Faculty
Karen M Keptner, PhD, OTR/L
Fall 1980 - Fall 2120
Professor I
Occupational Therapy Program - CA
KarenKeptner@scuhs.edu
Current Position
Biography
Karen Keptner PhD, OTR/L is the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. She researches the role of occupational therapy in post-secondary spaces and her clinical work focuses on students who are at-risk for dropping out of post-secondary studies, including aged-out foster youth, addressing ‘exposure gaps’ they experience as they transition from adolescents to adults. In her free time, she likes to travel, read books, and spend time with her family.
Degrees
Ph.D., Epidemiology and Biostatistics: Concentration in Health Care Organizations, Outcomes, and Policy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland , Ohio
M.S., Health Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland , Ohio
B.Sc., Occupational therapy, Cleveland State University, Cleveland , Ohio
Professional Licensures (Healthcare)
Occupational Therapy, Ohio, United States, Active, 1999, June 2025
Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions
Chapter
Completed/Published
Conference Proceedings
Completed/Published
Journal Article
Completed/Published
In Press
Accepted
. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education 2023.
Presentation
Completed/Published
Accepted
Grants
Completed
Needs assessment on campus to address occupational therapy staff needs, Funded by Ohio College Health Association (May 1, 2022 - June 1, 2023) ($3,000.00), Completed, Spring 2023, PI Karen Keptner (80%)
Programming development to support graduate students in law, physical therapy, and occupational therapy returning to campus and activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Funded by Cleveland State University Student Affairs (January 1, 2021 - June 15, 2021) ($5,733.00), Completed, Spring 2021, PI Karen Keptner (80%)
Honors and Awards
Fall 2022 - Fall 2022
Model Practice Award, 2022, Ohio Occupational Therapy Association
Spring 2023 - Spring 2023
University Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching, 2023, Cleveland State University
Service Commendation Award, 2023, American Occupational Therapy Association
Hear from the Students Who’ve Been in Your Shoes
I chose SCU when looking for a PA program because of their Integrative Medicine approach. I am from Michigan, and not many programs focus on this Integrative, Holistic approach when it comes to patient care in the Midwest, and I felt that was very important for me to learn as a future provider. My transition to semi-virtual learning has been very smooth and quite enjoyable. [su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]My favorite part about attending SCU is how tight-knit and diverse the community is. Coming from a large undergrad university and moving so far, it was very important for me to have a PA program that made me feel valued and invested in my success. At SCU, they do a great job of making you feel that.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Brianna Hadley
MSPA Class of 2022
One of the great things about SCU is we do have a campus layout, so all your classes aren't in a single room. We have our cadaver lab. We have different specialty rooms for physical assessment classes vs. acupuncture classes. All our acupuncture-specific classes have all the herbs in the room. You can pull out the herbs and look at them, whether in class or in between classes to get that extra studying in.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]My favorite part of SCU is the collaboration from our beginning terms. We were working alongside chiropractor students, PA students, and ayurvedic students. It's a unique community where we get to learn about these different fields and sit in classrooms with them and work with them in the clinic. It allows you to get an understanding of all the different fields and how they can work together, and what is unique about your field. I think that is a wonderful aspect that I didn't think was going to be as prominent as it is here; even now, in my upper term classes and I am not in class with chiropractic students, I can still reach out to them about a certain aspect I may not understand or if I am working on a case. I want another perspective I know I have them to reach out to, so that has been a great networking community to have resources for.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Dr. Jamie Kuljis
Graduate, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
"There are a lot of things that I love about the program at SCU. The first one is that the faculty come from a long line of Ayurvedic knowledge deeply rooted in ancient classical text. They studied Ayurveda, but they also lived it. When you learn from people who embody this wisdom, it's much easier to grasp this knowledge. The second thing I love is the camaraderie within the cohort. The combination of the training, supportive faculty, and the support of my peers and classmates has given me the confidence I need to start my own practice."
Portia Harris
Student, Ayurveda Program
Some of my favorite courses at SCU have to be the chiropractic procedure classes; those are the classes you get to hone in on your chiro skills, your palpation skills and ultimately work on the adjustments that make you a chiropractor. Those are the classes I feel enhance my knowledge the most and are some of the reasons I chose to become a chiropractor here are SCU.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]On top of chiropractic procedures classes, my favorite is the cadaver lab experience. The cadaver classes opened up my perception of what the human body is made up of. It allowed me to get an in-person perspective of how the body works and looks on the inside. I am genuinely thankful for those experiences because they opened and broadened my horizons to the human body and anatomy in general.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Jordan Vega
Student, Doctor of Chiropractic
Getting Started
View our application requirements above or fill out a request for information to start speaking with an enrollment advisor today.
Financing Your Education
Graduate students have a variety of ways to help fund their education. From graduate-dedicated federal loans to speciality grants and scholarships, paying for your education can be easy at SCU. In addition, our distinctive Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee for degree programs provides students with confidence in planning for their educational investment.
Fixed Tuition Guarantee Benefits:
- Your per term rate is guaranteed for the scheduled duration of your program*
- No tuition price uncertainty
- Plan your finances in advance
- Learn more about tuition and financial aid.
Attend a Virtual Interactive Information Session
Learn more about SCU and get a feel for campus without ever leaving home by joining an interactive information session. Information sessions include a brief presentation and specific program break out groups so you will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions via chat. Join early and compete in our game to win SCU apparel! RSVP to our Virtual Information Session.
Virtually Tour Your Campus
Not able to attend a campus preview day in person? That’s okay. You can get to know your SCU campus with this virtual tour.