YDA J. SMITH, PhD portrait
  • Adjunct Associate Professor, Physical Therapy & Athletic Training
  • Associate Professor (Lecturer), Occupational & Recreational Therapies

Research Statement

The underlying principles of the occupational therapy profession are well suited to work with people who come to the United States with refugee status and are adapting to life within a context far different from what they have experienced before.  Research interests include exploration of the value of life skills training through occupational therapy services with former refugees, the perceived value of occupational therapy programming to recipients of these services, and specific and measurable outcomes of programming in related activities. Current research is also focused on the meaning of participation in traditional practices, such as weaving and dance, for former refugees. 

Research Keywords

  • Victims of Torture
  • Thai-Burma Border
  • Refugee
  • Karen (Burma)
  • Adaptation
  • Refugee Adaptation

Presentations

  • Occupational Barriers and Social Supports Among Members of Karen Community of Former Refugees: Impact on Higher-Education Access, American Occupational Therapy Association, New Orleans, LA . Poster, Presented, 04/05/2019.
  • Impact of Occupational Therapy Life Skills Training on Adaptation Process for Former Refugees, American Occupational Therapy Association, New Orleans, LA . Poster, Presented, 04/04/2019.
  • Local IS Global: Occupational Therapy in U.S. Refugee Communities and Abroad, American Occupational Therapy Association Member Appreciation Webinar Series . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 11/12/2018.
  • Working with Former Refugees: Exceptional Educational Opportunities Promoting Occupational Justice, European Network of Occupational Therapy Higher Education Annual Conference, Escola Superior de Saúde do Alcoitão, Portugal. Presentation, Presented, 10/04/2018.
  • Occupational Therapy's Unique Position in Addressing Psychological Trauma in Refugees, Hoffman, J. & Smith, Y. J., American Occupational Therapy Association, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Presented, 04/21/2018.
  • Conversations that Matter: Fieldwork in Refugee Resettlement: Benefits, Challenges, and Where to Begin, American Occupational Therapy Association, Salt Lake City, UT. Presentation, Presented, 04/20/2018.
  • International Breakfast: Local IS Global: Occupational Therapy in Refugee Settlement Here and Abroad, American Occupational Therapy Association, Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/19/2018.
  • Karen Youth Transitions: Traditional Dance as a Vehicle for Identity Construction & Social Engagement, American Occupational Therapy Association, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Presented, 04/19/2018.
  • Short Course: Community-Based Collaborations with Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Initiating and Sustaining Innovative Practice – with Black, M., Mirza, M., Harrison, E., & Crandall, J., American Occupational Therapy Association, Salt Lake City, UT. Presentation, Presented, 04/19/2018.
  • University of Utah Bennion Center – Women Refugees in the US, Panel Discussion, Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 12/08/2016.
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865643323/Women...
  • Karen Youth Transitions: Traditional Dance as a Vehicle for Identity Construction & Social Engagement,Australian Society of Occupational Scientists Symposium 2016, Auckland, NZ. Poster, Presented, 04/21/2016.
  • Utah Humanities: Community Conversations – Focus on Immigration, Panel Discussion, Salt Lake City, UT, February 11, 2016. Invited Talk/Keynote, Accepted, 01/10/2016.
  • Community-Based Practice with Refugees and Survivors of Torture: Innovations in Academia, Practice, and Student Fieldwork,Poster presentation, with Black, M., Gupta, J., Nigam, A., & Smet N.(2015). AOTA 95th Annual Conference, Nashville, TN. Poster, Presented, 04/2015.
  • Life Skills Training with Occupational Therapy: Impact on Function in Everyday Activities and Mental Health for Former Refugees, Annual North American Refugee Health Conference on Role of OT in Refugee Resettlement. One of two “Abstract Winners”, Rochester, NY . Presentation, Presented, 06/04/2014.
  • Bridging Borders: Thailand, Burma and the United States - Successes and Challenges of Transnational Community-Engaged Work. Co-presentor with Trinh Mai, College of Social Work. Presentation described work completed and on-going in relation to Bennion Center Public Service Professorship. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/15/2013.
  • Bridging Borders: Thailand, Burma & the United States, Consortium for Research in China and Asia, University of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/04/2012.
  • “They Bring Their Histories with Them: Contemporary Effects of Prior Human Rights Abuses and Discrimination on Somali Bantu Life in America”, Society for Applied Anthropology, Seattle, WA, March 31, 2011. Presentation, Other, 03/21/2011.
  • “Restoration of the Occupation of Weaving for Karen Refugee Women in the United States”, World Federation for Occupational Therapists Conference, Santiago, Chile, May 2010. Presentation, Other, 05/2010.
  • “Community-based Partnerships: The Role of OT in Refugee Transitions”, invited panel member, AOTA International Forum: Immigration-Meeting the Needs of Clients and Colleagues New to the US, AOTA Conference, Houston, TX, April 2009. Presentation, Other, 04/2009.
  • “Cross-Cultural Interactions of OT Students in Refugee Transitions”, panel member, Society for Applied Anthropology 69th Annual Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, March 19, 2009. Presentation, Other, 03/19/2009.
  • “Contemporary Gentrification: Resettled Only to be Displaced Again”, panel member, Society for Applied Anthropology 68th Annual Meeting, Memphis, TN, March 2008. Presentation, Other, 03/2008.

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

  • Karen Youth Transitions - Building Cultural Identities. PI: Yda J. Smith. Co-PI(s): Ellen Bromberg. University of Utah Asia Center, 08/15/2016 - 08/14/2017. Total project budget to date: $0.00
  • A People in Transition - Preserving Cultural Identity in the Karen Refugee Community. PI: Ellen Bromberg. Co-PI(s): Yda Smith. University Research and Creative Grant Proposal, 11/01/2015 - present. Total project budget to date: $5,316.00
  • Karen Youth Transitions - Bridging Cultural Identities. PI: Yda J. Smith. Co-PI(s): Ellen Bromberg. Utah Humanities Council, 08/31/2015 - 08/30/2016. Total project budget to date: $2,000.00
  • The Efficacy of Occupational Therapy Life Skills Training in Partnership with Community Organizations Serving New Americans with Immigrant and Refugee Status . PI: Yda J. Smith, PhD. Co-PI(s): Mara Rabin, MD. University of Utah Vice President for Research, 10/01/2012 - 09/30/2013. Total project budget to date: $9,863.00
  • Bennion Center Public Service Professorship. PI: Yda J.Smith. Co-PI(s): Trinh Mai. University of Utah Bennion Center, 07/01/2012 - 06/30/2013. Total project budget to date: $7,500.00

Languages

  • English, fluent.

Geographical Regions of Interest

  • Myanmar
  • Somalia
  • Thailand

Publications

  • Yda J. Smith (2018). Traditional Dance as a Vehicle for Identity Construction and Social Engagement after Forced Migration. Societies. Vol. 8. Published, 08/17/2018.
    https://doi.org/10.3390/soc8030067
  • Smith, Y.J. (2017). Occupational Justice & Advocacy: Work with Former Refugees & Asylum Seekers at Personal and Community Levels. In N. Pollard & D. Sakellariou (Eds.), Occupational therapies without borders (pp. 433-440). New York:Elsevier. Published, 01/2017.
  • Smith, Y.J. (2016). Fostering Cultural Awareness through Fieldwork Experiences with People from a Refugee Background, in S. Wells, R. Black, & J. Gupta (Eds.), Culture & Occupation (3rd Edition) (pp. 333-343). Bethesda, MD: AOTA. Published, 11/01/2016.
  • Crandall, J. & Smith, Y.J. (2015). The life skills program: Occupational therapy among resettled refugees in an urban context. Occupational Therapy Practice, 20 (22), 18-20. Published, 12/21/2015.
  • Smith, Y. J., Cornella, E., & Williams, N. (2014). Working with populations from a refugee background: An opportunity to enhance the occupational therapy educational experience. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 61 (1), 20-27. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12037. Published, 02/2014.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1440-16...
  • Stephenson, S. M., Smith, Y. J., Gibson, M., & Watson, V. (2013). Traditional Weaving as an Occupation of Karen Refugee Women, Journal of Occupational Science, 20 (3), 224-235. Published, 04/2013.
    http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1442759...
  • Smith, Y.J. (2013). Potential for Improved Outcomes and Quality of Life through Social Justice Awareness. In Y. J. Smith (Guest Editor), Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, 45(1), 3-4. doi: 10.3233/WOR-131632. Published, 03/2013.
  • Smith, Y.J., Stephenson, S., & Gibson-Satterthwaite, M. (2013). The meaning and value of traditional occupational practice: A Karen woman’s story of weaving in the United States, WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 45 (1), 25-30. Published, 03/2013.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23531562
  • Smith, Y. J. (2013), We all Bantu – We have each other: Preservation of social capital strengths during forced migration, Journal of Occupational Science, 20 (2), 173-184. Published, 03/2013.
    http://10.1080/14427591.2013.786647
  • Cornella, E., Smith, Y.J., & Williams, N. (2013), Working with refugee populations: An opportunity to enhance the occupational therapy educational experience, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. Published, 03/2013.
  • Smith, Y. J. (2012). Resettlement of Somali Bantu Refugees in an Era of Economic Globalization. Journal of Refugee Studies, 26(3), 477-494, doi:10.1093/jrs/fes039. http://jrs.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/12/13/jrs.fes039.abstract.html?papetoc. Published, 08/2012.
  • Smith, Y. J. (2010). They bring their memories with them: Somali Bantu resettlement in a globalized world. Doctoral dissertation, University of Utah Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Published, 07/2010.