Our Members

Rebecca Bollinger is a registered and licensed occupational therapist in the Participation, Environment and Performance Laboratory. She holds an OTD from WashU Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Emory University. Rebecca has prior research experience with home modifications and assistive technology for adults and older adults, as well as in family-based behavioral treatments for children and their families. Rebecca serves as the study coordinator and occupational therapist for the falls and Alzheimer’s disease study. She also coordinated the project on retention of participants in longitudinal studies of Alzheimer’s disease, co-coordinates the Missouri Aging and Disability Research Network (MADRN), and assists with home visits as needed for the COMPASS study.

Jessica Dashner, OTD, OTR/L, is an instructor of Occupational Therapy and Neurology in the WashU Medicine Program in Occupational Therapy. She has an OTD from WashU Medicine and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and occupational therapy from McKendree University. Jessica teaches courses on environmental factors and participation, technology and environmental interventions to support participation, health promotion for people with chronic disease, and fundamentals of health care.

Sherdonna Denholm manages the office of the Participation, Environment and Performance Laboratory, where she is also the personal assistant to Dr. Stark. Sherdonna graduated from Clayton State University and writes and records her own music. In the lab, Sherdonna supports the administrative needs of ongoing studies and oversees student training and work. She also co-coordinates the Missouri Aging and Disability Research Network (MADRN).

Research Profile

Susan Stark is a Professor of Occupational Therapy, Neurology and Social Work and co-director of the TL1 predoctoral training program at WashU Medicine. Dr. Stark’s research focus is on how the environment influences the occupational performance and participation of community-dwelling older adults with chronic conditions. The goals of her work are to support aging in place and to prevent falls. She conducts clinical trials and implementation studies among community-dwelling older adults, including medically underserved older adults. Dr. Stark’s collaborators are from the community, including the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, and from the university, including the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Department of Computer Science.