Occupational Therapy Program Director Receives AOTA’s Roster of Fellows Award

GMercyU Associate Professor and the Founding Program Director of the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Programs Thomas Mernar, PhD, OTR/L has been named to the Roster of Fellows for 2026 from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). He received the award at AOTA’s annual conference in May.

The Roster of Fellows honors AOTA members for their significant contributions to the occupational therapy profession and meaningful impact on consumers of occupational therapy services and/or other members of AOTA. It is typically a lifetime achievement award for many scholars and leaders in the field. Dr. Mernar received his for advancing occupation-centered education, leadership, and innovation.

“I am deeply humbled to achieve this milestone distinction,” Dr. Mernar said.

Dr. Mernar has been an occupational therapist since 2000, having worked clinically in acute and sub-acute traumatic brain injury units, sub-acute skilled nursing, long-term care, and assisted living facilities. His research and publications span the fields of occupational science, neuroscience, gerontology, and education.

“Occupations are the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families, and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. Students from our programs are prepared to think differently about problem situations that occur in practice, so that their clients can be understood and enabled through an occupational lens,” Dr. Mernar said.

Dr. Mernar also currently serves on the Board of Directors as Treasurer of the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA.

“On a national stage, my involvement with the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA for the past five years has positioned me to lead a paradigm shift in this research society to have a newfound focus on occupation-centered education. For the past two years, the Society has assembled some of the top occupational science educators around the nation; together we are creating supports for faculty around the nation to increase their skills to deliver more occupation-centered education within their programs.”

Watch Dr. Mernar receive his award here.

Learn about GMercyU's undergraduate Occupational Science program and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program.