D1 Mentor and Student Match Form
Part I will be completed by Mentor and will provide a description of the projects available in the laboratory.
Part II will be completed by the Student. The student will describe their learning objectives and the reason
that the laboratory is a good match for their professional goals.
Part III records the agreement of the Student and Mentor to work together on a specific project within the
laboratory.
PART I Lab Description
Student Name:
Mentor
Bobbi Pineda, Ph.D., OTR/L
Email address
Pineda_r@kids.wustl.edu
Phone number
314-286-1304
Description of 2 year project:
Improving Outcomes Following Premature Birth: This lab experience allows the
student to learn about assessing medically fragile infants in the complex environment
of the NICU. Students learn basic competencies for the neonatal therapist
(complications of prematurity, medical interventions, the NICU environment,
parenting, therapeutic interventions including feeding, and how to intervene with a
medically fragile and immature infant in a complex environment). Students gain skills
to be able to conduct neurobehavioral assessments during early infancy (0-3 months).
Following the accumulation of knowledge related to prematurity, the NICU,
parenting in the NICU, and therapeutic interventions for the high risk infant, each
student chooses the direction of their project, guided by the mentor. Areas of study
may include, but are not limited to: premature infant development, the effect of the
environment, stress in the premature infant, the role of parenting, predictive validity
of neurobehavioral assessments, functional outcome of high risk infants, feeding
evaluation, bridging services from the NICU to home, and sensory-based
interventions in the NICU. Students learn about the research process from idea
conception to publication. Students will participate in writing all sections of a
research paper. Students learn about searching and critiquing available literature,
formulating a research question, operationalizing variables for investigation,
designing methods, conducting statistical analyses using SPSS (independent samples
t-tests, chi-square analysis, nonparametrics, linear and logistic regression), and
maneuvering through the publication process. Doctoral students have a lot of
opportunity to work on leadership, teaching and mentoring throughout the lab
experience. Conference presentations and publication are encouraged when it fits
with the student’s career aspirations.
Ideal projects (that fit into what the lab currently has to offer and needs investigating)
for this group of OTD students would be:
1. Oral feeding assessment (0-5 years).
2. The long term developmental effects (at ages 3-4) of preterm infants
hospitalized in different room types, with different styles of parenting and
with different medical conditions.
3. Abnormal neuro signs and associations with outcome.
4. Caregiver concern and intent to access therapy at NICU discharge and
associations with early intervention service implementation.
5. Psychometrics of neurobehavioral evaluations (Dubowitz, Premie Neuro).
6. Early behaviors and associations with outcome.
7. Pilot testing a new feeding evaluation.
8. Auditory evoked potentials (hearing screening) related to noise exposure in
the NICU.
9. Implemenation of sensory-based interventions in the NICU.
10. Effects of parent engagement on maternal mental health.
11. Noise exposure in the NICU.
12. Effect of parenting in the NICU on outcomes.
13. Effects of the Baby Bridge Program.
Expectations (time, lab hours, transportation needs, etc.)
Over the winter holiday break, students will be expected to read a premature infant book
designed for parents of preemies in preparation for being immersed in education to
achieve minimum competencies needed for working in the NICU. Flexibility in
scheduling is necessary, and students can expect to dedicate 8-10 hours per week at the
Patient Oriented Research Unit (Northwest Tower), with trips to Barnes and St Louis
Children’s, over each 3 credit semester (each credit equals 1 hour in lab). The focused
student who utilizes lab time efficiently should not require much additional time outside
of lab (except in the half of the first semester when studying will be essential to establish
basic NICU knowledge). The student will also be expected to participate in weekly
meetings to become acclimated to the research environment and multidisciplinary team
as well as participate in regular meetings with the research mentor. This experience will
require a strong student capable of interacting with fragile infants who may be intubated,
have intravenous lines, are attached to cardiovascular monitors, etc and the parents of
these infants who may be experiencing significant stressors.
This lab experience requires a highly motivated student, who can perform well within a
working lab, has good problem solving abilities, self management skills and can meet
deadlines in a highly structured environment. Strong writing skills are expected. It is
expected that students have a strong interest in pursuing OT in a pediatric setting (and
that accumulated knowledge will transfer into the clinical setting upon graduation) and/or
are interested in research. Many opportunities for presenting, publishing and achieving
leadership are available within the lab.
PART II Student Self-evaluation
List your learning objectives for working in this laboratory:
How will this laboratory experience help you achieve your professional goals?
Describe your successful learning style and level of self-directedness:
Part III Mentorship Agreement
Student Name and Campus Address:
Title or Brief description of doctoral project (focus and form of project will be
determined after completion of OT572):
Student Signature & Date:
Mentor Signature & Date:
*Original signatures required