Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA

Dr. Bridgett Piernik-Yoder is the Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy and the Berneice Castella Allied Health Chair in Aging Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio. She is deeply committed to excellence in occupational therapy and health science education and holds leadership roles with the American Occupational Therapy Association and the UT Shine Academy.  She was named a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2021 for her impact in leadership and education. 

Dr. Piernik-Yoder’s teaching philosophy reflects her passion for education, and she embraces a holistic view of teaching and learning. She believes health science education should be transformative and occurs through a multitude of experiences and in a variety of contexts.  Dr. Piernik-Yoder challenges students to appreciate and consider their roles and responsibilities as future health care professionals in their practice settings and communities through active discussions, applied learning activities, ongoing reflection, and engagement in community and professional activities.  

Dr. Piernik-Yoder’s clinical background is in neurorehabilitation with the adult population and her scholarly interests include rehabilitation outcomes, fall risk reduction and home safety for older adults, meeting the occupational needs of older adults and their caregivers, and the scholarship of teaching and learning in health science education.