Volume 20 - Special-Issue on Occupational Therapy                   Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 2022, 20 - Special-Issue on Occupational Therapy: 3-4 | Back to browse issues page


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Rassafiani M, Rahbar S. The 50th Anniversary of Occupational Therapy in Iran. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 2022; 20 :3-4
URL: http://irj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1504-en.html
1- Iranian Occupational Therapy Association (IROTA) to World Federation of Occupational Therapists, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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This year is the 50th anniversary of Occupational Therapy (OT) in Iran. This is a hallmark to reflect on our achievements and plan for the future. Iranian OT was established in 1971 in Shafa Rehabilitation Hospital [1]. I can imagine how many people who were the managers facilitating the foundation of the department or those who were overseas occupational therapists were excited at the time. Through their long-term efforts, they established such a great profession that has helped millions of needy people so far. Since then, OT has developed in many ways. First, OT started as a diploma degree, but very soon, the Bachelor’s of OT was developed, and Master’s and Ph.D. programs were then established. Iranian OT Association was founded in 1994 that became a full member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) in 2006 [2]. In the last two decades, the institutions offering OT programs increased to 14 across the country admitting more than 400 students annually. However, this number is not enough for the high demands for OT services all over the country. 
In the future, there will be even more demands for OT services that will require establishing new centers at the universities to admit more students. In addition, we need to work on quality services and new theories that better address the Iranian culture. Within the OT community, many talented innovators and researchers at the universities and private sectors have grown. With this manpower and talented people, OT in Iran will surely have an even brighter future. 
All these achievements have come from those occupational therapists and their supporters who have worked hard step by step from the past to the present. This 50th anniversary is the time to pay respects to those who fulfilled their role and responsibilities as leaders, teachers, advocates, managers, students, and supporters. It is time to simply say thank you to those who have advanced OT by their teaching and research at the universities, by their innovations in companies and start-ups, and by their excellent services in their clinics. 

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines

There were no ethical considerations to be considered in this research.

Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors. 

Authors' contributions
Both authors equally contributed to preparing this article.

Conflict of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
We express our special thanks to the editor in chief of the Iranian Rehabilitation Journal for considering this special issue on the 50th Anniversary of Occupational Therapy in Iran. 


Refrences
1. Rassafiani M, Zeinali R, Sahaf R, Malekpour M. Occupational therapy in Iran: Historical review. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal. 2013; 11(1):81-4. http://irj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-381-en.html 
2. Rassafiani M, Sahaf R, Yazdani F. Occupational therapy in Iran: Past, present, and future. Annals of International Occupational Therapy. 2018; 1(1):49-56. [DOI:10.3928/24761222-20180212-04]
Article type: Editorial | Subject: Occupational therapy
Received: 2021/11/2 | Accepted: 2021/11/17 | Published: 2022/01/1

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