Emily Holland began working at Heartspring as an occupational therapist in June 2016. Emily’s interest in working with children with special needs began early on. She has both personal and professional experience supporting individuals of all abilities.

Emily dreamed of working at Heartspring as a student. For her clinical rotation, she spent three months at Heartspring Pediatric Services. She embraces the mission and values of Heartspring and cherishes the bonds she has built with the children, families, and fellow employees. Working in pediatrics allows her to use her creativity while helping children gain independence in activities at home, in school, and in the community.

By the time she left the University of Kansas Medical Center, Emily had plenty of real world and leadership experience. She has a passion for serving her community and her profession. It showed in the work she did while she was in Kansas City. In addition to two clinical rotations, she was the student co-director of the Interprofessional Teaching Clinic (IPTC) at KUMed. IPTC is a student-run clinic where student learners from around the campus collaborate to improve patient care in a primary care setting. There she worked with student learners to help manage daily workflow and documentation. In addition to the day-to-day duties, she headed and developed a home-visit program where the IPTC student teams travel into the community to the patients’ homes for home visits. This program allows the care team to reach individuals who may not otherwise be seen in a clinic and interact with them in their authentic environment. She presented to the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine on the role of co-directors in IPTC. Her work with IPTC inspired her to conduct exploratory research on the impact of engagement in occupation on health and well-being for patients in a primary care setting.

Emily is proud to be a part of the Heartspring team and is looking forward to supporting children and their families by promoting health and well-being through meaningful activities. She is excited for the future and the opportunities and growth it will provide.

In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends and family and helping out on the family farm. Emily attended Kansas State for three years, and received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Kansas Medical School.