Faculty Directory

Michele Tilstra

Michele

Tilstra

Michele Tilstra

Program Director, Occupational Therapy

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  • Campus:
  • Portland
  • Online
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Department
Occupational Therapy
Institution
University of Western States
Office Phone
971-418-9081
Email
Biography

Dr. Michele Tilstra, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, CHT is the founding program director for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at the University of Western States. She has a PhD in Health Science (2023), a post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (2018), and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy (1995). She was initially certified by the National Board Certification of Occupational Therapy in 1995 and the Certification of Hand Therapy Commission in 2002.

Dr. Tilstra is a licensed OT in Ohio (1995) and Oregon (2024). She has been in clinical practice for 30+ years in various settings, including hand therapy, mental health, acute care, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing, and home health. She started working in academia in 2018 as an Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, then transitioned to Program Director. She is a member of Ohio Occupational Therapy Association, Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon, and the American Occupational Therapy Association: Academic Leadership Council, Academic Eductors Speciality Interest Section, Mental Health Specialty Interest Section.

Dr. Tilstra has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals with research interests, including mental health across the lifespan with a special focus on trauma-informed care, facilitating student mental wellness, trauma-informed student supervision, and cultural competence with humility. She co-wrote and co-directed the Counselors and Occupational Therapists Professionally Engaged (COPE) in the Community Program, which is a 1.9-million-dollar grant, funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program (BHWET).

She has 10+ years of volunteer experience in teaching and leading psychosocial groups for people with dysfunctional relationships, sexual traumas, and/or addictions. She has taught many continuing education courses at the local, state, and national levels for occupational therapy providers and the community. Dr. Tilstra is actively involved in her local church, including teaching, prayer team, and hosting services. She has been married for 30+ years, has 3 sons and 2 dogs. She enjoys taking walks, Zumba, crasfting, and reading.

Education History
Degree Institution Year
PhD Health Science Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH 2023
Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT 2018
Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy Louisiana State University Health Sciences, New Orleans, LA 1995
Professional Memberships
Role Organization
Member American Occupational Therapy Association
Member Ohio Occupational Therapy Association
Member Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon
Community Involvement
Role Organization
Volunteer Living Water Church
Publications
Journal

Tilstra, M. L., Berg-Carramusa, C. A., Peets, T., & Keptner, K. (2024). Cultural competence with humility: A pre-post cohort study of student self-assessments. Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 22 (2), https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ijahsp/vol22/iss2/19/.

Tilstra, M. L., Berg-Carramusa, C. A., Peets, T., & Keptner, K. (2023). Cultural competence with humility using interprofessional multicultural learning activities: Student perceptions. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 7 (4), https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol7/iss4/7/.

Lairson, A. & Tilstra, M. (2021). The influence of enabling resources and other financial concerns on physical and occupational therapist service utilization: A secondary analysis. Physical Therapy Journal of Policy, Administration, and Leadership, 21 (4), 5-16.

McCallum, C.A., Murray, L., Tilstra, M.L., Lairson, A. (2020). Assessment of employability skills: A systematic review of the availability and usage of professional behavior assessment instruments. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 34 (2), 252-263. https://doi.org/10.1097/JTE.0000000000000152.

Tilstra, M.L., Webb, M. L., & Groger, S. E. (2019). Instructing students how to use evidence-based technology interventions with older adults. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 3 (4), https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2019.030411.

Other

Tilstra, M.L (2024). Cultural competency with humility using multicultural interprofessional learning activities[short course]. Orlando, FL.

Tilstra, M.L. & Ilg, D. (2022). Similarities with Trauma-Informed Fieldwork Supervision and Student Professional Behaviors [Poster 1-08]. American Occupational Therapy Association Conference. (San Antonio, TX).

Tilstra, M., Killian, C., Ondracek, F., & Baylor, J. (2022). The importance of occupational therapy in populations who have experienced homelessness, sex trafficking, and mental illness: Student perspectives after inaugural program implementation in the community [short course]. Ohio Occupational Therapy Association Conference. (Cincinnati, OH).

Tilstra, M. & Wilson, K. (2021). The effects of covid-19 on patient’s mental health post-rehabilitation [short course]. Ohio Occupational Therapy Association Conference,. (Columbus, OH).

Tilstra, M.L. & Peets, T. (2021). Counselors and Occupational Therapists Professionally Engaged in the Community. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program (BHWET)-Professional Track Grant 2020.

Lairson, A. & Tilstra, M (2020). Development of employability skills-A conceptual framework for professional behavior advising [Platform]. Physical Therapy Educational Leadership Conference. (Virtual).

Tilstra, M. L. (2020). Community-Based active learning scavenger hunt using technology [Poster 8-025]. American Occupational Therapy Association Conference. (Boston, MA [conference cancelled]).

Tilstra, M. L. (2019). Preparing for level II fieldwork [short course]. Ohio Occupational Therapy Association Conference. (Akron, OH).

Bachman, S., Bauman, K., DeMetro, N., Pratt, A., Tilstra, M., & Walter, A. (2019). Interprofessional collaboration with nursing, PT, and OT student [Poster]. Ohio Nursing Research Day. (Canton, OH).

Licenses
Occupational Therapist, Ohio
Occupational Therapist, Oregon
Certified Hand Therapist, National