June 10, 2025
AIɫɫ students in the Master of Occupational Therapy program presented their group project during this year’s Celebration of Scholarship. Students Cassidy Berry, Rachel Jensen, Kavita Joshi, and Jonas Jividen, received the Graduate Poster Award for their work “Occupational Therapy Evaluation Findings Regarding Parent-Reported Toileting Issues in Pediatric Patients Ages Five and Above in an Outpatient Facility: A Retrospective Study”.
“The main idea behind the research was to find the underlying factors that can cause toileting issues in children aged 5 years and above,” said the group, who worked with their research advisor, Elizabeth Legg, to conduct research at her pediatric clinic. “In our first semester of graduate school, we were placed into their research team based on our interest in pediatrics.”
Conducting their research in hopes of sharing assessments with occupational therapists who work with children who have toileting-related issues, the team is optimistic their work can provide beneficial feedback.
“Occupational therapists can do so much to help people complete their daily activities, and there is so much research that can be conducted within this field,” they said.
Presenting their work to the campus community at Celebration of Scholarship’s Poster Session, the group is grateful for the recognition they received and how it is a reflection of the comprehensive work they completed over their two-year research period.
“We have put a lot of effort into this project throughout the past two years and it is great to see that all our hard work has paid off,” they said. “We were given this platform to present our work and share our findings with other students and people to not only advocate for the countless children who struggle with toileting issues, but also for the field of occupational therapy.”
Having the opportunity to share their research and gain feedback, the group encourages other students to share their academic passions through Celebration of Scholarship.
“We would encourage students to find a topic that they are truly passionate about and want to explore as this kind of research takes a lot of time and effort,” they said.
To learn more about the annual Celebration of Scholarship conference, visit shawnee.edu/cos.