The Podcast
Started in July 2021 as a monthly YouTube live series (First Fridays in OT Research), Demystifying Research is a space where hosts, Kelly Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP and Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, dialogue on training, careers, and all things research with special guests and experts in the field.
The Hosts
Kelly Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP:
Dr. Harris is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Surgery (Public Health Sciences) at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, and leads the Health Equity, Opportunity, and Education Research Lab. She is also a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, and has provided clinical services in medical, educational, and community settings for over 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the University of Kansas, her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Northwestern University, and her PhD in Education from Washington University in St. Louis, with concentrations in the Social Context of Urban Education, Public Health, and Child Development.
Dr. Harris’ research examines equity in health, education, and opportunity in communities impacted by systems of oppression; the interdependence of chronic disease, opportunity and educational outcomes for youth in urban and suburban contexts; and the use of dissemination and implementation science to advance health and educational equity in school and community settings. Her work incorporates neighborhood and environmental factors to examine health disparities, inequity, and educational outcomes among youth, specifically among populations with sickle cell disease and asthma.
She is a scholar in the NIH/NCATS KL2 Career Development Awards Program and an NIH/NHLBI funded mixed methods researcher with expertise in quantitative and geospatial analysis, and qualitative methods particularly in partnership with community and youth serving institutions. She is a Faculty Affiliate of the Social Policy Institute and the Center for Race, Ethnicity, & Equity, and a Faculty Scholar at the Institute for Public Health.
Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L:
Dr. Hoyt is an early intervention (0-3 years) occupational therapist and Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, Pediatrics and Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine. A native of Silver Spring, MD, she earned her doctorate in occupational therapy in 2010 and PhD in rehabilitation and participation science in 2019 from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed a postdoctoral externship at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Hoyt is a co-founder of the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) and served as its chair from its inception in 2014 through 2020.
As a clinician, Dr. Hoyt recognized the gaps in assessment, particularly for early identification of disability among children with sickle cell disease, and the real and devastating impact delayed identification of disability can have on long-term outcomes for children, leading to the development of the Infant Toddler Activity Card Sort (ITACS). She is a scholar in the Mentored Training in Implementation Science K12 Training Program and currently serves as site Co-PI for the I-ACQUIRE trial of constraint induced movement therapy for children 8-36 months of age.
The Supporting Crew
Melanie Hackworth, OTD/S ’26
Melanie Hackworth graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2019 with her bachelors of science in Community Health. She went on to work as a Patient Data Coordinator and later as an ACO Care Manager at a non-profit clinic, Family Health Centers of SWFL, Inc until April of 2023. She started attending Washington University in St. Louis as a doctor of occupational therapy student starting in August of 2023. She has several areas of interest that she would like to explore such as, advocacy, community-based practice, hand therapy, and mental health. Outside of academics, she enjoys partaking in video games, drawing, needle-felting, attending STL City soccer games, exploring St. Louis with her husband, and lounging around with her two tuxedo cats.
Her contributions to this podcast include: editing episode recordings, publishing episodes to various podcast platforms, creating episode titles and descriptions, designing templates for social media, and communicating publishing information with guest speakers.
Téa Soberano, OTD/S ’25
Téa Soberano earned her bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies at Texas Tech University in 2020. In 2022, she started the occupational therapy doctorate program at Washington University School of Medicine. She is an active member of Washington University Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (WU-COTAD) where she held the position of project co-chair for WU-COTAD during the 2022-2023 term and president for the 2023-2024 term. She is an active member of Washington University Student OT Association. She is also a student representative for the Inclusive OT Education (iOTE) Committee. Her areas of interest are currently community-based and neuro-rehab. Outside of academia, she enjoys baking desserts for friends, long walks listening to podcasts with her dog, and working out.
Her contributions to this podcast include: updating the website to reflect recent episodes, contacting guest speakers, and scheduling episode recording dates, publishing episodes to various podcast platforms, managing the social media accounts, and communicating publishing information with guest speakers.
Former Supporting Crew
Kaitlyn Thorton, OTD/S ’24
