Dr. Denise Henderson, OTD, OTRL, BCP, is the Academic Fieldwork and Education Capstone Coordinator for the Rehabilitation Sciences in the "Dwyer School of Health Sciences" at IU South Bend. She joined the faculty in July 2019 and has previously worked in higher education at Davenport University, Huntington University, Western Michigan University, and Grand Valley State University. Dr. Henderson continues to demonstrate clinical practice as an occupational therapist for the Homer Stryker WMU School of Medicine on the Cleft Palate and Medically Complex Multidisciplinary Teams. Additionally, Dr. Henderson manages her private practice offering animal-assisted therapy and consultative services. Lastly, as a Tradeshow Literacy Specialist, she travels throughout the US and Canada providing education on literacy with the Learning Without Tears organization.
Dr. Henderson received her BS in Biological Sciences from Central Michigan University with a focus on pre-veterinary medicine studies. She completed her BS in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University, her MS in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University, and her clinical doctorate from Quinnipiac University. Dr. Henderson completed her graduate capstone research on Professional Competencies for Pediatric Feeding and Eating, as well as, Advocacy in Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Professional Organizations.
Dr. Henderson is board certified in pediatrics from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and is an active member of the Literacy Community of Practice through AOTA. She also serves as a parent advocate for Feeding Matters. She is a member of AOTA, Michigan Occupational Therapy Association (MIOTA) and Indiana Occupational Therapy Associations (IOTA). Dr. Henderson has served in executive board positions with both MIOTA and IOTA, and in 2016, Dr. Henderson received the Fellow Of Michigan Occupational Therapy Award for her outstanding advocacy within MIOTA. Dr. Henderson is an avid animal lover and specializes in animal-assisted therapy with dogs, goats, and horses. She enjoys advocacy and integrating occupational therapy internationally as evident in her previous travel to China.