Biography

Ms. Hill received a B.S. degree in History from Eastern New Mexico University and a Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of New Mexico. Ms. Hill has worked as a clinical occupational therapist in inpatient and outpatient adult rehabilitation settings, coordinated the assistive technology program at the New Mexico Veterans Administration Health Care System and conducted exoskeleton assisted walking training for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury with the VA Cooperative Studies Program. Ms. Hill has been an instructor with the University of New Mexico Occupational Therapy Graduate Program since 2014 with a focus on neurologic conditions and administrative/management subjects. Ms. Hill coordinates the problem based learning portions of the OTGP curricula as well as the Occupational Therapy Student Performance Assessment II (OTSPAII).

Personal Statement

Hill has a passion for the historical roots of Occupational Therapy to provide humane treatment to people in inpatient, outpatient and community settings. Hill has been a part of research on Exoskeleton Assisted Walking for Veterans who have experienced spinal cord injuries, and sees the power of assistive technology to return treasured occupations. Hill has conducted research to delve into the perspectives of families who are homeschool educators. Hill is a fieldwork educator with the AgrAbility grant program.

Areas of Specialty

Assistive Technology
Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation including Intensive Care Unit
Adult Outpatient Rehabilitation
Cardiac Rehabilitation

Certifications

Occupational Therapist Registered (NBCOT)
Assistive Technology Professional

Achievements & Awards

12/13/2022 Department of Pediatrics Faculty Service Award
5/13/2022 Alumni of the Year Award

Gender

Female

Languages

  • Spanish
  • English

Courses Taught

OcTh 634L: Neuroscience of Occupation
OcTh 654: Administration and Organization

Research and Scholarship

Poole, J.L., Carandang, K., Thelander-Hill, M., Koch, A., Rogers, P., & Lacaille, D. Support needed by people with systemic sclerosis to remain in the workforce [abstract]. Annals Rheumatic Diseases, 2023; 82 (Suppl 1), 1051-1052. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2023-eular.1331
Iliff, S. L., Hill, M. T., White, R., & Alexander, A. (2023). Homeschool educators perspectives about student needs within occupational therapy scope of practice: A pilot study. Home School Researcher. 38(2), 1-7.
Wood, S., & Hill, M. T. (2022). Avian Assisted Intervention During Covid-19 Pandemic Restrictions. Student Journal of Occupational Therapy, 3(1), 25-29. https://soar.usa.edu/sjot/vol3/iss1/3/
Thelander Hill, M. (2022). State-level changes to the rules and laws for occupational therapy. The Reacher, Newsletter of the New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association.. New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association.