CHS Welcomes New Faculty – Meet Dr. Stephanie Capshaw

Published February 17, 2023                                                                                                                                                                          By Darlene Muguiro                                                                                                                                                                                          UTEP College of Health Sciences

This spring, the College of Health Sciences (CHS) is welcoming several new faculty members in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy.

We are pleased to share the third profile, featuring Dr. Stephanie Capshaw, clinical associate professor of Occupational Therapy. Capshaw received a Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy degree from Texas Women’s University and a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Her research interests revolve around vulnerable populations, sensory processing needs and trauma-informed care of children in the foster care system or who have been adopted, as well as their caregivers.

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Dr. Stephanie Capshaw says her return to El Paso following a four-year appointment at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is “like coming home.” In 2018, she was recruited to become the founding director for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at St. Augustine’s Dallas campus. After hiring faculty, taking the program through the accreditation process, admitting students, and seeing the first cohort through to graduation, she decided it was time to come back.

 “UTEP’s mission of access and excellence has always been attractive to me,” she explained. “Additionally, I love the vision of the UTEP OT program in its pursuit to be the best, in its pursuit of providing an education focused on health disparities, vulnerable populations, diversity, and culturally responsive care.”

During her interview for the clinical associate professor position, she noted that the OT students were enthusiastic about the change to a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree, and were supportive of her return to UTEP. She also noticed a new level of energy in the college around collaboration.

 “The students are the same,” she said. “The same students that I have known and loved in my 15 years of teaching at UTEP…humble, eager to learn, and passionate about the profession. There is also a new spirit of collaboration here that is tangible and exciting.”

Prior to her first teaching appointment at UTEP, Capshaw was a practicing school-based OT in El Paso, working with children with multiple conditions, including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and learning disabilities. This spring, she has been able to capitalize on her experience and share her knowledge with students in pediatrics labs courses.

 “I’ve always been a pediatric OT in my heart,” she said. “I’m so excited to be back in the classroom, engaging with students at that level. I didn’t have the chance to do much of that while establishing a new program!”

 Capshaw says that she hopes her students recognize that her passion for the OT profession is still as strong as when she first began, almost 30 years ago. This passion continues to drive her to seek evidence-based solutions that will positively impact the lives of those in need of services. 

 “There is still so much we can do as OTs; the world is our oyster!” she said. “And now, as we move into doctoral education, there is opportunity in the doctoral capstone project to truly make a difference in the lives of people in our communities… to be the change we want to see in this world. It is an exciting time to be an OT!”

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Go Miners!

 For more information about the Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree, please visit: www.utep.edu/chs/ot.