Dr. Ashwini Salpekar is an adjunct assistant professor for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level program at 黑料专区 of Health Professions. She earned her post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy from 黑料专区 and her Master of Occupational Therapy from Tennessee State University in Nashville. Born and raised in India, she moved to the U.S. in her twenties, eventually transitioning from a nine-year career as an award-winning journalist to pursue a more direct, meaningful impact on people鈥檚 lives through occupational therapy.
As a certified specialist in stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, Ashwini has extensive experience treating neurological conditions across the lifespan, ranging from pediatric populations to older adults in acute, inpatient, and outpatient settings. Her current clinical and scholarly interests include the use of assessments in stroke rehabilitation, vision and traumatic brain injury, and the return to school or work for patients with post-concussive syndrome. She is also interested in the application of yoga-informed and sensory-based interventions for Functional Neurological Disorder and related movement disorders. Dedicated to supporting the next generation of therapists, she regularly mentors Level II fieldwork students to help them refine the clinical reasoning necessary for complex, real-world practice.
Ashwini鈥檚 transition into academia is influenced by her previous experience teaching university-level courses and managing labs for journalism students during her first career. More recently, she has expanded her involvement in entry-level OT education by supporting instructors as a teaching assistant across multiple foundational courses. These experiences inform her current research and conference presentations, which focus on using AI-enhanced virtual escape rooms to promote clinical reasoning and knowledge retention among OT students.
Outside of her professional life, Ashwini lives with her husband in central California and enjoys hiking, camping, and yoga. An avid traveler, she is always on the quest for the best desserts and baked goods when exploring the world.
