Emily Somerville
instructor in occupational therapy and neurology in the School of Medicine
Emily Somerville is an instructor in occupational therapy and neurology in the School of Medicine at Washington University in St Louis. She works in the Participation, Environment and Performance Laboratory (PEPL) which aims to promote the participation of older adults with functional limitations in the home and community through the provision of intensive, tailored home modification interventions.
Dr. Somerville has a specific interest in helping older adults manage medications independently in the home and recently received funding to conduct a clinical trial studying the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a tailored medication management intervention. Emily is also the lead occupational therapy interventionist and implements study interventions with research participants in the various studies conducted in the lab. She trains occupational therapists in the community to deliver evidence-based interventions developed by PEPL. Additionally, she is a study coordinator for a study that aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of a novel enhanced rehabilitation-transition program to reduce environmental barriers and improve daily performance and community participation.
Emily is the co-coursemaster for the Applied CIinical Research courses in the Program in Occupational Therapy, has co-authored many manuscripts, book chapters and presentations both nationally and internationally. Emily was recently awarded the 2019 American Occupational Therapy Association Cordelia Myers AJOT Best Article Award.
Emily has a BS from Covenant College, MSOT and OTD from Washington University in St. Louis. Emily and her husband Nelson have two children, Tripp and Lily. The Somervilles attend Central Presbyterian Church, and Emily serves on the board of Central Christian School.