Rate My Professor Jennifer Fortuna

Jennifer Fortuna, PhD, OTR/L, serves as the Program Director and Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy in the Department of Kinesiology at Colorado Mesa University, a position she has held since July 2022. She obtained her PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from Western Michigan University in 2020, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Grand Valley State University in 2014, Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Walden University in 2011, and Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Grand Rapids Community College in 2000. Her professional career includes serving as Assistant Professor and Research Coordinator in the Occupational Therapy Department at Grand Valley State University from August 2019 to June 2022, Part-Time Faculty and Clinical Instructor at Western Michigan University from August 2015 to August 2019, Occupational Therapist at Kindred at Home from November 2017 to November 2018, and Occupational Therapist at Grand Rapids Public Schools from August 2014 to September 2015. Fortuna brings extensive clinical experience in pediatrics, visual-motor rehabilitation, and home care settings.

Fortuna's academic interests focus on health literacy, particularly for individuals with visual impairments such as age-related macular degeneration, accessibility in community environments like museums for visitors with disabilities, universal design principles, assistive technology including 3D printing for the blind, and the therapeutic use of art and creative processes such as ceramics, ikebana, quilting, and wood carving in occupational therapy. She serves as the art editor for the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy and contributes as an instructor at MedBridge Education, with presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. Notable publications include the book chapter "Visual function assessment" in Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction (8th edition, 2020, co-authored with D. P. Dirette), "Identifying barriers to accessibility for museum visitors who are blind and visually impaired" (Visitor Studies, 2023), "Assessment of online patient education materials designed for people with age-related macular degeneration" (BMC Ophthalmology, 2020), and numerous articles in the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, such as "The anatomy of human occupation" (2022) and "Using creative making to redesign life after stroke" (2022). Her scholarship advances occupational therapy interventions in visual rehabilitation, inclusive design, and creative occupation.