Christine Berg

Christine Berg leads the Program in Occupational Therapy in its Community-Engaged Teaching efforts. Through her annual community-based learning course, teams of students have collaborated with over 100 agencies in the St. Louis region. These collaborations have led to enhanced programming for the people served, while agencies gain a perspective of the added value of occupational therapy to their inter-professional team. Students learn about the St. Louis community and the significant role that agencies assume in supporting the health and well-being of populations living with chronic conditions in neighborhoods with limited or restricted access to health resources.

Additionally, Christine has started a United Way Board Fellows program to train the next generation of leaders in occupational therapy through the experience of serving on nonprofit boards in the community. Currently, she is working with Beyond Housing and United 4 Children in their efforts in Normandy to enhance the professional development of early childhood educators. These educators are responsible for engaging infants and toddlers in developmental skills such as curiosity, problem solving, physical movement, and sensory experiences that lay the foundation for learning.

At the Washington University School of Medicine, Christine is known as a reflective, creative, and thoughtful educator who values stakeholder input in improving the student learning experience. In the classroom, she uses community challenges as a point of departure for rich experiential learning.

Christine is passionate about connecting students to the community in which they live and helping them to understand the policies and social determinants that impact health. She fosters appreciation and respect among her students for the communities where their clients live, play, work, and socialize. Her nominator, Dr. M. Carolyn Baum, wrote, “It is no understatement to say that Dr. Berg’s work has been critical in supporting an entire profession’s shift toward improving the participation and quality of life of clients in their communities. She is a role model for students and colleagues alike and has a clear passion for making St. Louis a better place for everyone.”