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Biography
Twylla Kirchen, PhD, OTR/L, CLA, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno, a Master of Science from the University of Chapel Hill in Occupational Therapy, and a PhD in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. She has approximately 25 years of clinical experience, in pediatrics, geriatrics, and currently in mental health. Dr. Kirchen served as program director of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program at James Madison University and was the Founding Program Director for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. She has presented nationally and published in peer-reviewed journals on her research interests, which include understanding the lived experiences of older veterans and promoting the health and well-being of Native youth through engagement in meaningful, culturally relevant occupations. Dr. Kirchen has served on the Roster of Accreditation Evaluators (ACOTE) for 8 years and served as Chair of the Montana Occupational Therapy Licensure Board for 4 years. Dr. Kirchen was named Distinguished Woman of the Year at James Madison University and received the VOTA Award of Merit-Educator in 2017. She is a Veteran of the United States Army and earned the credential Certified Leader in Academia (CLA) from AOTA’s Academic Leadership Institute in 2019.