Indiana LEND's Dr. Kuo Earns Award from AOTF

May 20, 2013

Dr. Fengyi Kuo at the 2013 AOTA National Conference with AOTA President Dr Ginny Stoffel

At the 2013 AOTA National Conference, Awards & Recognitions Program, held in San Diego, CA. Fengyi Kuo, DHS, OTR, CPRP, Occupational Therapy Discipline Coordinator at the Riley Child Development Center (IN LEND), was awarded the AOTF Award for Community Volunteerism.

Since 2008, Dr. Kuo has been actively involved in the Burmese refugee community in Indianapolis, the largest in the United States. Because of her involvement and contributions as an occupational therapist, she was invited to join the Burmese Community Center for Education (BCCE) and Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) to lead their programming in support of Burmese refugees’ access to health care and their transition to American life.

Dr. Kuo launched the Upward College Program that assists Burmese high school students to overcome their language barrier and culture shocks as they prepare for higher education or employment. Dr. Kuo also started the first health and human services fair for the refugee community that conducts developmental screenings for Burmese children.

Through Dr. Kuo’s contributions, BACI has served more than 500 Burmese refugees. Her volunteerism has allowed for occupational therapy to be recognized as a professional discipline helping this underserved population to become self-sufficient. Additionally, she has represented her profession to congressional offices, international organizations, and the United Nations in New York, citing human rights violations in Asia.