Barbara M. Doucet, PhD, LOTR
Clinical Associate Professor, Post-professional OTD Program Director
Department of Occupational Therapy
Barbara M. Doucet, PhD, OTR is a Clinical Associate Professor and serves as the Program Director of the Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program and the Director of Faculty Development & Scholarship. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and her Master of Health Science degree in Allied Health Education at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA. She earned her PhD in Human Movement Science at the University of Texas at Austin where her research focused on neuromuscular physiology and neural recovery. She is a licensed occupational therapist, clinical researcher, and educator with 40 years of clinical experience and 20 years in higher education.
She is involved in research related to therapeutic methods that facilitate optimal motor recovery in persons with chronic stroke and Parkinson’s and how this translates to changes in occupational performance. She has also conducted research in innovative teaching methods that effectively develop clinical skills in allied health students. She has a strong record of grant management and has been the recipient of federal, intramural, and foundation grants. She has authored book chapters within a core occupational therapy textbook, Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction, and served as an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Occupation Therapy for several years. Her publications on clinical topics can be found in journals that include Muscle & Nerve, Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, Journal of Hand Therapy, American Journal of Occupational Therapy, and Journal of Allied Health.
Current Research Interests
- Interventions that improve motor recovery and occupational performance in persons with Parkinson’s and chronic stroke
- Motor recovery in the chronic hemiparetic upper extremity following stroke
- Kinematics during functional performance of daily tasks in normal and neurological populations
- Evidence-based practice, implementation science and research