The Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award

Description and purpose

• To recognize an occupational therapist (OT) or occupational therapy assistant (OTA) who has made substantial and lasting scholarly contributions to the profession. This award was established as a memorial to Eleanor Clarke Slagle, one of the outstanding pioneers in the profession of occupational therapy.
• To honor a member of the Association who has substantially and innovatively contributed to development of the profession’s body of knowledge.
• To acknowledge the advancement of theory, standards, and improved methods that enhance service to consumers and promote public awareness and understanding of occupational therapy.
• To enable members to benefit from new knowledge, innovative perspectives, and significant developments in the profession.

Minimal requirements

• The nominee shall have made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge of the profession. This will be manifest in the development, evaluation, and/or refinement of professional philosophy, theory, and/or techniques that enhance clinical or educational practice.
• The nominee shall have demonstrated a lasting commitment to the dissemination of his or her work through publication, presentation, teaching, and mentorship.
• Volunteer organizational leadership will be considered.

Specific information regarding award

• One award may be given per year.
• The individual selected for this award shall be notified by the President of the Association and shall, in turn, convey his or her acceptance before public announcement. Should the individual selected decline, the second ranked nominee who meets the award criteria shall be contacted by the President in the same manner described. If there is no qualifying second nominee, the award will not be given.
• Recipients of this award will present the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture during the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo in the following year.
• The awardee shall be announced by the President of the Association or the previous Slagle lecturer, at the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo the year before the lecture is to be presented.
• An inscribed plaque, highlighting the awardee’s contributions and the year selected, and a monetary gift shall be presented by the President of the Association at the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo the year the Lecture is given.
• If the awardee is not a member of the Roster of Fellows or Roster of Honor, he or she will be designated as such and will be presented with the appropriate certificate at the time the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award is announced.
• The name of the awardee as well as the text of the Lecture shall be published in AJOT.