Title: Professor
Company: Columbia University
Location: New York, New York, United States
Glen Gillen, EdD, OTR, FAOTA, professor at Columbia University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in health care education and occupational therapy.
Having established himself across more than 35 years in the world of occupational therapy, Dr. Gillen has built up his reputation across three separate lines: clinician, educator and researcher. His professional life started as an occupational therapist in 1989. Primarily working at the Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Gillen specialized in neurological rehabilitation with a focus on stroke rehabilitation. Through this role, he played a key part in helping patients who had suffered from strokes rediscover how to perform everyday tasks, exercising cognition, movement and vision.
While maintaining his clinical position, Dr. Gillen eventually shifted into a more teaching-focused position. He began this path as an assistant professor at Columbia University before earning promotions to associate professor and full professor. Dr. Gillen has taught classes in rehabilitation, regenerative medicine and occupational therapy. He also dedicates time to advising and mentoring students.
In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Gillen is active and passionate about research on occupational therapy. He has authored or contributed to more than 200 research articles, studies and textbooks throughout his career, including co-writing the 13th edition of “Willard and Spackman’s Occupational Therapy.” One of Dr. Gillen’s most recent efforts, “Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach,” was published in 2020 and includes numerous case studies for students who will one day be handling occupational therapy on their own. He notes that being so highly published places him in the top percentile of occupational therapists and has added to the increased rate of positive outcomes for his patients.
Dr. Gillen’s performance in the field was born of his academic journey, beginning with a Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from New York University. He stayed at that institution to obtain a Master of Public Administration in health management. Subsequently, Dr. Gillen earned a Doctor of Education in health education from Columbia University’s Teachers College. He recognizes the importance of his education and has worked hard to be a strong teacher for his students because of that.
As a commitment to his field, Dr. Gillen has been active with several industry-related organizations. He maintains membership in the New York State Occupational Therapy Association. Dr. Gillen has been recognized as a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, highlighting his contributions to the world of occupational therapy. In 2013, he was presented with the highest honor of the American Occupational Therapy Association the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award. As part of this accolade, Dr. Gillen delivered a lecture to an audience of 7,000 people. He considers this to be a formative experience and the most notable achievement of his professional life.
When his hours aren’t taken up by research, teaching and clinical work, Dr. Gillen enjoys attending Broadway shows, staying active at the beach and pool, and visiting restaurants with friends. Looking to the future, he plans to continue teaching and mentoring students. Dr. Gillen also intends to spend more time engaging with an organization that supports at-risk youth in his neighborhood. He hopes to aid in tutoring these children while also offering them a way to discover and explore the arts, including Broadway shows.
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