Innovative Leader, Dedicated Teacher Joins UT Health Sciences Occupational Therapy Department

Robert Mullaney, OTD, DBA, a proven leader, innovator, manager, and mentor in the academic and clinical occupational therapy field, has been tapped to join the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Occupational Therapy (OT) Department.

Dr. Mullaney will serve as a professor and the academic fieldwork coordinator for the department beginning Monday, March 30. A more than 20-year veteran in the field, he will work directly with students to place them in clinical rotations across the state to fulfill the practical components required for graduation.

Dr. Mullaney is currently an adjunct professor of management and entrepreneurship in the Haslam College of Business, as well as the employee health and wellness coordinator at UT Knoxville. Dr. Mullaney's extensive experience in academia, health care, and program accreditation positions him well for his new role at UT Health Sciences.

"My first stint in higher education occupational therapy was as a new program director and faculty for an OTA (occupational therapy assistant) program down in South Florida," Dr. Mullaney said. "And after I got that program started up and running and fully accredited, I got picked up by another school to do the same thing, and I kind of followed that path. I have started five different occupational therapy programs, from OTA all the way to the doctorate-level program, and gotten them fully accredited, which is quite a rigorous process, following accreditation standards and protocols, including the fieldwork component."

'I've served as an academic fieldwork coordinator. I've served faculty as the founding program director at many different institutions," he continued. "So, I think what I bring is a unique perspective of how many other programs that work and that are good programs actually operate. And there's no one right way to do it, but it really has to meet the needs of the population you're serving, the student population, the clinical sites that are available, and all while meeting accreditation standards."

Ashley Harkrider, PhD, dean of the UT Health Sciences College of Health Professions, which includes the OT Department, said Dr. Mullaney brings the steady leadership, clinical, and academic insight, and people-first approach needed to move the occupational therapy programs forward with clarity and purpose.

"I'm grateful for his commitment to educational excellence, as we meet the needs of Tennessee and beyond by training the next generation of occupational therapists," she said. "Dr. Mullaney's deep knowledge of accreditation standards, along with his experience implementing thriving, innovative programs, will be essential as we strengthen and advance our Department of Occupational Therapy."

The department offers an Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) degree in addition to the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree. The OTD program was approved in 2025 by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Dr. Mullaney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy from Florida International University in Miami, and a doctorate in occupational therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. He holds a doctorate in business administration with a specialization in management from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, where he also earned a Master of Business Administration degree, specializing in health sciences administration.

His areas of expertise include curriculum design and development, clinical and nonclinical OT and rehabilitation, mental health and wellness, project management, board relationship management, distance education, and institutional, departmental, and team-based leadership.

After spending his early career as a practicing occupational therapist, Dr. Mullaney was recruited in 2008 to serve as the founding program director for an OTA program at Keiser University-Kendall Campus in Miami. He led the program through its initial accreditation.

He later served as the founding program director for the Hybrid-Bridge Master of Occupational Therapy program and program director for the OTA program during its critical re-accreditation self-study and on-site visit at Keiser University in Jacksonville, Florida.

Debora Johnston, DBA, dean of Academic Affairs for Keiser University Flagship Campus, said Dr. Mullaney's leadership of the OT and OTA programs was marked by a deep commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement. "His hands-on involvement with accreditation and his ability to guide the programs through successful site visits were instrumental in strengthening their quality and credibility," she said.

Dr. Mullaney was the founding director for a new OTA program at Concorde Career Institute in Miramar, Florida. Additionally, he served as an assistant professor and fieldwork coordinator in OT at Eastern Kentucky University.

In 2017, Dr. Mullaney became the founding director of the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Knoxville. He has also served as the founding program director of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at South College in Knoxville.

"Dr. Mullaney played a huge part in getting our initial ACOTE (Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education) accreditation (as founding program director) off the ground and focused on getting us through (during COVID)," said Stedmon Hopkins, OTD, OTR/L, current program director of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program at Tennessee Wesleyan University. "He's an ambitious leader who has worn a lot of different hats and is constantly thinking of something new, always looking to achieve new goals personally and professionally."

Dr. Mullaney has been an active member in the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association (TNOTA). He recently served as the East Tennessee District chair for the TNOTA, and has held several positions at the AOTA, including the volunteer leadership and management coordinator for the mental health special interest section and the volunteer interim chair for the work and industry special interest section.

Dr. Mullaney said he looks forward to working with the current and future OT students at UT Health Sciences.

"It's the best part of the job, I think," he said. "That's what it's all for. It's our duty to continue the legacy of evidence-based practice for the people that they treat in the clinical setting or nonclinical setting. So, that's really the motivation. My best time is not sitting in the office, it's working with students, helping them become better clinicians and work through challenges."