Clinical Assistant Professor and Doctoral Capstone Coordinator, Occupational Therapy
Renée Rains brings over 25 years of experience as an occupational therapist, dedicated to supporting pediatric clients across diverse settings including school-based, private practice, clinical, inpatient, home health, and NICU environments. Her passion for education and global health has led her to teach Entry-Level OTD students in Kansas and undergraduate OT students at the Université Épiscopale d’Haïti Faculté des Sciences de Réhabilitation (FSRL) in Léogâne, Haiti. In addition to her ongoing volunteer faculty role at FSRL, she serves on the board of the Haiti Rehabilitation Foundation, helping to advance sustainable rehabilitation education and practice. Professor Rains was named to the Fulbright Specialist Roster in 2024 for a three-year term, recognizing her expertise and commitment to global health and occupational therapy education. She joined Puget Sound’s School of Occupational Therapy as full-time faculty in the summer of 2025.
Scholarly Interests
- Evidence-based pedagogical practices for online and hybrid international educational programs in the Global South.
- The impact of Entry-Level OT Doctoral Capstones on community partners’ meaningful engagement with stakeholders including their ability to increase accessibility to community members.
- The impact of chronic pain on the meaningful engagement in daily occupations (school, play, leisure, social relationships, etc.) in pediatric and adolescent individuals with autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions.