Szu-Wei Chen's headshot

Szu-Wei Chen

Assistant Professor and Doctoral Capstone Coordinator
szuwei.chen@siu.edu
618-453-7301
ASA C0120
Occupational Therapy

Dr. Chen is an Assistant Professor and OTD Capstone Coordinator in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program at SIU. She is a rehabilitation scientist committed to advancing aging research, promoting meaningful activity participation and social connection among aging populations, and translating research findings to inform occupational therapy practice. To advance this work, she directs the Meaningful Activity and Social Connection in Occupational Therapy (MASCOT) Lab. Before joining SIU, she completed her postdoctoral research training at Washington University in St. Louis and practiced as a home health occupational therapist in Missouri.

Education:

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Occupational Therapy, New York University, NY 2020
  • Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 2010
  • Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 2008

Licenses and Certifications:

  • Licensed Occupational Therapist, Illinois
  • Licensed Occupational Therapist, Missouri
  • Registered Occupational Therapist, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

Research:

Dr. Chen’s research examines how participation in meaningful activities, such as leisure, supports social connection, reduces loneliness and social isolation, and promotes well-being and healthy aging among older adults and people aging with long-term physical disabilities. She seeks to generate evidence to inform the design and implementation of community-based interventions that use activity-based strategies to reduce loneliness and promote health in these populations. Dr. Chen uses community-engaged approaches and quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods methodologies to advance her research agenda. Beyond her primary research focus, she is also committed to broadening the scope of occupational therapy practice by building evidence to support greater emphasis on leisure as a critical area of practice.

Teaching:

Dr. Chen teaches several OTD capstone and research courses using a highly individualized approach that is tailored to each student’s unique learning needs. She mentors students throughout their OTD capstone journey, guiding them through project planning, development, implementation, and final dissemination. In her role as Capstone Coordinator, she also facilitates student learning by collaborating with capstone committee mentors and ensuring that students have access to relevant resources and expertise. In addition, she leads OTD students in conducting research in her lab, helping them develop transferable skills for their clinical careers and providing early exposure to students who may be interested in pursuing research-related careers in the future.

Clinical Practice:

Dr. Chen’s clinical practice emphasizes the use of adaptive equipment and home modifications to promote daily function, support activity participation, and reduce fall risk among older adults. In addition to her experience working in home health settings in the United States, she worked in several government-funded programs in Taiwan, where she provided home health services, job accommodation services, and assistive technology evaluations for older adults and employed people with disabilities. Dr. Chen strongly believes that community-based practice, in which occupational therapists have the opportunities to observe clients in their natural environments–where they live, work, and learn–can best embody the core values of the occupational therapy profession.

Selected Publications:

  1. Chen, S.-W., & Chippendale, T. (2018). Leisure as an end, not just a means, in occupational therapy intervention. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72, 7204347010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.028316
  2. Chen, S.-W., Keglovits, M., Devine, M., & Stark, S. (2022) Sociodemographic differences in respondent preferences for survey formats: sampling bias and potential threats to external validity. Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation, 4(1), 100175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arrct.2021.100175
  3. Chen, S.-W., Chippendale, T., & Weinberg, S. L. (2022). Factors associated with participation in physical leisure activities in Taiwanese community-dwelling older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2022-0148
  4. Putnam, M., Morgan, K., Hollingsworth, H., Heeb, R., Chen, S.-W., & Stark, S. L. (2023). Consistency of participation over time among persons aging with physical disability as measured by a tool designed for use among community-based organizations. Disability and Health Journal, 17(1), 101519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101519
  5. Putnam, M., Morgan, K., Heeb, R., Yan, Y., Chen, S.-W., & Stark, S. L. (2022). Aging with disability symptoms and ability to participate in, and satisfaction with, social participation among persons aged 45–64. Healthcare, 10(5), 903. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050903
  6. Chen, S.-W., Krauss, M., J., Somerville, E., Holden, B., Devine, M., & Stark, S. (2024) Removing Environmental Barriers to Independent Living (REBIL): A feasibility randomised controlled trial targeting people aging with long-term physical disabilities. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 88(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226241280803
  7. Kim, S. A., Yoo, M., Martin, N., Stark, S., Devine, M., and Chen, S.-W. (2024) Leisure participation and mental health among middle-aged and older adults with physical disabilities: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2024.2444482