Divya Sood

Dr. Divya Sood is a tenured Professor in Occupational Therapy at Midwestern University's College of Health Sciences-Downers Grove. She holds an O.T.D. from Washington University School of Medicine and a B.Sc. in Occupational Therapy from Manipal University. She completed an Artificial Intelligence in Education certification from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024. Her research focuses on coaching models for caregivers of children with autism, behavioral health integration in pediatric primary care, and nature-inspired play environments.

Dr. Sood is Co-Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Tiered Occupational Therapy (TOT) Grant, preparing occupational therapists for school mental health teams. Her teaching includes courses like Theoretical Foundations of Occupational Therapy and Professional Writing. She has been recognized as a Credentialed Leader in Academia (AOTA, 2015) and her work emphasizes family-centered interventions, telehealth for self-regulation in children, and environmental design for child development.

Her research student projects include parental coaching for autism participation (2021) and virtual coaching for Sensory Processing Disorder (2022). Current projects explore telehealth-based interventions in pediatric behavioral health. Dr. Sood actively collaborates with local organizations to design play-friendly environments leveraging natural affordances.