Pathway to Academia: Perceptions of Occupational Therapy Faculty Who Identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color

Importance: A reflection of the experiences of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds who have been recruited into academia and retained may enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, accessibility, and belonging initiatives, such as pipeline programs, mentorship programs, and outreach. Objective: To explore the experiences and perceptions of occupational therapy educators who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) as they navigated the path that led them to academia. Design: A phenomenological descriptive study with semistructured interviews and a demographic survey. Setting: Academia. Participants: A purposive sample of occupational therapy faculty (N = 17) in the United States who self-identify as BIPOC. Results: Three themes emerged. The first, the journey to academia, describes experiences that sparked the pursuit of a career in occupational therapy and then the transition to academia. This encompasses the subthemes of defining moments, opportunities to engage in teaching, influential factors, and formal and informal mentorship. The second theme, the journey through academia, captures factors that influence job satisfaction, job performance, and retention in academia, with subthemes of belonging and academic culture. The third theme, the role of representation in the profession, describes the impact of racial and ethnic representation experienced on the paths to and through academia. Conclusions and Relevance: The respondents described distinct experiences of academic culture. These experiences can be applied to initiatives intended to attract more diverse perspectives and ways of knowing into the field of occupational therapy. Plain-Language Summary: The findings of this study add nuance to the discussion of the recruitment and retention of occupational therapy practitioners who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). Despite strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, the profession of occupational therapy has failed to recruit and retain a racially and ethnically diverse pool of practitioners that is reflective of the U.S. population. The evidence that explores diversification of occupational therapy excludes the lens of BIPOC occupational therapy faculty. This study explored the reasons that inspired faculty from underrepresented backgrounds to enter the field and led them to work in academia. The findings indicate that these educators were motivated by a desire to influence change in the profession and the wider world and that they were affected by the lack of diverse representation in the field. The social, academic, and financial support experienced by these educators adds culturally responsive nuances to further diversifying the occupational therapy workforce. Positionality Statement: Victor Camacho (he/him/el) identifies as a GenXer, urban dweller, South American Latino male. LaMar Bolden (she/her) identifies as a Black, cisgender, female Xennial with Christian spiritual beliefs. Both are full-time faculty members in occupational therapy departments; hold postprofessional clinical doctorates; and lead and serve on various diversity, equity, and inclusion committees at the department, university, and state levels. The genesis of this research stemmed from their conversations about the paucity of occupational therapy academician representation reported in the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (2023) workforce survey and experienced in their circles of higher education. They intentionally focus on Black, Indigenous, and people of color to acknowledge the history of this conversation in the United States and the occupational therapy profession.