The award recognizes doctors’ contribution to promoting occupational therapy abroad.
Rabat – Dr. Said Nafai a professor of Occupational Therapy at the American International College at the State of Massachusetts, USA will be receiving the International Service Award from the American Occupational Therapy Association at its 2020 Annual Conference in Boston, USA.
The AOTA grants the International Service Award in recognition of occupational therapists who have shown a sustained and distinguished commitment to the advancement and promotion of occupational therapy abroad, especially in under-served countries, reported Healthcare news.
In his homeland, Nafai teaches and raises awareness of occupational therapy as a profession and as a tool for empowering people of all ages who face physical, cognitive, or behavioral challenges. He is often accompanied by students from the US and Europe to learn about Morocco’s healthcare system.
According to AIC Dean of Health Sciences Karen Rousseau, the AOTA recognizes Nafai’s full engagement in advancing the field of occupational health.
“Dr. Nafai has dedicated his career to bringing awareness of OT as a life-changing intervention around the globe. Occupational therapy is a specialty in healthcare that finds solutions to a myriad of unique challenges, things that many of us take for granted,” said Dr. Rousseau.
She added: “We are indeed fortunate at AIC to have a devoted professor and mentor in Dr. Nafai, who is deeply committed to making lives better. While he and his students provide OT services free of charge to communities near AIC, his passion and dedication extend to the global community as well.”
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Nafai is the Moroccan delegate to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, co-founder of the OT Project in Morocco, and founder and president of the Occupational Therapy Association of Morocco.
He is also vice president of Emmanuel’s Dream, a nonprofit for children with special needs; and a board member of the Lymphedema Advocacy Group.
Nafai was invited to speak at the University of New England in Maine at the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Program, addressing 13 different health professions on the topic of “Considerations in Working with Muslims and Interprofessional Team Members.”
He also took part in the Lymphedema Symposium at Harvard University Medical School in 2018 as a speaker, and was asked to participate in the “Global Report on Assistive Technology” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Nafai chairs a yearly conference in Morocco that features presenters from five continents.
