Alumni Communities of Practice Update

The results of the IHP Alumni Communities of Practice survey conducted last month showed that alumni are interested in being part of one or more communities of practice. Here are the Communities of Practice that received the most votes.

• Leadership, Career Advancement, and Transitions in the Health Professions
• Academic and Clinical Teaching
• Clinical Specialty-Specific in the following areas: Women’s Health, Family Practice, Early Intervention, Primary Care, Pediatrics, Psychiatry/Behavioral Health, School-Based, Adolescent Medicine, and Vestibular Lymphedema.

When it comes to cadence of the meetings, the majority of alumni selected quarterly as their preferred schedule. Between meetings, alumni would like to have a way to connect asynchronously, although a specific service was not identified. The Office of Alumni Relations will be evaluating Slack, What's App, and Instagram/Instagram Groups as options for asynchronous conversations.

Next Steps

Since establishing Communities of Practice is a new endeavor for the Office of Alumni Relations, the office will focus on starting COPs for Leadership, Career Advancement and Transitions in the Health Professions and Academic and Clinical Teaching. For Clinical Specialty-Specific COPs, the Office of Alumni Relations will begin by offering interprofessional virtual meetups in these specific areas on a rotating basis throughout the year.

Help Plan the Communities of Practice

COPs are communities, first and foremost. The more community involvement, the more successful the COP. With this mind, the Office of Alumni Relations is offering two virtual meetings where participants will consider the following phases of a COP — Define, Design, Grow, Perform, and Transform for a specific COP. The dates and COPs for the meetings are:

• Wednesday, May 20 @ 7:00 pm EDT - Academic and Clinical Teaching
• Wednesday, May 27 @ 7:00 pm EDT - Leadership, Career Advancement, and Transitions in the Health Professions

If you are interested in sharing your thoughts on the structure of a COP but can't make the meeting, please reach out to the Office of Alumni Relations to schedule an individual meeting.

Register for COP Planning Meeting

Exploring an Idea

Alumni Mentorship Program for Alumni

What if your alumni network could support you at every stage of your career?

We are exploring the creation of an alumni-to-alumni mentorship program—an opportunity for graduates to connect, exchange insights, and grow together at every stage of their professional journey.

Whether you’re looking to offer guidance, seek advice, navigate a career transition, or simply expand your network, mentorship can be a meaningful way to stay engaged with fellow alumni.

We’d love your input to determine if this is an initiative we should pursue and how to shape it if we do. Please take a few minutes to complete our brief survey and share your interests, preferences, and mentorship goals. Your feedback will help us design a program that reflects the needs of our community.

Complete the Alumni-to-Alumni Mentorship Program Survey

Erin Leeming, SLPD ’25

A Publishing Dream Realized

As far back as she can remember, Erin Leeming has always wanted to publish her writing. Granted, she originally thought it would be a children’s book called “BatCat Saves the Day.” While that didn’t turn out to be the case, Lemming has recently published two articles in a four-month span. We asked her about the experience and the impact she hopes to make.

“Publishing two articles within a four-month span has been a deeply meaningful and affirming experience for me. Writing and publishing has been a long-standing goal of mine, and reaching this milestone reflects years of effort, growth, and perseverance. Seeing my work take shape in this format has been incredibly rewarding and has reinforced my sense of purpose within the field. This experience has also renewed my motivation to continue working hard, sharing my experiences, and contributing to professional conversations through a variety of outlets. This process has encouraged me to think more intentionally about how my teaching, supervision, and scholarship intersect—and how I can continue to leverage those intersections to support students and colleagues in meaningful ways throughout my career.

“The impact I hope to make through these articles centers on awareness, reflection, and change. In my first article, my goal was to encourage readers to consider whether all students are being equally set up for success during their school-based externship experiences. I wanted to highlight how variability in supervisor resources and unclear expectations across placements can create inequities for students, and to prompt broader reflection on the fairness of our current supervisory structures. Ultimately, I hoped to spark conversation about system-level changes that could lead to more equitable and consistent support for externs and their supervisors.

“In my second article, I aimed to shift how we think about student instruction by emphasizing that the same creativity we bring to clinical therapy can—and should—be applied to teaching. I wanted to demonstrate how hands-on learning activities can enhance learning, support implementation, and foster self-efficacy in students. Through this work, I hope to encourage educators and supervisors to reconsider traditional instructional approaches and to embrace strategies that actively engage students in their own learning.”

Article links

• Development and Implementation of a Supervisory Guide for School-Based Clinical Externships | Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups
• The Great Phonetics Escape: A Different Kind of Grad School Exam



Share your positive impact with us!

Where Creativity Meets Care: Occupational Therapy in Action



For Sarah Attanasio, OTD ’22, a career in occupational therapy brought together a long-standing interest in science with a desire to make a meaningful difference in others’ lives. Today, she works at Rebecca School in New York City supporting neurodivergent students through play-based, individualized approaches that prioritize connection and growth. In this interview, she reflects on the experiences that shaped her path and the work that continues to inspire her.

Read about Attanasio’s career.

See All Campus News

The Comprehensive Healing Conference 2026

Monday, October 5, 2026 & Tuesday, October 6, 2026

In person @ Mass General Brigham Assembly Row

CEU Credit Available for Specific Professions

Alumni Discount - 20% off with code IHP20

This new interdisciplinary conference is led by Anne Eden Evins, MD, MPH, and features faculty from Mass General Brigham, Harvard, UCLA, Columbia, and other leading institutions. The program will explore practical, whole-person approaches to care across psychiatry, pain medicine, nutrition, neurology, lifestyle medicine, integrative health, behavioral medicine, and mind-body medicine.

The conference also includes experiential and interactive elements such as sound healing, acupressure, reiki, yoga therapy, and tai chi, and breakout sessions focused on story, movement, voice, neurobiology integration, and more.

For questions about the conference, please contact mghcme@mgh.harvard.edu.

Learn More and Register

Team IHP Crosses the Finish Line

Mary Jane Grier, MS-NU ’18 and Annie Veo, DPT ’26, completed the Boston Marathon for Team IHP on April 20, 2026. The energy along the race was electric, with so many spectators cheering on the runners! MJ finished in 3 hours and 52 minutes, and Annie finished in 5 hours, and 7 minutes. They both reached their fundraising goals, respectively raising $8,000 for student scholarships, and $8,000 for the Marjorie K. Ionta PT Center for Clinical Education and Health Promotion.

If you would like to help Team IHP extend their impact, please donate to either initiative by clicking here.

New Program Spotlight

Cardiac Electronic Device Technician Certificate

Summer & Fall Start | Specialized Training

The Cardiac Electronic Device Technician Certificate prepares aspiring cardiac device specialists to work with pacemakers, defibrillators, and other implantable technologies. Designed to meet workforce needs within leading health systems, this hybrid, two-semester program blends technical instruction with applied learning grounded in real clinical environments. It is ideal for individuals aiming to enter the fast-growing field of cardiac device management. Alumni working in cardiovascular care may know strong candidates ready for this next step.

Learn More

Alumni Invited to Faculty Development Days

Faculty Development Days is an annual series of workshops and talks highlighting IHP faculty work and promoting professional development. IHP alumni are invited to join these sessions, connect with others who have similar interests, and learn something new. Join us!

The 2026 Faculty Development Days Sessions

All sessions start at Noon EDT and last for 1 hour, unless noted otherwise. Please note: Each talk has its own registration link. Participants will receive the Zoom link once they have registered.

Virtual

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026 ~ 12:00 - 1:15 pm - Watts Award Talk: Using Individual and Group Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Teams | Register
• Tuesday, May 19, 2026 - Beyond Survival Mode: Supporting Neurodivergent and Gen Z Learners to Thrive in Health Professions Graduate Education | Register
• Thursday, May 21, 2026 - Aligning Our Values with Pedagogy and Practice | Register
• Thursday, June 4, 2026 - Rethinking Your Research Funding: Practical Strategies to Support Career Development | Register
• Tuesday, June 9, 2026 - Using the Visual Arts to Enhance Health Care: Research and Practice | Register

In-Person

• Thursday, May 28, 2026 ~ 12:00 - 2:00 pm EDT - Co‑Creating Simulation: Faculty and Simulated Participants as Teaching Partners | Contact Jessica Bell to register

Find more details about the sessions on the Faculty Development Day 2026 page.

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Coming soon

Essential Non-Clinical Skills for the Future-Ready SLP 

Virtual Professional Development Series for Speech-Language Pathologists  

Series Dates / Time: May 14 – August 13, 2026 | 7:00 pm – 8.30 pm EDT

Cost: $99.00 | Alumni $49.00 | CEUs available

Health care and education are evolving rapidly, and speech-language pathologists are navigating a professional landscape that extends far beyond the bedside and clinic. The skills needed to lead, innovate, and thrive—such as technology literacy, financial fluency, executive communication, entrepreneurial thinking, leadership, and advocacy—are rarely taught in training programs. These “non-clinical” or soft skills are essential for professional growth, influence, sustainability, and long-term success

This course is designed to fill that gap. Developed by SLPs, for SLPs, and informed by a needs assessment of over 300 clinicians, Essential Non-Clinical Skills for the Future-Ready SLP provides practical training in leadership, communication, tech literacy, finance, advocacy, and entrepreneurship over 12 weeks. Through expert-led virtual sessions, interactive discussions, and applied activities, participants will gain the tools, frameworks, and confidence to expand their impact—both within and beyond the clinic. 

Sampling of Topics

• Beyond the Bedside: Non-Clinical Career Pathways for SLPs 
• AI Literacy for SLPs
• Communication and Presentation Skills for Influence and Impact
• Pay and Contract Essentials for SLPs
• Entrepreneurship Essentials for SLPs
• Leadership and Advocacy Skills for SLPs

Registration opens May 1. More information and the registration link will be sent to all CSD alumni.

Contact Rinki Varindani Desai, SLPD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, course director, with any questions. 

Department of Physical Therapy

Last Call

Engaging Physical Therapy Learners: Reasoning, Simulation, and Dialogue

Saturday, May 2, 2026

9:00 am - 4:00 pm EDT

In-Person | 2 Constitution Wharf, Boston, MA

Cost: $200.00 | Alumni Discount | 6 CEUS

This interactive conference equips educators with practical, evidence-based strategies to elevate teaching in both classroom and clinical settings. Through hands-on workshops and guided role play, participants will explore techniques for fostering clinical reasoning, facilitating difficult conversations, designing and debriefing simulations, and addressing microaggressions in learning environments. Attendees will leave with tools to more effectively engage physical therapy learners, promote inclusion, and enhance their overall educational impact.

Discount for IHP Alumni

As an IHP alum, you are eligible for a 50% discount. Please register using the promocode: PTED001

Learn More and Register

Making Your LinkedIn “About” Section Work for You

Building on last month’s topic, your LinkedIn Headline, we shift to your “About” section. While your LinkedIn headline introduces your work, the “About” section offers the space to tell a fuller professional story. It’s one of the most underutilized sections of a profile—and one of the most impactful when done well.

Rather than repeating your résumé, consider using this space to connect the dots across your experiences. What themes show up in your work? What motivates your career choices? What kinds of problems do you enjoy solving?

A simple structure can help:

Opening: A brief statement of who you are professionally

Body: Key areas of expertise, experiences, or accomplishments

Closing: What you’re interested in now—collaborations, opportunities, or areas of focus

For example:

“I am an occupational therapist focused on supporting individuals in regaining independence after neurological injury. My work spans clinical care, student mentorship, and program development, with a particular interest in interdisciplinary collaboration. I am especially interested in advancing community-based rehabilitation models and welcome opportunities to connect with others in this space.”

Keeping this section concise (2–4 short paragraphs) and revisiting it periodically can ensure it reflects both your experience and your evolving professional direction.

A thoughtful update here can help others better understand not just what you do—but how you think, what you value, and where you’re headed.