Presenter Bio:

Joanne Trammel, MS, OTR/L, and Lisa Baxter Hong, OTD, OTR/L, are occupational therapists with more than 20 years of specialized experience in dementia care and decades of combined clinical, academic, and community-based practice. They joined forces in 2017 while teaching at Idaho State University, united by a shared passion for improving dementia care through education, evidence-based practice, and person-centered, nonpharmacological approaches.
Joanne Trammel earned her entry-level Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked with adults for over 30 years. Her professional interest in dementia care was shaped while working in a geriatric psychiatric facility, where she developed a deep appreciation for understanding dementia-related behaviors and implementing nonpharmacological interventions. Joanne currently serves as the Founding Director
of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Idaho State University, where dementia care is intentionally woven throughout the curriculum. Lisa Baxter Hong completed her undergraduate and graduate education in Occupational Therapy at Idaho State University and earned her Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. She is the owner of a private outpatient occupational therapy practice in Eastern Idaho, providing direct care and community outreach. Lisa has served as an adjunct faculty member and
community educator at Idaho State University, collaborates with the University of Missouri on
fieldwork education and committee work, and serves on the Board of the Idaho Occupational
Therapy Association, where she focuses on advocacy and awareness of the occupational therapy profession.
Together, Joanne and Lisa teach caregivers and professionals through ISU’s Continuing Education and Workforce Training programs, work as community educators for the Alzheimer’s Association,
and serve on a committee for the State of Idaho’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
(ADRD) project through the Department of Health and Welfare. They also serve as panelists for the Idaho ECHO project, which focuses on improving care for those living with dementia in Idaho. They
have shared their expertise and passion through presentations and training at the local and national level, including state conferences for OT practitioners, emergency medical responders and other health care organizations.
Joanne and Lisa are the Co-Founders of Aging Gracefully, an organization dedicated to advancing dementia education for occupational therapy practitioners, healthcare professionals, and caregivers. They have created Dementia Mastery: Occupational Therapy Empowered, a
comprehensive online education program designed to equip occupational therapy practitioners with the knowledge, clinical reasoning, and practical tools needed to become confident leaders and specialists in dementia care. Dementia Mastery emphasizes evidence-based practice, realworld application, and the unique role of occupational therapy in supporting individuals living with
dementia and those who care for them.