Established in 1944, the University of Puget Sound’s School of Occupational Therapy is one of the oldest OT programs in the region and is continually ranked as one of the top programs in the Pacific Northwest. One distinctive feature of the program is its on-site teaching clinic. The clinic includes a simulated apartment, activity spaces, and a 4,000-square-foot outdoor mobility park.

A Girl Scout outing set Cindy Rogers on her path to a career in occupational therapy.

“I was an avid Girl Scout through high school,” recalls Rogers, who grew up in small-town Utah. “One year we did career study.” 

That included a visit to a Utah state facility for people with disabilities, where Rogers had a chance to observe an occupational therapist in action.

“The minute I saw her doing her thing, I said, ‘This is me.’ In junior high, I knew I wanted to be an OT.”

The University of Puget Sound recently hosted the Washington State Special Olympics Spring Games, bringing soccer, swimming, and track athletes to campus alongside the vital FUNfitness health screening program. Backed by thousands of volunteers, including Puget Sound students, this marks the second year the university has hosted the games — a partnership that Liz Corwin, FUNfitness clinical director and Puget Sound assistant professor, said has transformed the experience for both Puget Sound students.

Rebecca Johnson DPT’27 and her classmates spend their Wednesday mornings at the YMCA, showing local teenagers the difference between a proper squat and one that invites injury later. No prescriptions. No diagnoses. Just conversation, demonstration, and the occasional laugh between sets.

The American Occupational Therapy Foundation has named University of Puget Sound Prof. Renee Watling as the recipient of the 2026 Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence. The award recognizes clinicians who advance theory in brain-behavior relationships. 

Inside the University of Puget Sound’s Ann Wilson On-site Teaching Clinic, doctoral students gain real-world experience, working side-by-side with practicing occupational therapists to provide vital care.

“It’s a very awesome resource that I feel like a lot of people don’t take advantage of,” said Lucas Willers, whose daughter, Isla, is a pediatric client.