What is PTE? 

Pi Theta Epsilon is an academic honor society for OT students and alumni. Our main focus is to promote research, leadership, scholarship, and evidence-based practice in our profession.

What is AOTF?

AOTF is a national charitable, scientific and educational organization serving the needs of occupational therapists, clients and the public by supporting occupational therapy research and increasing public understanding of the important relationship between everyday activities (occupations) and health. Through our grants, scholarships, programs, and publications we help generate, translate, and disseminate new knowledge. By enhancing evidence-based practice we can enable all people to live meaningful and independent lives.

What is the St. Catherine Challenge?

The St. Catherine Challenge is a student-led initiative to support the profession of occupational therapy by raising funds for AOTF Intervention Research Grants (IRGs). IRGs provide seed-funding for the development of new and/or novel ideas to generate preliminary data as proof of concept and lay the necessary groundwork for larger intervention studies. The AOTF IRG occupies a very important niche in research funding and fills a critical gap by investing in the development of ideas and data in the early state of the occupational therapy investigation. 

The Challenge began in September 2013 by the PTE students of St. Catherine University. Upon learning of the important impact evidence has on OT practice, they challenged students nationwide to a friendly competition to support research that builds new evidence necessary to advance the science of OT. The Challenge began with just a handful of schools raising a few thousand dollars. It has now grown to include dozens of schools and has raised over $165,000!