazz music, lifetime Girl Scout, University of Iowa Football Fan - GO HAWKS! Always has emergency chocolate in her office