Donna Weiss, professor emeritus in occupational therapy, will return to the College of Public Health August 14 as Special Advisor to the Dean and Interim Chair of Rehabilitation Sciences.

Weiss’s relationship with Temple dates to 1990 when she became assistant professor and fieldwork coordinator in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She went on to serve as Assistant Dean from 1999-2002 and then Associate Dean of Faculty and Student Affairs from 2002-2008. In a career spanning over forty years, Dr. Weiss has served as a pediatric clinician, consultant to school systems and state departments of education.

She is an author, consultant, trainer, and coach in the areas of interpersonal communication, group dynamics and leadership.

In March 2017, she discussed Temple’s impact on the field of occupational therapy for the program’s 50th-anniversary celebration. “Temple’s strength-based approach to teaching is very consistent with the ethos of occupational therapy,” Weiss said. “Temple is a universe of knowledge, and the department consistently avails itself of those opportunities.”

Weiss steps in after Professor Mark Salzer’s decision to step down from the department chair position. Since 2010, Professor Salzer has assumed leadership of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, which includes the programs in Occupational Therapy and Therapeutic Recreation, and helped to distinguish Temple as a research center in the area of psychiatric rehabilitation and peer-delivered psychosocial interventions.

Recognized as a major force in expanding the recovery concept, Professor Salzer received funding totaling $12 million dollars for a research center now known as the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion. In 2017-2018, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences also welcomes Associate Professor Bryan McCormick, Professor Alexis McKenney, Assistant Professor Yaara Zisman-Ilani, and Assistant Professor Aurora Crew.