Laura Waterstram is the Senior Research Occupational Therapist and Department Research Manager in Occupational Therapy. Waterstram joined SHRS as a staff member in 2013. In her current role, she oversees responsible conduct of clinical research across department research laboratories. Waterstram's responsibilities also include management and oversight of research personnel, including hiring, training and supervision of research staff and students. She also supports laboratory and study coordination by maintaining regulatory resources, educating research personnel on these resources and collaborating with department investigators to implement research procedures in accordance with best scientific, clinical and regulatory practices. Waterstram holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biobehavioral Health from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
As a member of the Department of Occupational Therapy, Waterstram brings her clinical experience as an occupational therapist in inpatient rehabilitation and home health care settings to the research operations. She has research experience in a variety of roles including research assessor and interventionist, study coordinator and laboratory manager in addition to her current role. Prior to her occupational therapy training and practice, Waterstram worked as a research staff member at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology.