Her awards include the Scholarship Award from the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association (NJOTA) in 2000, the Award of Merit in Mental Health from the NJOTA in 2000 and the Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching for Faculty, Kean University, 2006. In 2007, she was promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Knis’ has worked with pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric populations in the psychosocial domain in various hospitals and outpatient settings, implementing community re-entry, substance abuse and student programs, managing staff and conducting research. She serves, as an active member on various educational committees, is a prolific and acclaimed presenter and a published author. Dr. Knis teaches theory, research, supervision and mental health practice courses.

Lynne Richard, M.A., OT,

Assistant Professor, has been an occupational therapist for 30 years. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Kansas University, she continued her studies at Seton Hall University, where she received her master’s degree in occupational therapy. Professor Richard is presently working on her doctoral project at Rutgers College in New Brunswick, focusing on adult learning and fieldwork supervision. Professor Richard’s experience includes working with adults with physical disabilities.  She has worked in acute inpatient, sub-acute and home-care settings.

Professor Richard has been a full-time faculty member in the department of occupational therapy at Kean University for the past nine years and a part-time adjunct professor for several years’ prior, teaching courses including theory and research. She served as the acting chairperson of the department of occupational therapy at Kean University during the 2006-2007 academic year. Professor Richard will be on sabbatical leave during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Sonia Moorehead, OT/L,

Academic Fieldwork Coordinator & Admissions Chair, has been an occupational therapist in New Jersey for the past years. After graduating Cum Laude from Kean College in 1996, she has worked primarily with adults in the psychosocial domain.

Her diverse experience in the psychosocial arena includes providing treatment in an acute inpatient unit, long term care treatment facilities, partial hospital programs, and day treatment settings. She has done extensive work with individuals with mental illness concurrent with substance abuse disorders.

She has provided supervision for countless Level I and Level II students and clinical guidance and support to multidisciplinary staff in varied settings throughout the years. Ms. Moorehead is presently working towards her master’s degree in educational psychology here at Kean University.

Her areas of interest include the impact of varied supervisory styles within the fieldwork experience, and facilitating the student’s transition to entry level therapist. Ms. Moorehead has worked in the department for the past three years, acting as admissions chair and academic fieldwork coordinator.

Mara Cohen, M.S., OT,

Assistant Professor, has been an occupational therapist in New Jersey for the past seven years. After receiving her bachelor's degree in exercise science from Douglass College at Rutgers University in 1996, she began working at a school for children with autism as a teaching assistant. Having found her passion for both occupational therapy and working with children, she pursued her master's degree at Seton Hall University, and was a member of their first graduating class in occupational therapy in 2000. Since then, she has continued working with children and their families in public schools, private schools, clinics, camps, and private practice.

In 2003, she was one of three students accepted to the Ph.D. program in occupational therapy at New York University. Currently, Professor Cohen is completing her dissertation, focusing on the experiences of families as they transition from early intervention to special education. In addition, she is developing an interdisciplinary initiative to prepare professionals for working with individuals and families affected by autism spectrum disorders. She is also conducting a funded research study to develop a hand function survey for children with disabilities. Professor Cohen serve has served on the Executive Board of NJOTA since 2006. She teaches courses related to human development, pediatric practice, and research.

Karen Hoover, M.S., OTR,

Assistant Professor, has been a practicing occupational therapist for the past thirteen years.  Receiving her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology/audiology from Ithaca College in 1985, she graduated Magna Cum Laude, Dean's List/Dean's Award and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. Professor Hoover obtained her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Columbia University in 1994.  Her thesis topic was the comparison of empathy and respect communicated to older versus younger patients. Professor Hoover’s experience includes working with pediatric, adult and geriatric clientele with general disability, CVA, orthopedic conditions, HIV,

AIDS, dementia, OBS, head trauma, neurological disorders as well as various hand injuries. She has worked in home-care, outpatient, inpatient and acute rehabilitation departments providing daily treatment, patient and family education, discharge planning and equipment recommendations. Professor Hoover has supervised COTA and rehabilitation nurses during patient treatment as well as level I OT and level II OTA students.  She is currently working as a contract pediatric occupational therapist for pre-school and primary school students and as a full-time temporary professor for the 2007-08 academic year. She regularly teaches as an adjunct professor for courses related to kinesiology and the study of physical dysfunction.

Patrick R. Field, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, has been teaching gross anatomy and neuroscience at undergraduate and graduate levels, senior seminar, anatomy and physiology, introductory biology and conducting pedagogical research involving the use of case studies in the classroom at Kean from 1997 to the present.  His education includes a Ph.D. in anatomical sciences/neuroscience from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, a B.S. in biology education and a B.A. in biological/anatomical sciences. Dr. Field is an active member of numerous professional organizations

including, but not limited to: American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, National Science Teachers Association, Society for Neuroscience, New Jersey Academy of Science and the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society. His research and scholarly articles have been published in The Journal of College Science Teaching in October 2006, September 2005, February 2003 and October 2002, on the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Web-site and in the HAPS Educator, 2001. He has presented his research at numerous workshops and conferences and is a dedicated educator and faculty member at Kean University.