Occupational Therapy Neonatal Fellowship

UNC Hospital’s Occupational Therapy Neonatal Fellowship is dedicated to supporting UNC Health’s mission to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. Aligning with UNC Health’s vision to be the nation’s leading public academic health care system, this fellowship will provide the academic and clinical education necessary to graduate experts in the practice of neonatal occupational therapy who excel in leading clinical teams, teaching, developing other professionals and contributing to research. Recognizing the advanced knowledge and experience needed in Neonatal Occupational Therapy, program faculty and fellows seek to share their knowledge and skills widely to provide compassionate care and improve developmental and health outcomes for this vulnerable patient population.

Fellowship Program Mission

UNC Health’s Occupational Therapy Neonatal Fellowship is dedicated to supporting UNC Health’s mission to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. Graduated fellows, equipped with a broad understanding of the complexities and challenges faced by neonatal patients and families, will have the experience and skill necessary to deliver efficient and effective evidence-based care to improve the health and wellbeing of infants requiring intensive care.

Fellowship Program Philosophy

The fellowships program’s multidisciplinary faculty represents varied areas of expertise and is committed to developing fellows who are recognized leaders within the field of neonatal occupational therapy. Fellows will develop excellence in examination, diagnosis, intervention, and consultation. Through the use of developmental care, fellows will learn to assess the environment of care, integrate relevant evidence, and gain a holistic understanding of neonatal neurodevelopment to support this vulnerable population and their families.

Fellows who successfully complete the program will be prepared for independent clinical practice in high-risk infant settings.

Program Goals

1. Graduate fellows will be recognized leaders within neonatal occupational therapy.

Graduates will contribute to the neonatal OT body of knowledge
Fellows will lead at least 3 evidence-based presentations on neonatal occupational therapy
Fellows will be prepared to sit for the Certified Neonatal Therapist exam once eligible

2. The fellowship program will support the mission of UNC Health Care.

Educate OT fellow to improve the health and well-being of the people of North Carolina
Fellow will provide education to OT students
The fellowship program will implement community service/quality improvement projects

3. The program will be sustainable to ensure the clinical excellence of OTs practicing in the NICU.

Attract qualified applicants
Maintain adequate faculty for mentoring and didactic instruction
Maintain sufficient administrative support
Continuous program improvement (curricular and operational)

4. Fellows will demonstrate excellence in examination, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, teaching, and integration of relevant evidence into the patient care they provide within neonatology.

Fellows will achieve a passing score on all "live" patient examinations by demonstrating advanced clinical reasoning skills and ability to effectively collaborate with the multidisciplinary team.
Fellows will successfully complete all didactic modules (80%) and 3 evidence based presentations requiring advanced synthesis of clinical knowledge, relevant research and developmental theory.
Fellows will achieve satisfactory scores on academic and clinical teaching engagements as assessed by each program's learners and program faculty.
Fellows will achieve satisfactory scores on their work evaluation.

Curriculum

The program’s curriculum is designed in modules that address each area of the Description of Fellowship Practice. These areas include, but are not limited to:

Medical Issues and Interventions in the NICU
Embryologic and Fetal Development
Preterm Infant Development
Full-term Infant Development
Early Intervention and Follow-Up
Infant Feeding, Environment of Care
Evidence-Based Practice in Neonatology
Meeting and Assessing the Family
Scientific Inquiry, Administration
Teaching and Learning
Intervention-Based Modules.

Didactic work complements clinical instruction and is administered through a combination of independent study and face-to-face instruction. Live patient examinations, written assignments and quizzes, and structured mentor experiences will ensure that the fellow's learning continues to progress throughout the duration of the program.

Requirements

The core components of the fellowship program include neonatal clinical practice, mentored clinical practice, didactic activities, patient case reports, research, teaching and professional community service. Fellows must successfully complete each didactic module, two live patient exams, and complete a community service/quality improvement project.

Fellow Schedule

The fellowship program starts September 8^th 2025 and runs for 55 weeks through September 30^th 2026. Fellows will practice at UNC Children’s Hospital for 30 hours per week. The fellow will also have mentored clinical work and didactic learning activities each week. Given the scope of fellow learning opportunities, fellows should expect to spend 45-50 hours per week completing program activities. Some holiday, weekend, and evening coverage is expected.

Salary, Tuition and Benefits

Fellows are full-time employees (with a competitive salary and benefits) hired through UNC GME Office. Fellows also receive Paid Time Off for vacation, illness, medical appointments, wellness, education and holidays. There is no tuition associated with the program.

Eligibility

Applicants must be residents of the U.S. Applicants must be obtain NC OT licensure prior to the fellowship start date. Pediatric experience is strongly preferred. New graduates with clinical experience in pediatrics will be considered.

Application

Applications for 2026-2027 cohort are now open. Deadline Friday January 23^rd, 2026 5pm EST.

Please go here to complete the application and submit the following to us via email:

1. Resume or CV

2. Personal Essay

Please answer the following questions. (Typed, 250-500 word limit for each question)

Why have you chosen to pursue a fellowship program and what do you hope to gain from it?
What makes you a strong candidate and a good fit for the UNC Health Neonatal Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program?
What are your short- and long-term professional goals?

3. Three professional references (at least one should be from an academic faculty and one from a clinician who has worked with you professionally)

Please have them complete this recommendation by the above mentioned deadline: https://forms.office.com/r/GcbE9v77U1

We will invite strong candidates to visit Chapel Hill for an interview and tour of the hospital on Monday March 23, 2026. Decisions will be made within 2 weeks after the interview date. The fellowship program will begin September 7, 2026. Fellowship offering contingent upon budget approval.

With questions, please contact clinicaledreq@unchealth.unc.edu.

Faculty

Kristel Maes, PT, DPT, Dip MDT, Program Director

Undergraduate school: KULeuven Belgium

Graduate school: KULeuven Belgium and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Professional interest: My clinical interest is spine. In my current position as Administrator of our post-graduate programs I have a passion for education and preparing the future generation of therapists.

Why I serve as a mentor: Research has shown that having a professional mentor is beneficial to advancing your career. From personal experience, I value the benefit of surrounding myself with others who can give me a different perspective on a patient case, problem or project. By serving as a mentor I hope to pass on my knowledge and support a resident’s professional growth.

Meredith Soucie, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC

Undergraduate school: Elon University

Graduate school: University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Professional interest: Developmental Care, Supporting the neurodevelopment of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Why I serve as a mentor: I was fortunate to start my NICU career with strong mentorship. I serve as a mentor to provide Occupational Therapists with the opportunity to grow as evidence-based clinicians and receive the same support that I was offered in this specialty area of practice. Mentoring allows for shared growth, critical thinking, and the ability to continually evolve as a practitioner.

Sara Hammond, MSOT, OT/L, CNT, NTMTC

Undergraduate school: Brevard College

Graduate school: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Professional interest: Preterm infant development, development of critically ill infant, family-centered care, developmental care

Why I serve as a mentor: I serve as a mentor to support the growing need for evidence-based, infant-driven and family centered care in the NICU. The NICU OT Fellowship program is a critical way that I can contribute to that end. I hope to support the fellow in honing skills needed to support families and infants during a NICU stay and preparing them for life beyond the NICU walls.

Kim Sellinger, MS, CCC-SLP

Graduate school: University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Professional interest: I currently practice as an acute care pediatric speech/language pathologist with a primary focus on feeding and swallowing disorders. While I treat patients in all areas of the hospital, much of my caseload is in the NICU. I am particularly interested in pre-feeding interventions to improve transitions to oral feeding, supporting overall development in NICU populations and assessment of long term outcomes.

Why I serve as a mentor: I became a mentor for this fellowship to promote increased professional training to improve developmental outcomes of NICU patients. I lead the feeding modules as part of a well-rounded experience for our PT NICU fellows. I have also learned how to better support our patients through this interdisciplinary collaboration.

Keara Beauchamp, OTR/L

Undergraduate School: Milligan University

Graduate School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Professional Interest: Professional Wellness and Education

Why I serve as a mentor: My choice to become a mentor all stemmed from my own experience as a fellow in a fellowship program. I feel incredibly lucky to have been on the receiving end of the guidance and expertise of many of these mentors, who helped to cultivate my own therapeutic identity as an occupational therapist in my first year of practice. To be able to now turn and provide even a small reflection of that to our fellows is a privilege. Because of my own experience and understanding of the rigor of fellowship programs, I highly value a focus on personal wellness for our fellows. I want to ensure that while we are asking them to care for the people of North Carolina, we are also creating space for them to care for themselves.

Courtney Graham, OT/L

Undergraduate School: Elon University

Graduate School: UNC

Professional Interest: Neurological conditions, cardiac, infant development in the hospital, teaching

Why I serve as a mentor: I am excited to help educate new OT's on the complexities of working with critically ill infants especially in the PCICU.

Linn Wakeford, PhD, MS, OT/L, FAOTA

Undergraduate School: UNC Chapel Hill

Graduate School: UNC Chapel Hill

Professional Interest: Working with infants and young children and their families, addressing health equity and social justice issues, and supporting aspiring/new/young therapists to find their "fit" in occupational therapy.

I have had the benefit of multiple remarkable teachers and mentors in my career, some of whom took a chance on me when they didn't have to do so. I understand the importance of having mentors that both challenge and support you, and I want to provide those same kinds of opportunities to new OTs. It is my belief that this strengthens not just that individual, but the profession as a whole, and that our clients benefit as well. .

Emily Batt, MA, CCC-SLP

Undergraduate School: Loyola University of Maryland

Graduate School: CUNY Queens College

Professional Interest: Pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, with a focus on NICU feeding and medically complex infants

Why I serve as a mentor: When I started working within the NICU, I struggled to find a mentor to help guide and expand my practice. I serve as a mentor to share my knowledge and skills to promote safe and positive feeding experiences, advance evidenced-based practices, and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to maximize infant developmental outcomes.

Hillary Markham, MS, OTR/L

Undergraduate School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Graduate School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Professional Interest: Pediatric occupational therapy in the outpatient setting; pediatric development, constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT), custom splinting and orthotics, follow-up care for pre-term infants

Why I serve as a mentor: I am very passionate about what I do and love having the opportunity to share that with others who want to further develop their OT career in pediatrics. Being a mentor also serves as an opportunity for me to continually sharpen my knowledge and grow as a clinician when providing our fellow with learning opportunities centered around evidence-based practice.

Fellows

Jillian Wood, OTD, OTR/L

Undergraduate School: Iowa State University

Graduate School: Drake University

Professional Interest: Neonatal occupational therapy, preterm infant development, development of critically ill infant, infant massage

Why I chose to do a fellowship at UNC: The environment at UNC fosters professional development, curiosity, and growth. I was inspired to learn from mentors who strive to better the lives of the babies and families served in the NICU each day.

What I like about Chapel Hill: There is always something to do here--whether it's spending time in nature, exploring downtown, finding new restaurants or coffee shops, or taking advantage of the activities around the triangle!