Lisa Tabor Connor, PhD, noted for her extensive research into recovery from stroke, will be the next executive director of the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She will begin her new role July 1.
Connor currently is chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy and associate director of research programs at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. There, she built a new department and an OT doctoral program.
“I am excited to welcome such a proven leader to the school’s outstanding Program in Occupational Therapy,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor of medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, and the Spencer and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “Dr. Connor’s extensive experience in research administration, interdisciplinary team development, research and clinical networking, and mentorship of student and junior faculty make her a wonderful match for leadership of our program.”
Connor is no stranger to Washington University, having served on the faculty from 2001 to 2014. In addition, she received a doctorate in experimental psychology and a master’s degree in occupational therapy (OT) from the university. She completed National Institutes of Health (NIH) postdoctoral fellowships at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Boston University.
“I am thrilled to be returning to my hometown to take the helm of the finest OT program in the country,” Connor said. “I look forward to building further on the program’s excellence at the dawn of its second century. I am especially grateful to Dr. Carolyn Baum, who has led the Program in Occupational Therapy since 1988. In that time, Dr. Baum has nurtured the educational, clinical and research programs with the highest possible standards of excellence and with indelible impact, as exemplified by the program’s No. 1 ranking nationally.”