2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Health Professionals In the Spotlight

Q: Given your workman-like attitude, how comfortable were you in a position where people were congratulating you? Was it fun?

A: I like to think of myself as a “blue-collar scholar,” meaning I roll my sleeves up, work hard, and try to contribute my maximum effort in the spirit of helping the team, improving the goal, or whatever the mission may be. But when you contribute long enough and you gain experience, you can actually make a difference.

Q: Where do you find the time for all your activities?

A: I think that all successful people work very hard. When you combine hard work with tremendous commitment, you get success. I don’t get up in the morning wondering how hard I’m going to work; I’m just ready to contribute.

Dr. Dodge

Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award

Carole Dodge, OTR, CHT

Division of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems, Ann Arbor

Background: When she was a 16-year-old volunteer in a rehab clinic, Dodge knew she wanted a career in healthcare. It didn’t take long until the diminutive teen realized physical therapy likely wasn’t the path.

“I realized that my size was going to be a limitation, in terms of standing and walking and moving people,” says Dodge, who admittedly stands shorter than 5 feet. “I walked over to the occupational therapy clinic and saw that they were using a lot of activities to reach patient goals. I was immediately intrigued.”

Dodge started her career in adult rehab, working with patients who suffered brain injuries, strokes, and other neurological diseases. In the 1990s, she began specializing in outpatient arthritis. In 1997, she joined the multidisciplinary team at Michigan, and, in 2007, became a certified hand therapist. She currently has both clinical and managerial responsibility for three outpatient clinics, with about 75% of her patients having rheumatic conditions. She created the American Occupational Therapy Association’s first nationally accredited hand residency program at the University of Michigan.

“I will be an occupational therapist until I retire, because with our career, there are just so many different avenues you can go, in terms of specialization, that you could never get bored,” she says.

Dodge has served on various ARHP committees, has presented several times at annual meetings, was a moderator for the 2007 ARHP audioconference series, and was the ARHP liaison to National Committee for Quality Assurance for developing criteria for reporting on patients with rheumatoid arthritis for the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative in 2008. She currently serves as an ARHP liaison to the ACR’s Communications and Marketing Committee.