Gary Kielhofner
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Gary Wayne Kielhofner (February 15, 1949 – September 2, 2010) was an American social scientist and influential
occupational therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or ''occupations'', of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of ...
theorist who rose to prominence as a scholar during his time as Professor and Wade-Meyer Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the
University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...
. He is best known for his conceptual practice model, which is known globally as The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). The model was first published as a series of articles in ''The American Journal of Occupational Therapy'' by Kielhofner and others but later extensively developed over Kielhofner's career and disseminated in numerous books and articles. Kielhofner lectured widely and consulted regularly in the United States and abroad, particularly throughout Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, (including Scotland), Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, and Central and South America. An active network of proponents across the international occupational therapy community continues to study and evolve his model through the MOHO Clearinghouse maintained at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Kielhofner's main theoretical contribution was his idea that a complete understanding of the complex manner through which human occupation is initiated, pursued and completed necessarily requires systems approaches that rely upon research in the biological, psychological and social sciences. He was among the first theorists in his field to use general systems theory and later dynamical systems theory to describe the complexities of his model, which described the iterative, interactive relationships between a person's volition, habituation (roles and habits), performance capacity, and the social and physical environment. He was also the first theorist to clearly explain the importance and relevance of the temporal dimension to occupational therapy practice. Kielhofner's work is widely cited and his model stands among the most influential theoretical contributions in the history of occupational therapy.


Personal life and education

Gary Wayne Kiehofner was born in
Cape Girardeau, Missouri Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citie ...
on February 15, 1949 and lived in rural SE Missouri (Oran) during his boyhood. His early schooling was in nearby Chaffee, Missouri at St. Ambrose School in the Catholic parish of the same name. As a
conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...
during the Vietnam War, he attended seminary before studying psychology and occupational therapy at St. Louis University. Profoundly influenced by an early experience as a very young child helping his Grandmother following a severe car accident, he decided to continue study in occupational therapy at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
(USC), where he quickly became interested in the theoretical foundations of the profession. During his time as a graduate student at USC, he worked on a theoretical model to better understand
human agency Agency is the capacity of an actor to act in a given environment. It is independent of the moral dimension, which is called moral agency. In ''sociology'', an agent is an individual engaging with the social structure. Notably, though, the prim ...
and its consequences and influences from a health perspective, publishing four articles that articulated his theory. These articles attempted to draw from and apply leading ideas from the social sciences into a complex understanding of humans as beings with an intrinsic need to act competently and meaningfully on their environments. Upon graduation from USC with a Master of Arts degree in Occupational Therapy, Kielhofner decided to begin advanced study in public health, later earning the Dr.P.H. (Doctor of Public Health) degree from the
University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
(UCLA).


Career

Upon graduation from UCLA, Kielhofner accepted an appointment at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
, soon thereafter to accept a position at
Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...
(VCU). While at VCU, he began earnestly to further develop and explain his Model of Human Occupation, which was then starting to gain attention in the profession of occupational therapy. In 1988 he accepted an appointment as Professor, Wade-Meyer Chair, and Head at the
University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...
, (UIC) where he remained until his death in 2010. At UIC, Kielhofner continued the development of his theory, publishing numerous articles that explicated various components of the model. As recognition of the model grew, he accepted invitations to lecture and teach at several international locations where his work was influential in guiding practice, most notably in Stockholm, Sweden at the
Karolinska Institute The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consist ...
and at
Queen Margaret University Queen Margaret University is a university, founded in 1875 and located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret. History The university was founded in 1875, as ''The Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic ...
in Edinburgh, Scotland. He established the Center for Outcomes Research and Education at UIC under a grant from the
American Occupational Therapy Foundation The American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) is a charitable, scientific and educational non-profit organization founded in 1965. Its purpose is to advance the science of occupational therapy to support people's full participation in meaningf ...
, which later inducted him into its Academy of Research. Shortly before his death, he began an international symposium that continues and started a clearinghouse of articles and publications at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In recognition of his work, Kielhofner received honorary doctorates from the
University of the Sciences University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (University of the Sciences or USciences) was a private university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USciences offered bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and other health-related dis ...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Queen Margaret University in Scotland, and the
University of Linköping A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, Sweden. In 2017, during occupational therapy's centennial, Kielhofner was honored through his listing among 100 influential occupational therapists in occupational therapy's history by th
American Occupational Therapy Association


Major publications

*Kielhofner, G. (1983). ''Health through Occupation. Theory and practice in occupational therapy''. Philadelphia, F. A. Davis. *Kielhofner, G. (2002) ''A Model of Human Occupation: Theory and Application''.(3rd Ed). Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. *Kielhofner, G. (2009). ''Conceptual foundations of occupational therapy practice'' (4th Ed). Philadelphia, F.A. Davis. *Kielhofner, G. (2006). ''research in occupational therapy''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kielhofner, Gary 1949 births 2010 deaths Occupational therapists People from Cape Girardeau, Missouri American social scientists Saint Louis University alumni University of Southern California alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Boston University faculty Virginia Commonwealth University faculty University of Illinois Chicago faculty Place of death missing American medical writers