OOTA 2025 Annual Conference: Keynote Address
Speaker: Sabrena McCarley, MBA-SL, OTR/L, CLIPP, RAC-CT, QCP, FAOTA
Session Description:
In today’s shifting healthcare environment, occupational therapy professionals face complex challenges—from health inequities and policy barriers to misunderstandings about our role. Yet, through strength, unity, and a clear connection to our “why,” we have the power to transform these challenges into opportunities for greater impact.
This keynote will inspire attendees to embrace their role as change agents by reconnecting with the purpose that drives their practice. Through powerful storytelling, real-world examples, and a focus on the Occupational Therapy Profile, we’ll explore how OT addresses social determinants of health (SDOH), advances health equity, and brings value across settings. We’ll also examine how collaboration and collective advocacy can unify our profession and amplify our voice in a rapidly evolving system.
Come ready to be re-energized, challenged, and empowered to rise together—as a stronger, more unified OT community—to shape the future of care.
Session Objectives:
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe how occupational therapy addresses social determinants of health (SDOH) and promotes health equity across diverse populations.
- Explain the role of the Occupational Therapy Profile in delivering client-centered care and responding to systemic challenges.
- Identify advocacy strategies that strengthen the visibility, value, and impact of OT at the clinical, community, and policy levels.
- Recognize how strength and unity within the OT profession can transform challenges into opportunities for sustainable change.
- Reflect on their personal and professional “why” and articulate how it fuels their commitment to advancing the occupational therapy profession.
Speaker Bio:
Sabrena McCarley is a nationally recognized occupational therapist, healthcare leader, and passionate advocate for health equity and access to care. With over two decades of experience spanning clinical practice, post-acute operations, regulatory policy, and reimbursement strategy, Sabrena brings a unique systems-level perspective to advancing occupational therapy’s role in today’s dynamic healthcare landscape.
As Vice President of Clinical Reimbursement and Regulatory Affairs at Transitional Care Management, she leads initiatives that strengthen interdisciplinary care, improve health outcomes, and drive value-based innovation. Sabrena is an outspoken champion for occupational therapy’s inclusion in critical policy conversations, including her advocacy for the Medicare Home Health Accessibility Act and inclusion of OT in Medicare quality measures.
A 2025 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Veteran VIP honoree and recipient of multiple AOTA Service Commendations, Sabrena is known for inspiring and empowering professionals at all levels to find their voice, take action, and lead change. Her work reflects the power of strength, unity, and a clear professional “why” in transforming challenges into opportunities for impact.