Clinical Practice to Academia: A Guide for New and Aspiring Health Professions Faculty

Crystal A. Gateley, PhD, OTR/L is Associate Chair and Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri, Department of Occupational Therapy, where she has taught full-time since 2009. She teaches a variety of courses across the curriculum including Foundations and Theory in Occupational Therapy, Conditions in Occupational Therapy, Psychosocial Aspects of Occupational Therapy, Clinical Reasoning and Documentation, Emerging Trends in Occupational Therapy, and Leadership, Management, and Policy. She also has taught interdisciplinary courses including Clinical Pathophysiology and Introduction to the Health Professions. In her administrative role, she provides oversight of curriculum revision and accreditation compliance, and she assists with new program development and the myriad of issues faced by a growing department.

Crystal graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Missouri in 1995 with a BHS in Occupational Therapy. She went on to complete a master’s (2003) and doctorate (2015) in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, also from the University of Missouri. Crystal has worked in a variety of occupational therapy practice settings, including acute care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, home health, outpatient pediatrics, public schools, and community programs for adults with developmental disabilities. She still provides occasional occupational therapy coverage at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Missouri, on weekends and holidays, and her experiences there with patients and interprofessional colleagues inform her teaching as she is able to pass along insights from contemporary occupational therapy practice to her students.

Beyond her love for college teaching and occupational therapy practice, Crystal enjoys spending time with friends and family in outdoor activities including camping, fishing, canoeing, and rafting along various Missouri rivers. She is an avid football fan, and she is still basking in the glory of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV victory in 2020! She currently lives in rural Holts Summit, Missouri, with her husband, Curt, and her parents. Crystal treasures the occasional phone calls and visits from her two daughters, Katrina and Lauren, who are off on their own college adventures.