Dr. Vera Kaelin

Experience

• Postdoctoral Scholar
  Umeå University
  2023 - 2025
• Research Assistant
  University of Illinois Chicago
  2018 - 2023
• Research Assistant, International Coordinator, Lecturer
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2013 - 2018
• Special-Needs Teacher
  Oberstufenschule Sarnen, Primarschule Brunnen, Primarschule Baar
  2011 - 2013
• Occupational Therapist
  Ergotherapie-Zentrum RKG Thusis
  2009 - 2011

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD Rehabilitation Sciences
  University of Illinois Chicago
  2018 - 2022
• MSc Occupational Therapy
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
  2014 - 2016
• BSc Occupational Therapy
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2006 - 2009

Network

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1290-9441

Projects

• Data-based Optimization of Outcomes: Successful Technology-Supported Therapy / Team member / ongoing

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Kaelin, V., Quaaden, K., Lindgren, H., Granlund, M., & Imms, C. (2026). Involvement in daily life activities from the perspectives of children and young people with childhood‐onset disabilities : a scoping review. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.70228
• Kaelin, V. C., Ray-Kaeser, S., Moioli, S., Kocher Stalder, C., Santinelli, L., Echsel, A., & Schulze, C. (2019). Occupational therapy practice in mainstream schools : results from an online survey in Switzerland. Occupational Therapy International, 2019(3647397). https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3647397
• Kaelin, V. C., & Dancza, K. (2019). Perceptions of occupational therapy threshold concepts by students in role-emerging placements in schools : a qualitative investigation. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 66(6), 711–719. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12610
• Kaelin, V. C., van Hartingsveldt, M., Gantschnig, B. E., & Fisher, A. G. (2018). Are the school version of the assessment of motor and process skills measures valid for German-speaking children? Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2017.1397190
• Kaelin, V. C., & Gantschnig, B. E. (2011). Teilhabe am schulischen Alltag von Kindern und Jugendlichen nach einem Schädel-Hirn-Trauma. Ergoscience, 6(2), 46–56. https://doi.org/10.2443/skv-s-2011-54020110201

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

Peterko, Y., Spiess, M., Deblock-Bellamy, A., Füchslin, R., Aryananda Blatter, L., Quaaden, K., Berger, M., & Kaelin, V. (2025, October). “So, why did you do that?” : exploring therapists’ reasoning and decision-making in the use of technology for neurorehabilitation: a preliminary analysis. MiNT UK 2025 “Neurotechnology in Practice: Measuring Impact on Patient Outcomes”, London, United Kingdom, 16 October 2025. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-34707

Other publications

• Peterko, Y., Spiess, M., Deblock-Bellamy, A., Füchslin, R., Aryananda Blatter, L., Berger, M., & Kaelin, V. (2025, June). User-centered design (UCD) of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) in neurorehabilitation : a study protocol. Summer School “Towards a Continuum of Technology-Assisted Therapy (TCTT)”, Brissago, Switzerland, 23-27 June 2025. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-34708
• Weber, N., Jébai, N., & Kaelin, V. (2017). Organisiert durch den Schulalltag. Praxis Ergotherapie, 6, 354–358.
• Chavez, C., Frey, S., Hollinger, T., & Kaelin, V. (2017). Ergotherapiestudierende im Schulzimmer : hat sich da jemand verirrt? Schulbasierte Ergotherapie. Praxis Ergotherapie, 5, 293–297.
• Kaelin, V., Gubler Thomann, U., & Tamas, A. (2017). Früh übt sich : Engagement für den Beruf bereits im Studium fördern. Ergotherapie, 2017(10), 6–8.
• Gablick, K., Kisser, A., Kaelin, V., & Buschner, S. (2017, October). New developments and approaches through learning cooperation. ENOTHE Annual Meeting, Zagreb, Croatia, 26-28 October 2017.
• Kaelin, V., Kocher Stalder, C., Echsel, A., Ray-Kaeser, S., Santinelli, L., & Schulze, C. (2016, June). Ergotherapie im Schulsetting : eine Übersichtsarbeit in der Schweiz. International ICF Conference, Zürich, 9.-11. Juni 2016.
• Hoerder, R., Hasselbusch, A., Kaelin, V., & Zillhardt, C. (2016, May). Partnerschaftliche Zusammenarbeit in der inklusiven Schule – warum es sich lohnt. DVE Kongress, Würzburg, Deutschland, 6.-8. Mai 2016.
• Kaelin, V., Kocher Stalder, C., Schulze, C., Echsel, A., Ray-Kaeser, S., & Santinelli, L. (2015). Projektgruppe „Ergotherapie im Schulsetting“. Ergotherapie, 2015(6), 6–12.
• Kaelin, V., Kocher Stalder, C., Schulze, C., Echsel, A., Ray-Kaeser, S., & Santinelli, L. (2015, June). Schulbasierte Ergotherapie in Schweizer Regelschulen. 4. Kongress der Ergotherapie in der Schweiz, Bern, 12.-13. Juni 2015.
• Hasselbusch, A., Zillhardt, C., Hoerder, R., & Kaelin, V. (2015, May 1). Klientenzentrierte, betätigungs- und alltagsorientierte Befunderhebung im inklusiven Grundschulkontext. DVE Kongress, Bielefeld, Deutschland, 1.-3. Mai 2015.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Ulbrich-Ford, S., Schönthaler, E., Kaelin, V., Agustoni, S., & Ray-Kaeser, S. (2017, October). Collaborating with schools in order to integrate the idea of school-based Occupational Therapy within the curriculum. ENOTHE Annual Meeting, Zagreb, Croatia, 26-28 October 2017.
• Kaelin, V., Gubler Thomann, U., & Tamas, A. (2017, October). International and professional‐political profiles : towards reaching students full potential. ENOTHE Annual Meeting, Zagreb, Croatia, 26-28 October 2017.
• Poerpodipoero, S., Blankvoort, N., Kaelin, V., Ellung, J., & Guidetti, S. (2016, June). International short term mobility: Enhancing professional identity. ENOTHE COTEC Congress, Galway, Ireland, 15-19 June 2016.
• Hasselbusch, A., Zillhardt, C., Hoerder, R., & Kaelin, V. (2016, June). Occupation- and client-centred assessment in school-based practice : assessing children’s occupational performance within primary schools. ENOTHE COTEC Congress, Galway, Ireland, 15-19 June 2016.
• Kaelin, V., & Hessenauer, M. (2016, May). Prozentrang, z-score und cutoff-Wert? Die Interpretation der Ergebnisse von AMPS, ESI und School AMPS. DVE Kongress, Würzburg, Deutschland, 6.-8. Mai 2016.
• Kaelin, V., Guidetti, S., Poerpodipoero, S., & Blankvoort, N. (2015, October). Experiences and reflections of occupational therapy students on short-term international mobility. ENOTHE Annual Meeting, Ruse, Bulgaria, 22-24 October 2015.
• Kaelin, V., & Hasselbusch, A. (2015, May). Schulbetätigungen & Betätigungsprobleme in der Grundschule : die Rolle der Ergotherapie in inklusiven Schulen. 60. Ergotherapiekongress des DVE, Bielefeld, Deutschland, 1.-3. Mai 2015.
• Kaelin, V., Hasselbusch, A., & Dancza, K. (2014, May). Befunderhebung im Klassenzimmer : das School AMPS in der Grundschule. 60 Jahre Deutscher Verband der Ergotherapeuten - Ergotherapie-Kongress 2014, Erfurt, Deutschland, 23.-25. Mai 2014.

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

• Blankvoort N, Kaelin VC, Poerpodipoero S, Guidetti S. Higher education students’ experiences of a short-term international programme: Exploring cultural competency and professional development. Educ Res. Published Online June 25, 2019 (doi: 10.1080/00131881.2019.1632725).
• Jarvis JM, Kaelin VC, Anaby D, Teplicky R, Khetani MA. Electronic participation-focused care planning support for families of young children receiving rehabilitation therapies: A pilot study. Develop Med Child Neurol. 2020;62(8):954-961, (doi: 10.1111/dmcn.14535).
• Kaelin VC, Wallace ER, Werler MM, Collett BR, Khetani MA. Community participation in youth with craniofacial microsomia. Disabil Rehabil. Published Online June 1, 2020 (doi:10.1080/09638288.2020.1765031).
• Khetani, MA, McManus BM, Albrecht EC, Kaelin VC, Dooling-Litfin JK, Scully EA, on behalf of the High Value Early Intervention Research Group. Early intervention service intensity and young children’s home participation. BMC Pediatr. 2020;20(330):1-10. doi: 10.1186/s12887-020-02182-x
• Albrecht E, Kaelin VC, Rigau B, Dooling-Litfin J, Scully E, Murphy N, McManus B, Khetani MA, on behalf of the High Value Early Intervention Research Group. Pilot implementation of an electronic patient-reported outcomes measure for planning and monitoring participation-focused care in early intervention. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2020;20(199):1-11. doi: 0.1186/s12911-020-01189-9.
• Kester ACM, Kaelin VC. Participatory capacity development: Report of a community-based training needs assessment in Vietnam. World Fed Occup Ther Bull. Published Online September 17, 2020 (doi:10.1080/14473828.2020.1817654)
• Kester ACM, Kaelin VC. Participatory capacity development: Report of a community-based training needs assessment in Vietnam. World Fed Occup Ther Bull. Published Online September 17, 2020 (doi:10.1080/14473828.2020.1817654)
• Kaelin VC, Bosak DL, Villegas VC, Imms C, Khetani MA. Participation-focused strategy use among caregivers of children receiving early intervention. Am J Occup Ther. 2021;75:7501205090. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2021.041962
• Kaelin VC, Wallace ER, Werler MM, Collett BR, Rosenberg J, Khetani MA. Caregiver perspectives of school participation among students with craniofacial microsomia. Am J Occup Ther. 2021;75:7502205100. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2021.041277
• Kaelin VC, Valizadeh M, Salgado Z, Parde N, Khetani MA. Artificial intelligence in rehabilitation targeting participation of children and youth with disabilities: Scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(11):e25745. doi: 10.2196/25745
• Kaelin VC, Villegas V, Maheshwari V, Chen Y, Murphy NJ, Papautsky EL, Leland N, McManus B, Khetani MA, on behalf of the High Value Early Intervention Research Group. Effectiveness and scalability of an electronic patient-reported outcome measure and decision support tool for family-centered and participation-focused early intervention: PROSPECT trial protocol. BMJ Open. 2022;12(1):e051582. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051582
• Kaelin VC, Valizadeh M, Salgado Z, Sim JG, Anaby D, Boyd AD, Parde N, Khetani MA. Capturing and operationalizing participation in pediatric re/habilitation research using artificial intelligence: A scoping review. Front Rehabil Sci (Special Issue). 2022;3:855240. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2022.855240
• Rizk S, Kaelin VC, Sim JG, Murphy N, McManus B, Leland NE, Stoffel A, James L, Barnekow K, Papautsky EL, Khetani MA. Implementing an Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome and Decision Support Tool in Early Intervention. Appl Clin Inform (Special Issue). 2023;14(1);91-107. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1760631
• Kaelin VC, Anaby D, Werler MM, Khetani MA. School participation among young people with craniofacial microsomia and other childhood-onset disabilities. Develop Med Child Neurol. Published Online May 4, 2023 (doi: 10.1111/dmcn.15628).
• Kaelin VC, Boyd AD, Werler MM, Parde N, Khetani MA. Natural language processing to classify caregiver strategies supporting participation among children and youth with craniofacial microsomia and other childhood-onset disabilities. J Healthc Inform Res (Special Issue). 2023;7(4);480-500. doi: 10.1007/s41666-023-00149-y
• Mackenzie L, Lexén A, Kaelin VC, Hynes P, Roosen I, Tam E, Huang LJ, Ye CW, on behalf of the World Federation of Occupational Therapy. An international study of diversity in occupational therapy research– A bibliographic review of English research literature. Aust Occup Ther J. Published online January 13, 2024 (doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12928)
• Kaelin VC, Saluja S, Bosak DL, Anaby D, Werler MM, Khetani MA. Caregiver strategies supporting community participation among children and youth with or at risk for disabilities: A mixed-methods study. Frontiers in Pediatrics. Published online February 15, 2024 (doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1345755)
• Kaelin VC, Bosak DL, Saluja S, Newman-Griffis D, Boyd AD, Khetani MA. Representation of child and youth participation within the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). Disabil Rehabil. Published online April 10, 2024 (doi: 10.1080/09638288.2024.2338191)
• Kaelin VC, Tewari M, Benouar S, Lindgren H. Developing teamwork: Transitioning between stages in human-agent collaboration. Frontiers in Computer Science. 2024;6:1-19. doi: 10.3389/fcomp.2024.1455903
• Kaelin VC, Nilsson I, Lindgren H. Occupational therapy in the space of artificial intelligence: Ethical considerations and human-centered efforts. Scand J Occup Ther. 2024;31(1):1-10. doi: 10.1080/11038128.2024.2421355
• Farzana S, Lucero I, Villegas V, Kaelin VC, Khetani MA, Parde N. CareCorpus+: Expanding and augmenting caregiver strategy data across diverse pediatric rehabilitation contexts. In Proceedings of the 2024 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP). Miami, USA.
• Lindgren H, Kaelin VC, Ljusbäck AM, Tewari M, Persiani M, Nilsson I. To adapt or not to adapt – older adults enacting agency in dialogues with an unknowledgeable agent. In Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization. Cagliari, Italy: Association for Computing Machinery; 2024: 307-316
• Valizadeh M, Kaelin VC, Khetani MA, Parde N. CareCorpus: A Corpus of Real-World Solution-Focused Caregiver Strategies for Personalized Pediatric Rehabilitation Service Design. In: Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024). Torino, Italy: ELRA and ICCL; 2024: 2871–2882
• Papautsky EL, Kaelin VC, Vatani H. Integrating cognitive task analysis in a PhD-level applied health sciences qualitative methods course. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care 2020. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications; 2020: 220-221.
• Kaelin VC, Peyer D. Participation of young people with Down syndrome: Moving beyond educating families. Develop Med Child Neurol. Published online April 16, 2024 (doi: 10.1111/dmcn.15913)

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