Patty Coker-Bolt PHD, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA
Graduate College of Health Sciences - Department of Occupational Therapy
PROFESSOR OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Education:
PhD in Education, Capella University
Master’s in Health Science, Medical University of South Carolina
BS in Occupational Therapy, Medical University of South Carolina
BS in Special Education, Pennsylvania State University
Patty Coker-Bolt lives in Charleston, SC with her husband, Rick, on a small barrier island, Folly Beach. Folly Beach is called, “The Edge of the World” and is proud of its funky, eclectic vibe.
Dr. Coker-Bolt has over 25 years of experience in occupational therapy, specializing in the treatment of high-risk infants and children with neuromuscular disorders such as cerebral palsy (CP). Her research has focused on the identification of early motor delays and intervention studies for children with cerebral palsy. Her scholarship includes 38 articles in peer reviewed publications, 10 articles in clinical practice journals, 7 published abstracts, 13 book chapters, and 2 position papers for the American Occupational Therapy Association. She has provided 16 international presentations and 138 national and local presentations. Dr. Coker-Bolt has studied the impact of intensive therapy programs for almost two decades and is a co-editor of the first textbook on pediatric CIMT titled “A Handbook of Pediatric Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (P-CIMT): A Guide for Occupational and Physical Therapists, Researchers, and Clinicians.”
Dr. Coker-Bolt is passionate about supporting practitioners abroad in alignment with the World Health Organization (WHO) Rehabilitation 2030 initiative to enhance rehabilitation around the world. She has been involved in several global initiatives and has mentored students on interprofessional medical trips to South Africa, Romania, Uganda, and Nicaragua. She completed grant funded projects to train therapists in Ethiopia and Vietnam. She was selected in 2017 by the World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) to be the OT consultant for a Handicap International Project in Vietnam funded by US AID. The Vietnam Project led to the development of a “Rehabilitation Guideline for the Management of Children with Cerebral Palsy – Occupational Therapy” which was approved by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health in 2018. Dr. Coker-Bolt has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State and completed a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award (2022-23 Trinidad and Tobago) and Fulbright Specialist Awards (2019, Russia and 2017, Haiti). Dr. Coker-Bolt received the WFOT Thelma Cardwell Foundation Award for Research to collaborate with faculty at the Volga Region State Academy in Kazan, Russia.
