Sue Iliff, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Occupational Therapy
B.S., Occupational Therapy, University of Kansas
M.A., Occupational Therapy, Texas Woman’s University
Ph.D., Occupational Therapy, Texas Woman’s University
Accepting a faculty position at Belmont University was a serendipitous moment in my life. Everything seemed to fall into place in a very short period of time. I applied in early April 2017, interviewed in May, and accepted the position and moved to Nashville two months later to start work August 1st. Needless to say, it was a whirlwind experience filled with emotion, however, never a day goes by that I regret making this career move!
As an occupational therapist, we value work-life balance, and this holds true at Belmont. The faculty in the School of Occupational Therapy have been so supportive and eased me into the system slowly, allowing me to get my bearings and finish my PhD. Co-teaching was a new experience for me, but I’ve decided I like and it gave me the opportunity to learn from others and observe different teaching approaches. The Teaching Center was also integral in my transition. Their new faculty educational seminars and lunch discussions offer current teaching strategies to implement immediately into the classroom and furthered my knowledge of the many pedagogical resources at Belmont.
As a whole, I am enjoying being faculty at Belmont and plan to take advantage of the many opportunities here—hopefully through more involvement in global health and inter-professional education.
The First Year Faculty Thoughts series is a way for the Belmont University community to get to know new faculty members as they reflect on their journeys to Belmont.