Sheila Krajnik, EdD, OTR/L

Sheila brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our community, with a diverse career spanning 43 years in clinical and academic settings.

Dr. Krajnik's clinical background encompasses a range of settings and populations, including acute care, adult rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities/long-term care, community-based mental health, primary care, and outpatient services. With specializations in adult neurological practice and gerontology, Sheila has held various administrative and clinical specialist positions.

At the heart of Sheila's career lies her passion for educating future generations of OT and OTA practitioners. As a Clinical Fieldwork Educator and full-time academic, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the journey of aspiring professionals. Sheila's teaching experience spans the entire OT curriculum, encompassing essential clinical skills, adult practice with orthopedic and neurological conditions, neuroscience, evidence-based practice, research, leadership, and management.

Beyond her academic and clinical endeavors, Dr. Krajnik has been a tireless advocate for the OT profession, actively engaging in research, professional presentations, and advocacy initiatives. Her leadership roles within state associations and academic institutions have enhanced occupational therapy education.

Dr. Yvonne Randall, EdD, MHA, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an advocate for occupational therapy. Dr. Randall first experienced teaching through technology in 2002 and she is excited about the transformational use of OTU to elevate the educational process and promote clinical reasoning. A long-time educator, Dr. Randall has taught in occupational therapy, occupational therapy assistant, occupational science, educational leadership, and special education/early childhood education academic programs for over twenty-five years. She has experience at different levels of occupational therapy academic settings as a faculty member, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Program Director, and Associate Dean. Dr. Randall provides consultation services for business and educational programs to analyze and strengthen their products and continues to provide occupational therapy services in early intervention and adult day care.

Passionate about her profession Dr. Randall served as Chairperson of the American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) (2016 – 2021), Treasurer – Society for the Study of Occupation (SSO: USA) (2014 – 2017), Speaker – AOTA Representative Assembly (2010 – 2013), AOTA Board of Directors (2010 – 2013), President – Nevada Occupational Therapy Association (1999 – 2003) and Mentor – AOTA Emerging Leaders Development Program (2011 – 2019). In 2022, Dr. Randall received the AOTA Lindy Boggs Award for her advocacy efforts at the national level.

Dr. Randall has presented over 200 juried and invited presentations at state, national, and international conferences. She has completed over 30 book reviews and served as the Occupational Therapy editor for Doody’s Review Service for nine years. Dr. Randall has authored 5 book chapters with 2 additional pending publications.

Dr. Randall received her Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from Texas Woman’s University, Master of Healthcare Administration from Chapman University, and Doctor of Education in Special Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. David Plutschack, OTD, OTR/L, BCPR, CLT, CEASII, graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS) and his Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 2010. His clinical career consisted of burn care, acute care, ICU, and a specialization in outpatient hand therapy from 2010-2016. He began his teaching career at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 2016 as a full-time assistant professor. He teaches upper extremity rehabilitation, kinesiology, physical agent modalities, and work rehabilitation.

Dr. Plutschack has presented on various topics related to hand therapy locally, nationally, and internationally. He is AOTA board certified in the area of physical rehabilitation. He is also a certified lymphedema therapist and certified ergonomic specialist. He is trained in specialty areas including Graston instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, Kinesiotaping, and functional capacity evaluations. In his free time, Dr. Plutschack enjoys camping, brewing his own beer, rooting for the Green Bay Packers, and spending time with his wife, daughter, and second child on the way.

Jayna Niblock, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, BCTS, is board certified in Pediatric Occupational Therapy practice through the American Occupational Therapy Association. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and advanced certification in working with individuals with Sensory Processing Disorder through the STAR Institute. Jayna is a board-certified Telepractice specialist and enjoys engaging students and clients in both online and in-person activities to reach their fullest potential.

Mim Ochsenbein, MSW, OTR/L has been a practicing pediatric occupational therapist for over 20 years. She received her BSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California in 1996 and her MSW from the university of California-Los Angeles in 2012 with an emphasis in non-profit management. She has received advanced training in sensory integration (SIPT certification, SPD ProCert1, SPD ProCert2), listening therapy (Therapeutic Listening, iLs), feeding therapy (SOS), DIR and infant massage (CIMI). Her work in occupational therapy with children and youth has occurred in a variety of settings including early intervention, school based, clinic based, mental health and private practice. As a social worker she provided case management, program development, and program management. Mim has taught both graduate level and professional continuing education courses since 2013, and has been at the STAR Institute since 2017 at the invitation of Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, FAOTA, OTR. Mim strives to learn more and teach better.

Dr. Nicole Kuh is the Capstone Coordinator and Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program at Des Moines University. She received her master’s degree and post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy from the University of South Dakota. She continues to practice in adult inpatient rehabilitation, focusing on brain injury. She serves as the Iowa Ambassador for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy and the Social Media Editor for the Brain Injury Special Interest Group within the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine. She has researched and published in clinical practice, occupational therapy education, professional identity formation, and professional burnout. Dr. Kuhl has taught courses in neurology, practice skills, clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, foundational occupational therapy skills, healthcare policy, and occupational therapy assessment. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and a member of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Iowa Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine.

PT, DPT, OCS

PT, DPT, OCS

PT, OCS, CSCS

PT, DPT, OCS

PT, DPT