Husson Professors to be Published in Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 18, 2025
The Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation has accepted a study by Husson’s Dr. Cavenaugh Kelly and Professor Kathi Smith on the importance of art education to foster empathy in occupational therapy students.
The study covers observations of students in a series of 14-week classes between 2021 and 2023. These classes, hosted by both professors, asked students to analyze written stories and visual arts and compare them to the healthcare field.
“It was similar to a class where you talk about writing a lot, and break down each sentence, ideas, themes, and all these kinds of emotions that a story invokes about a particular world,” said Kelly. “The idea being that, if you do that, it will make the Occupational Therapy students more empathetic. So when they look at their patients, they’ll be more willing to see the full person, and what they’re really about, rather than just their body parts.”
Similar studies in the field have shown that teaching empathy leads students to become more effective providers after graduating. Artistic expression and analysis has been seen to help build a better understanding of emotions and empathy.
“It’s about inviting students to think more about the bigger picture versus the clinical aspects,” said Smith.
Husson students are required to take a Fine Arts elective during their curriculum at Husson but this was the first class to intertwine OT and art. Kelly hopes that the success of the study will prove the importance of combining the two more in the future.
“There’s this myth in science that you need to take the emotions out of decisions,” said Kelly. “When you look at those decisions though, it’s as much emotion as it is logical. You need to really embrace how we think as humans.”
The study is set to be published in the Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation’s Spring 2026 issue. Kelly and Smith hope to continue their research through a new study researching OT practice in classes featuring simulation actors over the next few years.
— Rin Gately