Dr. Ruth Zemke Lectureship in Occupational Science
About the Dr. Ruth Zemke Lectureship
 In recognition of Dr. Ruth Zemke's mentorship, questing intellect, and ongoing efforts to foster an occupational science community of researchers, this lectureship was named in her honor. The lectureship is designed as a forum to present visionary, theoretical, and critical analyses of occupational science.
The recipients of the Ruth Zemke Honorary Lecture in Occupational Science are given an engraved kaleidoscope in recognition for their contribution to the study of occupation. Occupation is made up of simple, everyday actions that can be combined in an infinite variety of ways. This variation creates a complexity that requires examination from many perspectives in order to understand its many facets and meanings in people's lives. According to Dr. Zemke, the kaleidoscope serves as a metaphor for occupation. It is a collection of simple, everyday items that can create beautiful and often complex images. People change their perspectives by rotating the kaleidoscope to see the endless variety of images created. Indeed, the kaleidoscope is a well-chosen keepsake for the recipients of the Ruth Zemke Honorary Lecture in Occupational Science.
Nominations for the 2026 Ruth Zemke Lectureship in Occupational Science are NOW OPEN!
Nominations will be accepted until May 16, 2025
History of Dr. Ruth Zemke Lectureship in Occupational Science
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Lecturer
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Year
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Location
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Title
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1st
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Dr. Ruth Zemke
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2002
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Galveston, TX
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Occupational Science: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
|
|
2nd
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Dr. Elizabeth Yerxa
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2003
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Park City, UT
|
The Infinite Distance Between the “I” and “It”
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3rd
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Dr. Jeanne Jackson
|
2004
|
Kah Nee Tah, OR
|
Occupation at the Center: Creating Authentic Lives in Social Worlds
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|
4th
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Dr. Florence Clark
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2005
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Baltimore, MD
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One Person's Thoughts on the Future of Occupational Science
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|
5th
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Dr. Charles Christiansen
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2006
|
St. Louis, MO
|
Adolf Meyer Revisited: Connections between Lifestyles, Resilience and Illness
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|
6th
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Dr. Graham Rowles
|
2007
|
Albuquerque, NM
|
Place in occupational science: A life course perspective on the role of environmental context in the quest for meaning
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7th
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Dr. Claire Hocking
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2008
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Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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The challenge of occupation: Describing the things people do
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|
8th
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Dr. Virginia Dickie
|
2009
|
New Haven, CT
|
Are occupations ‘processes too complicated to explain'? What we can learn by trying
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9th
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Dr. Gelya Frank
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2010
|
London, Ontario
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Occupational Therapy/Occupational Science/Occupational Justice: Moral Commitments and Global Assemblages
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10th
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Dr. Doris Pierce
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2011
|
Park City, UT
|
Promise
|
|
11th
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Dr. Malcom Cutchin
|
2012
|
Portland, Oregon
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The Art and Science of Occupation: Nature, Inquiry, and the Aesthetics of Living
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|
12th
|
Dr. Debbie Laliberte Rudman
|
2013
|
Lexington, KY
|
Embracing and Enacting an ‘Occupational Imagination’: Occupational Science as Transformative
|
|
13th
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Dr. Elizabeth Townsend
|
2014
|
Minneapolis, MN
|
Doing and Being Well Into Old Age: Occupational Literacy for Justice and Ecological Sustainability
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|
14th
|
Dr. Ruth Humphry
|
2015
|
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
|
Appropriation and transformation of occupations: So what is know-how anyway?
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|
15th
|
Dr. Kathlyn Reed
|
2016
|
Portland, ME
|
Pioneering OT and OS: Ideas and Practitioners before 1917
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|
16th
|
Dr. Wendy Wood
|
2018
|
Lexington, KY
|
Envisioning the Environment, Time and Occupation
|
|
17th
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Dr. Charlotte Royeen
|
2019
|
Scottsdale, AZ
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The Meta-emotion of Occupation: Feeling about Feeling While Doing
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|
18th
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Dr. Staffan Josephsson
|
2020
|
San Diego, CA
|
Narrative in Occupational Science
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|
19th
|
Dr. Gail Whiteford
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2022
|
San Diego, CA
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Towards Salience and Solidarity: The Importance of Epistemic Development in Occupational Science, Occupational Therapy and the Relationship Between Them
|
|
20th
|
Dr. Elelwani Ramugondo
|
2023
|
St. Louis, MO
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Occupational Consciousness: Theorising to Dismantle Systemic Racism and Dehumanization
|
|
21st
|
Dr. Lilian Magalhães
|
2024
|
Durham, NC
|
On Awareness, Dialogue, and Hope: Interrogating Language to Envision Conciliatory Occupations
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|
22nd
|
Dr. Mary Lawlor
|
2025
|
Galveston, TX
|
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