Evolution of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History of Ivelisse Lazzarini, OTD, OTR/L

Objective: The purpose of the life history of Dr. Ivelisse Lazzarini is to provide current and future occupational therapists a view of history and how practice has evolved from start to current. Method: A semi-structured, 60-minute interview was conducted via an online video conference at the University of North Dakota- Casper site with participants. The interview was transcribed verbatim which developed 22 codes. The codes were then collapsed, and three categories emerged. Common themes emerged from the categories. From themes, a final assertion was created to summarize the findings. Results: The themes were placed into three categories: professional journey, aspects of occupational therapy, and advocacy for occupational therapy. The findings indicate that Dr. Lazzarini is passionate about occupational therapy education and she uses her experiences to advocate, educate, and provide leadership for the profession. Conclusion: Occupational therapy is continuously changing, and Dr. Lazzarini is staying true to the occupational therapy values by using her experiences to advocate, educate, and provide leadership in the profession