Rose Bigsby[/caption]
We would like to offer our congratulations to Rosemarie Bigsby, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA, who has been elected as a recipient of the Pioneer Award for Neonatal Therapy.
Rose, renowned for her knowledge, skill and expertise, has worked as a pediatric occupational therapist and consultant for over 30 years, with over 20 years in the NICU, in the combined roles of therapist, educator and researcher.
The Pioneer Award was created to honor neonatal occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech-language pathologists who contribute tirelessly to establish and advance the specialized field of neonatal therapy. This inaugural presentation of the award reflects decades of largely unrecognized work by those who established the art and science of neonatal therapy.
She is Coordinator of NICU Services for the Brown Center for the Study of Children At Risk, Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants’ Hospital, Providence, RI and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry & Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, a contributor to the AOTA guidelines for NICU Practice, and the author of a number of journal articles and book chapters. She is coauthor of Developmental & Therapeutic Interventions in the NICU a book for NICU therapists, and The Posture & Fine Motor Assessment of Infants, and contributed to the development of the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). Her research focuses on motor development, behavioral cues, physiologic regulation and interventions and developing an interdisciplinary approach to initiating and progressing breast and bottle feeding.
Rose received her bachelors of science in occupational therapy and biology at Western Michigan, her masters degree in advanced pediatric practice and occupational therapy education and her doctor of science in therapeutic studies at Boston University.
Bigsby has also been a recipient of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Service Award and the Service Commendation for her authorship of “Specialized knowledge and skills for occupational therapy practice in the neonatal intensive care unit.” She also is a co-investigator and co-author of a recent report documenting the benefits of single family room model of care for NICU patients that was covered by the New York Times, National Public Radio, Reuters and other new outlets at the national level.
We are honored to offer Rose’s course:
Intervention for the High Risk Infant: Providing Services in the NICU and During the Transition Home
June 4-5, 2015 – Edison, NJ
October 15-16, 2015 – Weymouth, MA