Body
Allison Shapiro, OT, MPH, has worked as an occupational therapist for more than 25 years. She has worked in California, New York and Miami, Florida, where she grew up, and in settings ranging from hospitals and outpatient clinics to her clients’ homes.
But when COVID hit, like many others, she paused to reflect on her career and goals. “Doing one-on-one occupational therapy was important, but I thought there's got to be a way I can reach more people to help improve their lives. And that's kind of when I started poking around a little bit and ended up looking into public health.”
Shapiro, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tulane University, earned her master’s degree in public health from Tulane University in December. She earned her OT degree from the University of Southern California. “I think as an OT, I've always sort of been a generalist. I’ve worked with individuals, but with public health, you’re looking at affecting whole populations,” explains Shapiro. “So, when it comes to switching careers, I’m going from the micro level to the macro level, and I really appreciate that.”
As part of her graduate program, Shapiro interned at HCBS Strategies, a consulting firm that focuses exclusively on helping states and other clients build and improve home and community-based supports. Initially, she worked on a project to train states on Inter RAI, a suite of assessment tools designed to help states collect accurate, valid, and reliable data on their home and community-based service (HCBS) programs to help drive improvement. Shapiro helped train individuals in using the tools. She also connected with researchers in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research working on developing a training for providers of HCBS focusing on how to deliver person-centered care. The training will be delivered via “micro-learning” modules – short, narrated videos of three to five minutes each – so that providers can fit the training into their busy schedules rather than needing to block off time to sit through a lengthy course.
“I bring some of my direct care knowledge to the table,” says Shapiro. She was connected to CROR by the president of HCBS Strategies, Steve Lutzky, PhD, who has worked with CROR as a consultant on some of their HCBS-related grant projects. Shapiro has so far worked on providing feedback on micro-learning scripts. “I love the concept of these micro-learning modules because, thinking of my time as a clinician in hospitals, I don't have time to stop and sit and designate X amount of time to continuing education. So having these bite-sized but meaningful opportunities to learn, I just think it makes sense and it really resonated with me.”
In October, Shapiro became a senior associate with HCBS Strategies, but she hasn’t left occupational therapy behind and continues to see clients in their homes. She draws insights from her experience as a clinician as she works on policy-related HCBS projects in her new role.
“As an OT, community-based services make so much sense. In a hospital setting, you have to simulate activities related to daily living, but in people's homes, you're immersed in their lives, you see the family dynamics, you're meeting people where they are, which is what home and community-based services is all about,” says Shapiro.
When she’s not seeing clients or working, Shapiro is busy helping her 12-year-old son, Zachary, prepare for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Shapiro and Zachary have also amassed a library of about two dozen books that are banned in Florida, where she lives. “We’re trying to buck the system,” she says.