Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Named

Julie A. Nastasi, Sc.D., O.T.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy at The University of Scranton, was named the 2019 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year.

The award, formally known as the Gannon Award for Teaching in honor of Edward Gannon, S.J., is the oldest teaching award at the University. Established in 1969 by the University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, the award recognizes outstanding teaching among faculty. Student members of Alpha Sigma Nu select the professor to be honored.

Dr. Nastasi, who specializes in low vision rehabilitation, serves as director of low vision therapy for the University’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured. Through a program she helped to establish, Dr. Nastasi, along with her occupational therapy students, offer services through the free clinic that are designed to help those with low vision remain independent. She earned a graduate certificate in low vision rehabilitation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and specialty certification in low vision from the American Occupational Therapy Association.

In 2014, Dr. Nastasi was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows for her contributions to low vision rehabilitation and the field of occupational therapy. In 2017, the Lion’s Club Low Vision Centers of Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut recognized Dr. Nastasi, as an Ambassador of Sight, which is the highest award bestowed by the center and recognizes honorees for contributions made that encourage the long-term availability of low vision services.

Dr. Nastasi has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed eight chapters for occupational therapy text books.  She has presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference, the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference, the New York State Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference, and the sixth International Symposium on Gait and Balance in Multiple Sclerosis Sensory Contributions, among others.

Dr. Nastasi serves as the representative assembly rep. for Pennsylvania for the American Occupational Therapy Association, where she also serves as a reviewer for the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a reviewer for specialty certification in low vision, and as monitor for the low vision forum. Dr. Nastasi previously served as the Commissioner on Education for the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association and as the local conference co-chair for the 2015 state conference.  

In addition to the University, Dr. Nastasi has also taught at Ithaca College and Mercy College, and has worked as an occupational therapist in hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Connecticut and New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu as an undergraduate at Scranton. She earned a master’s degree from Tufts University and holds doctorates from Boston University and Towson University.

The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students at the University who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.