Current Student News
Occupational Therapy
General News
Not only was Andrea Tyszka, OTD ‘18, MS, OTR/L, SIPT, part of the founding faculty for what was then Salus University, now Drexel University, Occupational Therapy program in 2013, she’s also a proud graduate of the very program she now leads.
So, when the director of the Post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program opened up, Lauren Sponseller, PhD ‘18, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, CLA, chair of the OT department at Drexel, didn’t have to look too far to fill the position.
Dr. Tyszka took over after the exit of Caitlyn Foy, OTD, MOTR/L, who had directed the program from 2018 until her departure in July 2025. It just so happened that Dr. Tyszka was on sabbatical when Dr. Foy announced her departure, so the two had to work hard and fast to ensure a smooth transition, particularly in the areas of management duties such as enrollment tracking and recruitment.
“I’d been teaching in the program and I’d been through the program as a student,” said Dr. Tyszka. “Lauren thought I knew the program well and would be a natural fit to continue the legacy of quality and innovation started by Dr. Fern Silverman, EdD, OTR/L, and continued by Dr. Caitlyn Foy.”
One aspect of her new position she especially enjoys now is getting to know the students better. As a faculty member, her interactions were generally limited to students in the health and wellness track.
“I’ve been getting to know a lot of the remedial vision track students since I’ve stepped into the role,” said Dr. Tyszka. “And, it’s just been wonderful to get to know all these students. That’s a nice perk of being in the director’s chair, you are heavily involved in mentoring the students through to the end of the program - that’s what I really love.”
Dr. Tyszka’s short-term goal is to ensure the OT program continues to successfully transition into Drexel after its merger with Salus University, which was officially completed in July 2025.
During her sabbatical, Dr. Tyszka studied at Drexel in the School of Education and she hopes to take that experience and incorporate it into her long-term goals for the program.
“I want to leverage the merger and really grow the options for OTD students to study with other departments and create new tracks,” said Dr. Tyszka, who will also continue to teach in the program. “We have so many OT students who are interested in school-based practice or higher education, so if there is a way for us to collaborate and create new interprofessional learning opportunities with other departments at Drexel, I’d like to pursue that.”
