Mentorship of the Month Winner for December 2023 Dr. Camille Skubik-Peplaski

Congratulations to our December of 2023 Mentorship of the Month Winner Dr. Camille Skubik-Peplaski.

Dr. Skubik-Peplaski is a professor in the Occupational Therapy department where she mentors students in a variety of contexts from undergraduate students to graduate students. A recent project that she performed with her students in the community is titled: Sew, is it for everyone? A mixed methods study investigating the effects and experience of sewing on quality of life and occupational performance

This study investigated the effects of sewing as an occupation-based intervention on the participants’ executive functioning, motor coordination skills, and satisfaction in occupational performance areas. The study explored participants’ experiences and perceptions of sewing related to their occupational performance. Six sessions, each lasting 90 minutes were performed, where participants completed various sewing project options such as potato bag, bowl cozy all while working with an occupational therapy student. Participants completed a variety of outcome measurements. The final session featured a “Show Me’ event, allowing time for socializing and interactive role modeling. Student investigators administered post outcome measures and are currently working towards dissemination of the study information at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy’s research day on April 12, 2024.

Fellow faculty have written that: Dr. Skubik-Peplaski excels at designing clinical research that allows the students hands-on clinical experiences while conducting a study with a neurological population; for instance, her last group of students compared two treatments for individuals post-stroke, with students designing and implementing the interventions as well as collecting outcome data. Her current group is studying the effectiveness of adaptive sewing as an occupation-based intervention for clients with neurological conditions. This team of students won the 2023 Kentucky Extension (Team) Diversity Award.

A former  student in OTS 896 noted: “During the time spent outside the clinic, she was always very adamant and thorough about completing tasks in a timely and effective manner and ensuring the best quality of our research product. She has gone above and beyond to ensure that this process included hands–on experience, opportunities for meaningful reflection, and quality input for an amazing research experience. Honestly, I have never seen a professor so dedicated to the research and the lived experience of the student; I can truly say she is passionate about her work.”

Congratulations to Dr. Skubik-Peplaski for all that she does here at Eastern.

Published on March 05, 2024