Karen Jacobs

Karen Jacobs, Ed.D., OTR/L, CPE, FAOTA is a past president and vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She is a 2005 recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri in Akuryeri, Iceland; the 2009 recipient of the Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and received the Award of Merit from the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2003. Dr. Jacobs is a clinical professor of occupational therapy and...See more

Karen Jacobs, Ed.D., OTR/L, CPE, FAOTA is a past president and vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She is a 2005 recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri in Akuryeri, Iceland; the 2009 recipient of the Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and received the Award of Merit from the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2003. Dr. Jacobs is a clinical professor of occupational therapy and the program director of the distance education post-professional occupational therapy programs at Boston University. She has expertise in the development and instruction of on-line and on-campus graduate courses. In addition, she has faculty appointments at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, USA and the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Dr. Jacobs earned a doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Science at Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Jacobs' research examines the interface between the environment and human capabilities. In particular, she examines the individual factors and environmental demands associated with increased risk of functional limitations among populations of university and middle school aged students, particularly in notebook computing, backpack use, and the use of games such as WiiFit (http: //people.bu.edu/kjacobs/). Most recently, she is co-developing with Dr. Nancy Baker at the University of Pittsburgh, the Telerehabilitation Computer Ergonomics System (tele-CES) for computer users with arthritis. The tele-CES is a remote systematic ergonomics program aimed at substantially reducing work disability among workers with any type of arthritis. In addition to being an occupational therapist, Dr. Jacobs is also a certified professional ergonomist (CPE) and the founding editor-in-chief of the international, interdisciplinary journal WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation (IOS Press, The Netherlands), which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Dr. Jacobs is the chairperson of the Ergonomics for Children in Educational Environments Technical Committee (ECEE) for the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and the program chair for the Environment Design Technical Group for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). Dr. Jacobs has a small business which provides consulting services in ergonomics and entrepreneurship. See less