
Kelli Gary Talley, PhD, OTR/L
Associate Professor
Dissemination Coordinator for VCU TBI Model Systems Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Bachelor of Science in Health Services Rehabilitation Counseling
Education
- 2003-2008: Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences with specialization in Occupational Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University.
- 2005-2008: Doctoral Research Fellow of Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) program in TBI rehabilitation research, National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), Virginia Commonwealth University.
- 1997-2000: Master in Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science (M.S.) in Post-professional Occupational Therapy, Columbia University.
- 1991-1995: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in entry-level Occupational Therapy
Bio
Kelli Gary Talley, Ph.D., MPH, OTR/L, CBIS is an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling (RC) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in OT from Chicago State University in Chicago, IL, a Master of Science and Master of Public Health from Columbia University in New York, NY, and a Ph.D. from VCU all while having residual cognitive and emotional deficits from a traumatic brain injury. She has 31 years of clinical practice, 21 years of research, and 15 years of teaching experience at VCU. Dr. Talley has authored/co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and five book chapters primarily focused on racial and ethnic minorities and caregivers with TBI and other disabilities. She has written grants to fund the development of an after-school program in Petersburg, VA, to develop her research in TBI and health disparities, and to pay off student loans. She is Past President of the board of directors and member of the conference planning committee for the Brain Injury Association of Virginia (BIAV) and the national committee for Veterans with special disabilities that reports directly to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of America. She has presented at numerous conferences and has been invited as a keynote speaker around the nation and internationally to present her research and her experience of living with a TBI and relying on education and training to become successful and productive.
Professional interests
- Racial and ethnic issues for individuals with disabilities
- Post-injury outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Intervention research
- Community engaged/community based participatory research
- Cognitive and perceptual OT intervention