Tracy L. Van Oss
Professor of Occupational Therapy
Doctoral Capstone Coordinator- Occupational Therapy
Tracy L. Van Oss
Professor of Occupational Therapy
Doctoral Capstone Coordinator- Occupational Therapy
Dr. Tracy Van Oss is a Professor and the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator in the Occupational Therapy Department. Tracy has earned a Doctor of Health Science degree, a Master in Public Health degree, a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Communication and a degree in occupational therapy from QU. Dr. Van Oss works to include students at every step of the process, from planning, to assessing need, to presenting at conferences and publishing, all to promote student leadership. She is a Community Health Education Specialist (CHES) and is a Fellow with the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA). She has also earned a certificate in experiential education from the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) and is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE). She promotes community engagement with students to be involved in real world scenarios in local sites and international sites. In 2020, she was the recipient of the AOTA International Service Award for sustained work with Quinnipiac students in Barbados. Dr. Van Oss has taught in a variety of levels from freshman to doctoral students in occupational therapy evaluation and intervention courses, coordinating labs, interprofessional community engagement courses, special topics related to chronic disease management and experiential capstone projects for topics related to health promotion and use of simulation in higher education. Dr. Van Oss keeps current in practice and has worked per diem in home care for 20+ years.
Education
- BS, Southern Connecticut State University
- CER, Quinnipiac University
- MPH, Southern Connecticut State University
- DHS, Nova Southeastern University
Organization
- Occupational Therapy
Office Location
- Medicine, Nursing, Health Sci 352J
Mail Drop
- NH-HSC
Courses
-
OT 101 Foundations of Occupational Therapy
Fall 2025 -
OTD 524 Occupational Therapy for Adults and Older Adults I
Summer 1 2026 -
OTD 751 Capstone Seminar I - Exploration
Fall 2025 -
OTD 753 Capstone Seminar II - Planning
Summer 1 2026 -
OTD 754 Capstone Seminar III - Preparation
Spring 2026 -
OTD 790 Doctoral Project Seminar
Summer 1 2026 -
OTD 791 Doctoral Experience
Summer 1 2026 -
OTM 524 Ot for Adults/Older Adults I
Summer 1 2026
Quinnipiac Today
Experience
Quinnipiac University – Department of Occupational Therapy
Professor of Occupational Therapy, Doctoral Capstone Coordinator
Hamden, CT
2024 - Present
Yale Home Health formerly VNA Community Healthcare
Home Health Occupational Therapist
Guilford/Hamden, CT
2009 - Present
Quinnipiac University – Department of Occupational Therapy
Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy
Hamden, CT
2005 - 2024
Home Care Occupational Therapist
Masonicare Home Health and Hospice
Wallingford, CT
2005 - 2022
Yale New Haven Hospital – Department of Rehabilitation Services
Occupational Therapist per diem
New Haven, CT
2005 - 2015
Masonic Healthcare Center
Per Diem Occupational Therapist
Wallingford, CT
2002 - 2005
Interim Health Care
Home Care Occupational Therapist
North Haven, CT
2001 - 2009
Visiting Nurse Association South Central
Home Care Occupational Therapist
New Haven, CT
1997 - 2009
Yale New Haven Hospital – Department of Rehabilitation Services
Occupational Therapist Level 2
New Haven, CT
1996 - 2005
Selected Publications
Non-Peer Reviewed Presentation
Transforming Health and Wellness for First Year College Students
VanOss, T., Miller, M., Sawyer, M., Wood, M., Biedrzycki, N., & VanOss, J
(Inclusive Excellence Summer Assembly)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Student perceptions of the effectiveness of simulated versus clinical experiences in learning clinical skills
Baird, J.M., VanOss, T, Hoppe, M., Prast, J., Zapletal, A., & Raina, K.D.
9(3) Journal of Occupational Therapy Education 1-14 (2025)
Peer Reviewed Poster
. Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Interventions for Chronic Conditions in Community Based Settings
Mennillo, M. & VanOss, T.
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (2025)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Embedding Sleep Concepts throughout an OT Curriculum
Sanders, M., Carlson, N., Fidanza, N., Glennon, T., Majeski, K., Nadeau, B., Strange, V., VanOss, T., Wescott, E. & Latella, D.
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (2025)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Incorporating Self Care int First Year Student Curriculum to Promote Healthy Lifestyles
VanOss, T, Miller, M., D’Amicantonio, S. Wood, M., & Sawyer, M.
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (2025)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Foundation to Clinical Simulation: Focus on Adult Learning Theory
Zapletal, A., VanOss, T., Hoppe, M., Prast, J., & Baird, J
International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH). , Orlando, FL (2025)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Building an Interprofessional Experiential Learning Academy.
VanOss, T
Society for Experiential Education (SEE) 54th Annual Conference, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (2025)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Experiential Learning for a Connected World: Promoting Health and Wellness on a College Campus with Photovoice
VanOss, T.
Society for Experiential Education (SEE) 54th Annual Conference, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (2025)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
From Silos to Synergy: CPHA’s Academic Advisory Council as a Catalyst for Collaboration, Workforce Development, and Affiliate Growth
Njoku, A., Cunningham, S., Doughty, K., Duclos, Q., O’Connor, K., Schwartz, E., VanOss, T., Vernarelli, J
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Conference, Washington DC (2025)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Virtual Reality: Changing the Playing Field Through Simulation
Zapletal, A., Prast, J., Hoppe, M., Baird, J., & VanOss, T.
American Occupational Therapy Education Summit, Salt Lake City, UT (2025)
Non-Peer Reviewed Journal
Transitions: Establishing meaningful routines for older adults
Van Oss T., Gardner, L., Macri, M. S. & Carmody, N.
AOTA Home and Community Health Special Interest Section Quarterly quarterly (2024)
Non-Peer Reviewed Journal
Photovoice: Empowering Individuals with IDD
Majeski, K. & VanOss, T.
AOTA Developmental Disability Special Interest Section Quarterly quarterly (2024)
Invited Speaker
OTD Capstone Projects in Home and Community Health
VanOss, T, Mennillo, M, Smith, M., Rebecca, A., Samuel, A., Boursiquot, B., Samson, A., & Flicek, A.
AOTA Home and Community Health Practice Chat, virtual (2024)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Debriefing in Clinical Simulation: Past and Present
Zapletal, A., Hoppe, M., VanOss, T., Prast, J., & Baird, J.
American Occupational Therapy Education Summit, Charlotte, NC (2024)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Development of a Wellness Program: Promoting Healthy Habits for First-Year Students
VanOss, T., & D’Amicantonio, S., Miller, M., Sawyer, M., Wood, M
American Occupational Therapy Education Summit, Charlotte, NC (2024)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Use of Photovoice with First Year College Students to Enhance Wellbeing
VanOss, T.
Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA) Annual Meeting , Plantsville, CT (2024)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Interventions for Chronic Conditions in Community Based Settings
Menillo, M. & VanOss, T.
Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA) , Plantsville, CT (2024)
Conference Presentation
Addressing Communication Challenges through
Zapletal, A., Hoppe, M., Baird, J., Van Oss, T., & Prast, J
International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH), Orlando, FL, Quinnipiac University (2023)
Conference Presentation
Addressing Microaggressions: Strategies, Tools and Techniques
Baird, J., Zapletal, A., Prast, J., Hoppe, M., & Van Oss, T.
American Occupational Therapy Association, Kansas City, MO , Quinnipiac University (2023)
Conference Presentation
Occupational Therapy and Community Programming
VanOss, T., Kenneth Eichmann, K, Gamache, M., Cleary, M., Cobb, N., Kessel, L., Biedrzyki, N., Bogardus, J., VanOss, J. & DiGiovanni, G.
Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association, virtual, Quinnipiac University (2023)
Conference Presentation
Redesigning the Patient Role using the Core Method of Patient Education
Ceccolini, G., & VanOss, T.
AARP Livability 2023: Our Aging Landscape (2023)
Peer Reviewed Poster
A PHOTOVOICE initiative to Promote Health and Wellness Among First Year Students.
VanOss, T., Biedrzycki, N., VanOss, J., Bogardus, J.
Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) , Fort Lauderdale, FL (2023)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Occupational Therapy’s Role in Technological Health Promotion
VanOss, T., Velie, P., Morgan, M., Wood, M., D’Amicantonio, S., & Sawyer, M.
Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA) , Plainville, CT (2023)
Conference Presentation
Occupational Therapy’s Evolving Role with College Students.
VanOss, T., & Biedrzycki, N
Association of Caribbean Occupational Therapist (ACOT). , Virtual (2023)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Using Photovoice with the CHAMPS Initiative: Creating Health Attitudes in Medical Professionals
VanOss, T., VanOss, J., Biedrzycki, N., Bogardus, J
International Society of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), , Utrecht, Netherlands (2023)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Multi-institutional Collaboration to Promote SoTL through Simulation
VanOss, T., Baird, J., Zapletal, A., Prast, J., & Hoppe, M.
International Society of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), Utrecht, Netherlands (2023)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Multi-Institutional Collaboration to Promote Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Zapletal, A., (presenter) Baird, J., Prast, J., Hoppe, M., & Van Oss, T
American Occupational Therapy Education Summit, Denver, CO (2023)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Graduate Speech-Language Pathology Students
Armstrong, E., (presenter) Bogardus, J., Brown, D. Van Oss, T.,
American Speech, Hearing, Language Association (ASHA) convention, Boston, MA (2023)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Making History: Permanent Flexibility Allows Occupational Therapy Practitioners to Open Home Health Care Cases Propelling the Occupational Therapy Practice Forward.
Sajdak, K. & VanOss, T.
Special Interest Sections Quarterly (2022)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Perfectionism among Graduate Students in Health Sciences Programs.
Bogardus, J., Armstrong, E. S., VanOss, T., & Brown, D.
51(1) Journal of Allied Health 15-25 (2022)
Books
Clinical Simulation for Healthcare Professionals
Zapletal, A., Hoppe, M., Van Oss, T., Prast, J., Baird, J., & Herge, E. A.
(SLACK 2022)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Using the Clinical Learning Environment Comparison Survey to Assess Learner Preparation
Zapletal, A., Hoppe, M., Baird, J., Van Oss, T., & Prast, J.
International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH), Los Angeles, CA (2022)
Conference Presentation
Innovations in Teaching: Using Simulation to Support Learning About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Baird, J., Hoppe, M., Van Oss, T., Prast, J., & Zapletal, A.
The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). , Kelowna, British Columbia (2022)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Making History: Permanent Flexibility Allows Occupational Therapy Practitioners to Open Home Health Care Cases Propelling the Occupational Therapy Practice Forward.
Sajdak, K. & VanOss, T.
Home and Community Special Interest Sections Quarterly 1-9 (2022)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Social Determinants of Health: Using Simulation to Train Occupational Therapy Students
Zapletal, A., Prast, J., Hoppe, M., Van Oss, T., & Baird, J.
American Occupational Therapy Education Summit, Orlando, FL, Quinnipiac University (2022)
Conference Presentation
Student Perceptions of Learning: Comparing Traditional to Simulated Clinical Environments.
Baird, J., Van Oss, T., Zapletal, A., Prast, J., & Hoppe, M.
The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). , Perth, Australa (2021)
Invited Speaker
Modifications for Home Accessibility
Fink, A., & Van Oss, T.
Lifeway Mobility CEU event, virtual (2021)
Conference Presentation
Evidence to Practice: Occupational Therapy Role in Chronic Disease Health Management and Maintenance
Van Oss, T., Barry, J., Hudson, K., Cicero, K., & Giordano, B.
People’s United Center for Women & Business , virtual (2021)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Health Needs Assessment of Unhoused and Marginally-Housed People in New Haven, CT During the COVID- 19 Pandemic
Leubner, M. & Van Oss, T.
Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA) annual conference, virtual (2021)
Conference Presentation
Home Health Community of Practice
Van Oss, T., Schlegel, G., McIvor, S., Collazo, A., & Giannitti, S.
Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association (ConnOTA) SIS annual conference, virtual (2021)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Stimulation vs Clinical Sites: Methods to Teach Communication
VanOss, T., Prast, J., Zapletal, A., Hoppe, M. & Baird, J
Association of Caribbean Occupational Therapist (ACOT) 15th Biennial Scientific Conference, Cayman Islands - virtual (2021)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Student Perceptions of Learning: Comparing Traditional to Simulated Clinical Environments
Baird, J., Van Oss, T., Zapletal, A., Prast, J., & Hoppe, M.
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Perth, Australia - virtual (2021)
Peer Reviewed Poster
Reinventing Standardized Patient Experience During Covid: A Sustainable Approach
Majeski, K., Van Oss, T. & Ceccolini, G.
Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions, Long Beach, CA - virtual (2021)
Academic Awards, Fellowships and Grants
Meta x Bodyswaps XR in Healthcare Education grant
Grant | 2024-2025
two Meta Quest 3s VR headsets and access to BodySwaps software
Serve Connecticut Youth-Led Service Mini-Grants
Grant | 2024-2025
Applied for two doctoral occupational therapy capstone projects