OT Month Highlights Veteran Sleep Research Presented Nationally

27 April 2026

a photo of doctor amanda carroll and doctor philip nordeck at national conference in front of powerpoint presentation screen — Dr. Amanda Carroll and Dr. Philip Nordeck pose in front of their presentation at the national OT conference in Anaheim, CA on Saturday, April 26th, 2026. OT Month celebrates meaningful engagement as a foundation of occupational therapy. The University of Montana OTD program highlights this through student learning and real-world application.

Occupational Therapy Month is celebrated during the month of April. The University of Montana Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program celebrates OT month by sharing about occupational therapy and all the great that it does and celebrating our students and practitioners.

During the weekend of April 23–25, the AOTA theme was “Enriching lives through meaningful engagement.” During this time, Dr. Carroll and Dr. Nordeck presented research on an occupational therapy–led, community-based sleep intervention for Montana veterans, which used modified cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to improve sleep quality, mental health, and occupational participation, while also expanding access to care through student-led group sessions and faculty-guided individual treatment. This theme reflects the core of occupational therapy, which focuses on meaningful participation aligned with individuals’ values and strengths, and the University of Montana OTD program emphasizes this through participation and real-world teaching applications, such as those showcased in the above research.