Department of Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy was established within Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TBZMED) in 2007 as a program to train occupational therapists in undergraduate level. The department aims to promote standard practices according to the WFOT criteria and develop philosophical bases for practice according to occupation and Eastern culture. The Bachelor was designed to prepare occupational therapy practitioners to be able to provide high-quality health care by meeting clients’ needs in a client-centered healthcare delivery setting. The Bachelor degree is a four-year, full-time, and continuous program positioned at the cutting edge of occupational therapy education. Students who complete all the requirements of study are then eligible to apply for registration as an occupational Therapist with the Iranian Occupational Therapy Board and Medical Council of Islamic Republic of Iran.

What is Occupational Therapy?
Human life comprises hundreds of daily activities that occupy our waking hours. These activities — defined as “occupations” — have a profound impact on how we feel physically, emotionally, socially and even spiritually. They can provide a sense of satisfaction and well-being but they can also create stress, imbalance and dissatisfaction. While they do include professional, employment and work activities, occupations encompass more than just a person’s career because people of all ages, cultures and capabilities engage in occupations.
Occupational therapy (OT) is the profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through engagement in everyday activity. OT is a health care profession aimed at improving performance, preventing illness and disability and promoting adaptation to life changes. In this interdisciplinary field, occupational therapists help all people — those with and without disabilities — to realize healthier, happier and more productive lives.
Occupational therapists (OTs) help people get back to meaningful everyday activities. They work with people of all ages who have experienced an illness affecting physical or mental health, an injury, or a disability starting early in life. They work with families, communities and organizations to enable people to live life to the fullest. An occupational therapist helps you to be able to do all the day-to-day activities that are meaningful to you – taking care of yourself, working, or enjoying leisure activities.

Aims
Our department aims to strengthen occupational therapy skills and services through basic and applied research, train needed occupational therapy practitioners, develop research centers and provide advanced services to the clients.
The faculty and staff of the department are some of the best and well-known researchers and practitioners in the country. Their interests are varied and encompass practice and research in areas such as early intervention, cerebral palsy, autism, elder care, and mental health by bridging basic sciences like neurosciences to applied sciences.
Considering the critical role of occupation and activity in social integration and participation and improving quality of life, final goal of the department is to train competent therapists to get in-depth knowledge on different aspects of human being (physical, mental and psychosocial); achieve abilities in different aspects of purposeful activities (recreation, work, and self-care); gain appropriate therapeutic communication based on scientific principles;  understand  problems due to neuropsychological, physiological and/or social disorders;  recognize knowledge about potential resources and risks in environment; collect and transfer data to society; apply therapeutic exercises and approaches based on biomechanics, psychological, and neuroscience theories; and enhance the level of basic and clinical researches and scientific products in occupational therapy. 

Teaching
Department of occupational therapy trains qualified occupational therapists to work in a variety of settings including health organizations, social care services, schools, housing, education, re-employment schemes, occupational health, prisons, voluntary organizations or as independent practitioners.
Our graduates work in a variety of settings including governmental, non-governmental and privates (NGOs). They have opportunity to join the postgraduate.

Research
Research is the foundation for teaching and clinical practice in occupational therapy department.  Our department has an internationally recognized research program in different areas such as mental health illnesses, physical disabilities, early intervention program, cerebral palsy, Autism, ADHD, and learning disorders.

Faculty Members

• Dr. Babak Kashefimehr, OT, PhD, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Ahmad Mohammadi, OT, PhD, Assistant Professor & Department Head
• Dr. Naser Havaei, OT, PhD, Associate Professor
• Dr. Mina Ahmadi, OT, PhD, Assistant Professor

• Shohada Hospital (Orthopedic OT)
• Emam Rehabilitation Center (Neurologic OT)
• Razi Hospital (Psychosocial OT)
• Asadabadi Hospital (Pediatric OT)
• Mardani Azar Pediatrics Hospital (Pediatric OT)

Contacts
Department of Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Golgasht Street, Post Code: 5166414766, Tabriz, Iran.
Tel: (+98) 41- 33371808