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Kandy Salter, OTD
Kandy Salter, OTD, Named Director of UA/UAMS Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program
| LITTLE ROCK — Kandy Salter, OTD, has been named the director of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
The UAMS College of Health Professions and UA College of Education and Health Professions jointly sponsor the program.
“Dr. Salter was with the program when it welcomed its first class of students in 2020,” said College of Health Professions Dean Susan Long, Ed.D. “She has the depth of experience and knowledge as well as good rapport with faculty and students to make the transition to new leadership a smooth one. We’re confident she can work with them to continue to grow the program even further in the years ahead.”
Salter succeeds Sherry Muir, OTD, who has served as director of the program since its founding in 2017. Muir has fulfilled her commitment as department chair/program director and will move into a faculty position.
Salter joined the department’s faculty in 2018 as a clinical assistant professor and academic fieldwork coordinator, then next served as capstone coordinator. She has been an occupational therapist for 21 years specializing in neurologic rehabilitation and driver rehabilitation.
“Dr. Salter is best positioned to build on the successful foundation that Dr. Muir initiated in our occupational therapy program,” said U of A College of Education and Health Professions Dean Kate Mamiseishvili. “Dr. Salter was one of the first faculty members hired in the program and has worked alongside Dr. Muir to hire the rest of the team, design the curriculum, get the program accredited, and graduate the first cohort of amazing occupational therapists. The strong tradition of program leadership will continue with Dr. Salter at its helm.”
Salter earned her doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Kansas Medical Center and both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Occupational Therapy from the University of Central Arkansas.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###