SHP Alumni Awards

April C. Cowan, OTD, OTR, CHT

2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

This award, the highest bestowed by the School of Health Professions Alumni Association, is presented annually to one alumnus who has made major contributions to the health professions through commitment of excellence, research, education, community service and leadership roles.

 


 

About Dr. Cowan

Dr. Cowan developed an early interest in healthcare, inspired by meeting an occupational therapist in high school. Recognizing that a career in occupational therapy (OT) aligned with her personality and abilities, she appreciated the diverse nature of OT and the impact meaningful activities have on helping individuals achieve personal goals. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in OT in 1990 and a post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree in 2012.

In 1993, Dr. Cowan joined the Rehabilitation Services department at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), working in acute care and outpatient settings. She became a certified hand therapist in 2002 and joined the burn rehabilitation team at Shriners Hospital for Children in 2003. By 2012, she transitioned to a faculty role in the School of Health Professions.

Currently, Dr. Cowan is an Associate Professor of Instruction and the Program Director for the post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. She recently completed training in Hybrid Learning and Teaching. Additionally, she has been a guest lecturer in the Physical Therapy Department and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She also advises the OT honor society, Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE), Nu Chapter. In her faculty role, Dr. Cowan is dedicated to training competent OTs who can apply evidence-based interventions to help clients participate in daily activities.

Dr. Cowan holds several leadership roles outside of UTMB. Nationally, she serves as the Director of Grants for the American Hand Therapy Foundation, where she oversees funding awards for hand therapy research. Locally, she is the Vice President for Access Care of Coastal Texas, an organization dedicated to preventing the spread of HIV and providing health services to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.

Blending academia and clinical work is one of Dr. Cowan's significant achievements. Her proudest accomplishments include her induction into the Academy of Master Clinicians (2016), receiving the Professionalism Star Awards (2018 & 2019), serving as the Grand Marshal for Commencement (2018), earning the PTE’s President’s Award for Nu Chapter (2019), being named Educator of the Month (August 2022), and receiving the Stellar Award for Scholarship Excellence (2022) and the Excellent Community Service Award (2023). She also secured a funded President’s Cabinet Award (2024) for creating a hand therapy program at St. Vincent’s Clinic, where she aims to help patients with upper extremity limitations maximize their independence, quality of life, and role fulfillment.

Dr. Cowan is a reviewer for the Journal of Hand Therapy (JHT), the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT), and Occupational Therapy International. She has reviewed two editions of an evidence-based practice textbook for F. A. Davis and contributed twice to a chapter on burn rehabilitation in Total Burn Care. Recently, she has published work in AJOT (on dry needling), JHT (on lateral epicondylosis), and the Journal of Occupational Therapy Education (on the flipped classroom). She has presented at multiple meetings of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT), the Texas Society of Hand Therapists, and the Texas Occupational Therapy Association. She has also traveled to Panama and China to educate clinicians on burn rehabilitation and currently leads a group revising the research agenda for ASHT.

In her free time, Dr. Cowan enjoys learning new skills, volunteering, reading, gardening, meditating, and cooking. She lives in Galveston with her husband Paul and their pets.