2018 Humanitarian Award

Vijay Gupta is a violinist, speaker, and advocate for the power of music to change lives. He joined the LA Philharmonic in 2017 at 19 after completing a Masters in violin performance from the Yale School of Music, and a Bachelor’s in biology from Marist College. He served as a member of the First Violin section through 2018. As a 2011 TED Senior Fellow, he founded and serves as the Artistic Director of Street Symphony, a non-profit organization dedicated to placing music at the heart of social justice, engaging communities in greater Los Angeles experiencing homelessness and incarceration through musical performance and dialogue. In 2017, Mr. Gupta was awarded the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement award by the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and he was named a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. Vijay Gupta believes that musical engagement reconnects us to our shared humanity across vast divides, and ultimately impacts social justice. In addition, he was selected as a 2018 MacArthur Foundation Fellow honoree.

Mr. Gupta’s schedule prevented him from attending the CFOT Awards Luncheon and Symposium to accept the award in person. Accepting this award on behalf of Vijay Gupta and Street Symphony was Benjamin Shirley, who shared his inspiring story of how Mr. Gupta and Street Symphony impacted his life, which led him to become a First Composer Fellow, and now Street Symphony's Co-Composer in Residence. It was an honor to present this award to Vijay Gupta and Street Symphony, and to share with the OT community the important work he and his organization does through the power of music, connection, and service to change the lives of others.

2018 Honored Lectureship

The Power of Selective “Yes”

Dr. Smith has been an occupational therapist for over 35 years. She received her bachelor’s degree and post professional master’s degree in occupational therapy from San Jose State University (SJSU) and earned her PhD in Health Sciences from Touro University International.

Dr. Smith is highly regarded in her roles at the SJSU Occupational Therapy Program. As Associate Professor there, she teaches courses in practice areas, professional development, and research; and serves as a faculty advisor for student research projects. She is also the Graduate Admissions Coordinator and Advisor for the Occupational Therapy Program, and she sits on multiple committees at the university, college, and departmental levels.

Dr. Smith has written several chapters in well-respected occupational therapy textbooks. She has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on various topics, but most extensively on occupational therapy’s role in dysphagia intervention. Dr. Smith has been an active member of both the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC) since the time she was a student, serving on many different committees and in multiple leadership roles. Currently she is serving as the OTAC secretary. Her clinical experience includes working with adults with neurological disorders in a variety of practice settings and she currently works with children birth-3 years old in early intervention home care.

For those of you who did not attend the CFOT Symposium and Awards Luncheon, Dr. Smith has provided a synopsis of her presentation, The Power of Selective “Yes.”

“The theme of this year’s OTAC conference is “Building OT Capacity.” Capacity building is the process by which we obtain, improve and retain the skills, knowledge, tools and other resources needed to do our jobs competently or to a greater capacity.

“I would like to share some of my personal experiences of how saying “yes” has helped me to build my professional and personal capacity."

“My talk today is about Selective Yes, Mindful Yes, Thoughtful Yes. Yeses that spark curiosity or that generate a desire to do something that you never thought you would do. Things that will enrich you as a person and as an occupational therapist."

“It is the fear of the unknown that often leads us to say “no” without considering what saying “yes” might have to offer. Often by saying no to opportunities, we reject many of life’s brilliant chances to experience something new and possibly incredible. There is no perfect timing for saying yes. Opportunity does not wait for perfect timing."

“By saying yes, we invite possibility into our lives as well as allow ourselves the ability to learn what we are capable of and just how far we can go. Yes leads to more doors opening."

“We have a professional responsibility to be actively informed. We have powerful professional organizations that work to protect our practice and our clients. We must all say yes in some way to support these organizations that work so hard to protect us, our profession and our clients."

"Say YES to opportunities to attempt something new that you haven’t tried before. Say YES to possibilities for new adventures, challenges, and experiences. Say YES to things that help you learn something new about yourself, about others, and about life. Say YES to building friendships and connections with people you don’t yet know. Find a way to say yes."

“Yes is a tiny word that can bring big things into your life.”

Congratulations, Dr. Smith, and thank you for your inspiring and timely message.

2018 CFOT Meritorious Service Award

CFOT presented the Meritorious Service Award to Dottie Ecker, MA, OTR, FAOTA, for her many years of service as the Nominations / Awards Chair on the CFOT board. She has contributed much to the Foundation and the profession, not only in this role, but as a practitioner, mentor to students, and clinical faculty member at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She has also served on boards of professional organizations throughout her career and received the OTAC OT Practice and Lifetime Achievement Awards; the AOTF A. Jean Ayres Award; and is on the AOTA Roster of Fellows. Dottie is also known for her smile and sense of humor, and her passion for birding. Our congratulations to Dottie, with much appreciation for her dedication and service to CFOT and the profession!