Pitt Occupational Therapy

Alumni Spotlight: Haley Feller, OTD, OTR/L (Class of 2020)

Meet Haley Feller, a Pitt OT grad making a real difference as an Occupational Therapist II at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago! 🏥

Haley specializes in burn and wound care, supporting patients from their first day of hospital admission all the way through outpatient recovery. Working at a safety-net hospital, she thrives on the challenge of delivering evidence-based, creative care, from splinting and biomechanical interventions to holistic, community-focused recovery support, even when resources are limited.

Beyond her clinical role, Haley is also an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University's OT program and serves as a Clinical Program Leader for animal-assisted therapy through Canine Therapy Corps.

On her Pitt OT experience, Haley shares: "Pitt OT promoted its students to push the boundaries and question the status quo... I entered the workforce with the drive to progress what OT can do and what value we have within the greater healthcare system."

Most recently, Haley presented at the American Burn Association Annual Meeting on non-pharmacological pain management interventions and will present virtually at the Embodied Aesthetics Conference hosted by the London Arts-Based Research Centre this month.

We're so proud of the impact you're making, Haley! 💙

Recently, OTD Class of 2028 students in Assistant Professor Erin Mathia’s Adaptation and Technology Theory and Practice course had the opportunity to visit the University of Pittsburgh Healthy Home Laboratory with Professor Pam Toto. Through an interactive case study, students explored innovative home technologies and discovered creative ways to support aging in place using the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) framework. It was an engaging day of hands-on learning, problem solving, and exploring how occupational therapy can help people live safely and independently in their homes and communities!

Pitt OT faculty member Beth Skidmore and Tina Harris delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Clinical Aphasiology Conference in Pittsburgh on May 28.

Their presentation, "Doing Matters: Personalized, Meaningful Activities for Aphasia Rehabilitation," highlighted the importance of engaging individuals in meaningful and personalized activities throughout the rehabilitation process.

We are proud to see members of the Pitt community sharing their expertise and advancing person-centered approaches to aphasia rehabilitation.