Stav Wins Prestigious Excellence Award
Wendy Stav, Ph.D., chair and professor of occupational science and occupational therapy at Saint Louis University’s Doisy College of Health Sciences, has been named the recipient of the 2026 NBCOT Excellence Award.
The award, given by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc., recognizes mid- to late-career occupational therapy professionals who have made sustained and outstanding contributions to occupational therapy practice through leadership, mentorship, scholarship, advocacy, entrepreneurship, or other efforts to support groups, communities and populations.
Stav received the NBCOT Excellence Award for her decades of scholarship, mentorship, and leadership in advancing occupational therapy. Her development of evidence-based models, assessments, and resources have transformed how occupation-based practice is understood, taught, measured and delivered.
Throughout her career, Stav has bridged the gap between occupational therapy theory and clinical practice. She co-developed the Dynamic Model of Occupation-Based Practice, a theoretically grounded and clinically actionable framework that has helped practitioners apply occupation-based thinking in real-world contexts.
To complement this model, Stav created the Occupation-Based Practice Assessment, a psychometrically sound tool to measure occupation in practice. Together, these practical resources help practitioners integrate occupation into everyday care and evaluate the extent to which their services reflect occupational therapy’s core philosophy — practice based in meaningful occupations.
Stav’s work has influenced occupational therapy practice across a wide range of settings, strengthened occupational therapy education, and inspired generations of practitioners, educators, and researchers through her mentorship and leadership. Her sustained contributions have helped shape the future of occupational therapy while advancing the quality of services provided to the people and communities that occupational therapy practitioners serve.
Stav earned her national OTR certification in 1991. She received her bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Quinnipiac University and her Ph.D. in occupational therapy from Nova Southeastern University. A nationally and internationally recognized scholar, Stav has authored dozens of peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and professional presentations; has led numerous grant-funded projects; and has received numerous professional honors, including designation as a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA), recognizing her outstanding contributions to the profession.