COTAD Chapters
Who we are
COTAD Chapters are OT/OTA student-led groups that work together to develop and promote JEDI, anti-racism, and anti-oppression within occupational therapy education programs and in the profession.
What we do
Students establish chapters in their University’s OT/OTA programs to develop skills, build community and promote JEDI, anti-racism, and anti-oppression.
Join us
Interested in starting a COTAD chapter at your school? Learn more about our Chapter program below.
“We became an official student organization, received numerous recognition campus-wide, and put our OT Class and DEI in the center of many conversations on our campus. Our Dean was inspired by our events and started his own town halls to focus on DEI and healthcare delivery.”
— Kylie Vaughn, University of Indianapolis
Current COTAD Chapters
The History of the COTAD Chapters Committee
COTAD Co-founder Dr. Arameh Anvarizadeh initially established the COTAD Chapters Program in 2017 as part of the COTAD mission. COTAD Chapters are designed to support occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students in working together to develop and promote JEDI, anti-racism, and anti-oppression initiatives within OT/OTA education programs and in the profession.
Each Chapter creates opportunities and resources to foster open conversation, increase awareness of different lived experiences to increase cultural humility, and develop actionable change to increase cultural humility and advocate for marginalized groups. Chapter leaders will have the opportunity to work alongside leaders in COTAD and connect with other students around the country, collaborate with COTAD to create presentations, events, and share resources with other programs to communicate the desire to increase the above mentioned initiatives within the occupational therapy workforce and prepare clinicians to serve diverse client populations.
In the summer of 2021, COTAD was restructured into a committee-based organization to improve efficiency. At that time, Dr. Emma Baldwin and Dr. Alejandra Arroyo took over the leadership of the COTAD Chapters Committee from Dr. Anvarizadeh while Dr. Anvarizadeh continued to serve as Chair of COTAD. The COTAD Chapters Committee has since been developed into a working committee with 8 volunteers serving 1-2 year terms to support the work of the Chapters.
COTAD 2021 Chapter of the Year Award
Why establish a COTAD chapter?
COTAD Chairs and members stand to gain many valuable benefits, including:
Connecting and collaborating with like-minded students and Chapters across the country
Developing communication, collaboration, and advocacy skills, specifically around JEDI,
anti-racism and anti-oppression initiatives
Receiving mentoring from COTAD leaders
Learning and exchanging ideas on COTAD Chapter conference calls
Earning state, national, and international recognition and leadership opportunities for COTAD Chapter efforts to promote JEDI, anti-racism and anti-opression (including COTAD Chapter Award)
Gaining access to valuable resources and materials for advocacy and education
Supporting and advancing COTAD’s mission of a future with a diverse workforce prepared to serve culturally diverse clientele
How is a COTAD chapter structured?
Each chapter is required to have a Chair and Faculty Liaison who serve as the Chapter’s primary representatives and liaises with COTAD leadership. Beyond this, each chapter’s organization can vary widely. The great diversity in occupational therapy programs (class size, resources, hybrid vs. traditional curriculum) means that each Chapter will have to determine how best to accomplish its goals. Some Chapters have enough members to form multiple committees, and others have a dedicated few who coordinate projects and communication – there’s no right or wrong way, and flexibility is key. When deciding which structure is most appropriate for your Chapter and community, review your Needs Assessment and communicate with your Faculty Liaison. After the establishment of your COTAD Chapter, we recommend members write bylaws describing the leadership and/or committee structure. For more questions about how to organize your Chapter, email our COTAD Chapter team.