Patti LaVesser, Ph.D., OTR; B.S. Occupational Therapy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; M.A.T., Teaching, Webster University, St. Louis, MO; Ph.D., Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Dr. LaVesser, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Division of JFK Partners joined the faculty as of July, 2009.

Dr. LaVesser currently serves as Occupational Therapy discipline director on the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), Maternal Child Health Bureau Grant. She also serves as a clinician case reviewer for the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network and as an evaluator for the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). Clinically, Dr. LaVesser coordinates service provision for the Family Driven Autism Services and Learning (FASL) project, serves on two of the interdisciplinary clinical assessment teams at the Child Development Unit of The Children's Hospital Denver, and provides early intervention services through the ENRICH program. Together with Dr. Susan Hepburn, psychologist, she has initiated an adaptive skills development program for families with children who have special needs related to toileting, feeding and other daily living skills.
Prior to joining the faculty at JFK Partners, Dr. LaVesser was a faculty member at the Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis for 25 years. She has a wide range of clinical pediatric experience that includes early intervention, school-based and hospital-based practice. Her current research interests include the study of adaptive skills intervention models and outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental difficulties.