Jyothi Gupta PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Robert Kendell Bing Distinguished Professor and Chair

Curriculum Vitae

Teaching Areas of Interest

Neuroscience, sociocultural and sociopolitical influences on participation, occupational therapy theory and philosophy, and occupation science

Research Interests

Contextual influences on occupational choices, performance and participation; critical analysis of professional issues

Biography

Jyothi Gupta PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at UTMB. She is a tenured, Robert Kendell Bing Distinguished Professor. Dr. Gupta received her doctorate in biological sciences at the University of Windsor, Canada and has held post-doctoral Fellowships at various Canadian universities in Biology (University of Waterloo), Pharmacology (Dalhousie University), Biochemistry and Pathology (McMaster University). She obtained her occupational therapy degree from McMaster University. Prior to taking up her current position, Dr. Gupta was chair and program director for the MS and OTD programs at A. T. Still University, Mesa, AZ (2016-2022) and between 2000-2016 she was at St. Catherine University in the Department of Physical Therapy, and held a joint appointment in Occupational Therapy. She developed many local, national and global community partnerships during her tenure at St. Catherine University for inter-professional service learning courses, and for her scholarship.

Dr. Gupta’s primary scholarly interest is understanding the contextual influences on participation and their impact on community health and well-being. Some of her published studies include workplace experiences of individuals with disabilities, women and children living in chronic poverty, and cross- cultural occupational issues of immigrants and refugees. Naturally, her studies led her into social justice arena and social determinants of health; her current focus is on bridging public health and occupational science, in particular, the life course health development model in the context of racial segregation in rural Mississippi. Her passion for social inclusion and strong interest in sociocultural issues culminated in Culture and Occupation, 3rd Edition (AOTA Press).

Dr. Gupta has been elected to various positions in the American Occupational Therapy Association. She has served as the research liaison and chair of the Education Special Interest Section, and as chair of the Commission on Education. She served on the lead team for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institute (2013-2017) and on the Multicultural Diversity Initiative (2012-2016). She has authored many official documents of the association. Dr. Gupta was conferred the Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA) in 2013.