Catherine George (Cathy) is an OT trained in CMC, Vellore. Her experience working with people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) sparked her interest in knowledge translation and evidence based practice. Conversations with fellow occupational therapists and occupational scientists led her to reflect on what forms, sources and types of knowledge she values as scientific or evidence based. She also became aware of the power differences in who contributes to knowledge and evidence, and the importance of context.

​Elizabeth Thomas completed her Bachelor’s degree in OT at CMC, Vellore, and her masters in Rehabilitation sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada. She has experience working with clients experiencing spinal cord and brain injuries, and mental health challenges. During her clinical practice at the mental health rehabilitation Center in CMC, Vellore, she developed a passion to empower clients experiencing mental health challenges. She was able to pursue this during her masters research experience, using a participatory action research approach to engage people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental illness in research and to advocate for themselves. She continues to work to empower PWLE, and works as a research associate with the University of Calgary.

Grace Muppidi, OTD is an occupational therapist trained in Christian Medical College, Vellore, in India. She spent the past three years of her career doing her doctorate in occupational therapy from Boston University, all while living and working in rural India. Dr. Muppidi has primarily worked in a community-based setting with neurodivergent children and children with multiple disabilities.  While Grace is currently preparing to practice as a clinician in the Bay Area, California, she is working towards piloting her doctoral project's program in rural India. She is one of the winners of the Standing for Research in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (STRIDE) grant, 2023, by the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), which is funding her research. Grace is passionate about creating a safe and nurturing space for children of all abilities hopes to empower and encourage others to do the same.