Jana Cason.
HPU Professor and Director of Scholarship in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program – Honolulu Jana Cason, DHSc, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA, has been elected to serve as member of the Board of Trustees of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), effective in January 2026 for a three-year term. Founded in 1965, AOTF’s mission is to “advance the science of occupational therapy and increase public understanding of its importance for health and well-being.” This mission is achieved through research, education, and leadership initiatives including research grants, scholarships, mentorship programs, and publication of the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research.
Cason has served in leadership and service roles with the American Occupational Therapy Association, American Telemedicine Association, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, among other organizations. She is excited to assume this important role as a member of the Board of Trustees of AOTF in the coming year. HPU is proud of Cason’s commitment to individuals, groups, and populations who benefit from the organization’s vision and mission.
“I am honored to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of AOTF and to support an organization that promotes research and evidence-based practice in occupational therapy,” said Cason. “I look forward to working with other members of the Board of Trustees to advance research, education, and leadership in occupational therapy.”
Cason joined HPU in 2023. She holds a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and a MHS and DHSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the National Academies of Practice.
With over 25 years of clinical practice, Cason has focused on supporting children with disabilities and their families and pioneering the integration of telehealth in occupational therapy. Her research has expanded to include innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), exploring ethical and effective integration of AI within healthcare settings. Cason is the co-project Director of a US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Personnel Preparation Grant to prepare occupational therapists to serve infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children with disabilities who have high-intensity needs in Hawaiʻi. She also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation, an open access peer-reviewed journal published by HPU Library and indexed in PubMed and Scopus.
