Alysson Goodwin, Ph.D., began her occupational therapy career in 2001 at a pediatric occupational therapy clinic in central Louisiana. She expanded her understanding of practice through travel therapy that brought her to public and private schools in New York City, Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, and Boston public schools. In Boston, Goodwin began her MBA journey with the focus on the creation of a sustainable, inclusive pediatric therapy clinic focused on the advocacy of the child. She earned her MBA in 2005 and after working in public schools in the San Francisco Bay area, she made the dream a reality by opening Ready Set GO therapy in Sausalito, California, in 2008. Returning to the east coast in 2012 to Charleston, South Carolina, Goodwin switched focus to start a family. Her sons were born in 2013 and 2017. In 2014, she opened her second clinic and began traveling the country providing pediatric continuing education programs.

In 2018, Goodwin decided to further her education and earned her Ph.D. in leadership in 2021. Her research focus is the expansion of educational diversity initiatives with a focus on creating access for disabled students. Goodwin has worked as an educator since 2022, first as an adjunct professor in the master’s of occupational therapy program at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., and now as a specialist professor in the doctoral occupational therapy program at Monmouth University. She brings her advocacy, clinical, research, and business experience, as well as her curiosity, to benefit the students at Monmouth.

Throughout her varied career and multiple moves, her family, education, and clinical pediatric occupational therapy practice provide a consistent rhythm that keeps Goodwin grounded. She considers herself a mother first and loves every minute she can spend with her family. She also enjoys exploring new places and experiences of all types. Goodwin likes to stay connected to nature and is often exploring trails with her boys in tow.  

Education

Ph.D., Leadership, University of the Cumberlands

MBA, American Intercontinental University

B.S., Occupational Therapy, University of Louisiana at Monroe

Research Interests

• Policy development for disability access
• Community program development toward social determinants of health
• Clinical practice in pediatric sensory integration
• Educational access through inclusive design

Scholarly Articles

Goodwin, A., Doll, J., & Bahr, E. (2024). Occupational therapy practitioners as advocates for health equity: Addressing social determinants of health. AOTA SIS Quarterly: Home and Community Health. February 2024.

Goodwin, A., & Crowley, D. (2024). Improving Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students’ Social Awareness for Making Equitable Policy Decisions: A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Study. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 12(2), 1-10.

Goodwin, A. (2022). Transformative effects of inclusive mission statements toward social justice for students with disabilities. Journal of Education and Social Justice, 7(1), 68-85.

Presentations

Goodwin, A., Bahr, E., and Nichols, J. (2025, April). Health Transit System: A conceptual model for addressing the social determinants of health in OT. [Poster Presentation]. American Occupational Therapy Association INSPIRE 2025, Philadelphia, PA.

Frazzetto, A., Nichols, J., & Goodwin, A. (2025, April). Student-staff co-creation to improve Generation Z’s learning of the occupational therapy process [poster presentation]. AOTA INSPIRE 2024 Convention, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

Goodwin, A. & Buchheister, S. (2025, February). Data-Driven Leadership: Learning over Knowing [short course presentation]. Monmouth LEADS, West Long Branch, NJ, United States.

Goodwin, A. & Nichols, J. (2024, November). Using the Health Transit Model to affect social determinants of health through a neurodiversity inclusion initiative [poster presentation]. Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Washington, D.C., United States.

Frazzetto, A., Nichols, J., & Goodwin, A. (2024, November). Student-staff co-creation to improve Generation Z’s learning of the occupational therapy process [poster presentation]. NJOTA mOTivators Annual Conference, West Long Branch, NJ, United States.

Goodwin, A. and Frazzetto, A. (2024, June). Occupational Therapy Business Strategy: Using A Business Model Canvas to Identify Areas for Improvement [Conference presentation]. AOTA Specialty Conference: Entrepreneurship. Online.

Hackenberg, G., Halliwell, N., Goodwin, A., Crowley, D. (2024, March). Developing curriculum using simulation, case-based learning, and competencies in entry-level OT education: project exemplar and implementation guide [short course presentation]. AOTA INSPIRE 2024 Convention, Orlando, FL, United States.

Goodwin, A., Bahr, E., and Nichols, J. (2023, October). The Health Transit Map- A concept model for addressing social determinants of health in occupational therapy [short course presentation]. NJOTA mOTivators Annual Conference, Union, NJ, United States.

Goodwin, A., Crowley, D. Cardinale, C., and Storino, F. (2023, June). The White Coat Project: Empowering students to make policy decisions toward health equity [Conference presentation]. Sustainability in Teaching and Research Symposium, West Long Branch, NJ, United States.

Goodwin, A. (2021, March). Changing clinical language for disability advocacy: Removing the deficit-based lens [Conference presentation]. South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association Annual Convention, Online.

Goodwin, A. (2020, March). Creating a healing narrative in OT [Conference presentation]. South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association Annual Convention, Columbia, SC, United States.

Goodwin, A. (2018, March). Integrating Vision and Posture [Conference presentation]. South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association Annual Convention, North Charleston, SC, United States.

Goodwin, A., Spann, H., and Lewis, A. (2013, September). Sensory integration [Conference presentation]. Lowcountry Autism Consortium, Charleston, SC, United States.