Laura Schaffer

Laura Schaffer serves as Program Director of the Occupational Therapy (OT) program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL), within the Health Professions school. She holds a post-professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019) and has over 20 years of clinical and academic experience. Her work focuses on neurological conditions, acute care rehabilitation, interprofessional education (IPE), and expanding OT access for underserved populations.

Education:

• Post-Professional OTD, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019)
• Masters in Occupational Therapy, College of St. Catherine (2003)
• Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2000)

Research interests include:

• Neurological rehabilitation interventions
• Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare education
• Community-based practice innovations
• Technology applications in therapy (e.g., GoBabyGo!)

Her recent publications emphasize IPE's impact on student competency and OT's role in free clinics. She co-led a successful grant for the Dr. Wags program, integrating therapy dogs into clinical training. She also presented on adaptive equipment for Parkinson's patients and co-organized UWL's on-campus OT clinics, offering students hands-on experience while serving the community.

Laura is a Certified LSVT-Big provider for Parkinson's therapy and actively participates in spinal cord injury support groups. She advocates for IPE and has served as faculty advisor for the UWL Student Occupational Therapy Association.