Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
Belmont University
Elicia Cruz (PhD, OT/L) serves as an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She a earned her BS in Occupational Therapy and MS in Health Education and Promotion from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and a PhD in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. She has enjoyed a long teaching career, as a faculty member at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Dr. Cruz was awarded the Tennessee Excellent Educator Award in 2021. She has practiced in a variety of settings, including community-based mental health, home health, and skilled nursing rehabilitation. She has developed partnerships in emerging occupational therapy practice settings, in which she collaborated in program development, direct service provision, program evaluation, and professional education. Her research interests include occupational therapy for community health promotion, particularly regarding adults with serious mental illness; family caregiver health promotion; and the role of occupational therapy in primary and integrated care.
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