I have known Noomi Katz
from reading her articles, research, hearing her and about her. I think of her
as one of the most influential people on our profession. From my personal
perspective we have similar name, small differences, I'm a young PhD, and she
is a professor. During the years, more than once I received e-mails addressed
to her by mistake, or people thinking I'm her and was surprised that I'm not.
Of course every time I sent them back to her, but those little funny
experiences strengthen the impression about her from other people and let me
see the difference between professor Noomi Katz, the one and only, and me.
Later on I had the privilege to be supervised by her in my doctoral
dissertation. As her student and colleague at work we went together to a
conference in Japan, there I realized how much she is respected. I stood aside
impressed and excited from the amount of people addressing her, recognizing her
work, and specialty. Moreover, I was impressed by her modesty and how she
addressed others speaking at eye level with each one. Sometimes in the moments
I observe myself sitting with Noomi (drinking coffee, of course) and astonished
by the calm atmosphere between us.
Yesterday we asked Noomi
to interview her. We entered her office, an office where I have learned to
enjoy and work together. On one wall is white shelves covered with master
theses, and doctoral theses she has supervised for many years. One of them is
her own. I could see names of occupational therapists, experienced side by side
with young ones, a long chain of occupational therapists gathering together on
this white shelf. What an impressive chain would it be!
We have learned to turn on
the recorder in the beginning and that we don't need to ask questions, the
discussion just flows and exists and there is so much to talk about. It was
clear to us that every moment would teach us something about who we are. We
asked Noomi where she started. I have heard her story so many times and any
time I hear it is different.
This time I was busy with
the change issue. Noomi had made so many brave changes in her life, not always
conventional at the time she did them, like moving to another land, changing of
roles and professional areas. She chose to develop and change, and told us
stories from her past that I could easily imagine. When she talk about Claudia
Allen, her thesis supervisor I recognized how she admired her, and with her
developing side by side with Allen she tells us about the disagreements that
made her develop new perceptions and new research.
Noomi tells us how as part
of the team that established the LOTCA she traveled with a little wooden box to
AOTA conference trying to find investments for this well-known evaluation. I
could imagine that, Noomi and her friends with the wooden little box built by Loewenstein carpenter,
walking through the performers fair looking for investors. More she tells how
they arrived to Taiwan to a workshop about the tool and all of a sudden they realize
that many people planned to come and they had only one kit. When they got to
the hall where it took place they found out that the people there arranged many
tables and on each table placed a LOTCA kit. I could feel the surprise, the
astonishment and the excitement they felt. How did you know? How did you have
the guts to do it? I asked. The field was mature enough, she answered
immediately.
She told us how she and a
group of friends felt they want change and made up the first committee of the
Israeli Occupational Therapy Association. To the first meeting 100 occupational
therapist who felt the same had attended. Where did you find the courage to do
so? So many feel they want to make a change and so little do so. What is the
mechanism that enables to make such an active decision? These questions opened a long conversation of
the evaluation, of the profession, of time changes, and different needs, how to
feel that the field is ready to change and about the profession that change and
evolve with the help of people who love and believe in it.
This conversation made me
think and raised many questions. Where are we today? What is the field ready to
today?
Where do you see the
profession in 10 years? We ask, and Noomi answered, a profession that leads to cooperation
with other professions. One that initiates connections with other health
professions and doesn’t lose its own unique way.
I picture it in my mind,
occupational therapists initiating connections with other professions without
thinking of missing parts of their own way – so much strength and respect in
this picture, strength with who we are as occupational therapists, and what we
can be as occupational therapists.
We leave the room, I
glanced again on the occupational therapists chain that take place on the
shelf. I can imagine how it grows and get more collared and varied. I leave the
room proud and strong, love to be part of this exciting chain. Love to be an
occupational therapist.
Naama
Stand on
the shoulders of giants. Newton's phrase is placed so properly in
the entrance page of Google Scholar. That was my strong feeling the moment we entered
the room, a feeling that got stronger with every story and example of things
that are so trivial to me and someone who had to start and establish them.
I knew Noomi from her
papers, some of them I can say I know she wrote and some I don't just know that
someone strong and meaningful wrote. That why I came to this meeting with my
head, and by the time it ended, her story and how she organized things helped
me find where I am with my professional heart.
While she speaks I imagine
the reality of our community that has so many today without crucial things. I
imagine how it is to have only one academic school, only first degree (and even
no degree, just a vocational course), no association or a journal. All of a
sudden everything is so precious.
The fact that we have
several occupational therapy programs in different area has enabled appreciation
to an active academic action, that she was part of, an action to build up a
group of occupational therapist with progressive academic degrees that would expand
the opportunities.
I'm thrilled from thinking
about the involvement and the thinking ahead and the ability to visualize it in
the mind and make it happen. I look at myself and realized how much had to be
done for me to put a lot of effort to get into a proper program and learn first
and second degree, and answer any other one who ask me "does this
profession has master degree?" with a great "Yes" and even show
off with "..and even professors".
Suddenly the place, the
association, and the journal mean much more than I had in mind. I'm a member
from second year in first degree and have written to the journal several times.
I could write to English journals but writing my last article (and thanks to
Anat Mann for the insight) I addressed many things to the Israeli audience and
to the local community and the IJOT, the Israeli journal is a great place for
that, and was not as obvious as it is today until people made it a fact. Same
thing for the annual conference.
Noomi talks a lot about
doing things together, many names were in the room, colleagues, partners,
family. She describes a way to walk
together, and this togetherness has a great power. I felt that she sends us
with this power to make it within our community, a strong community that can
work with others.
I left the meeting
fascinated, with thoughts of how with the change and the development we keep
our frame, how we innovate without throwing away the good and old. I feel that
when we manage to stand on giants shoulders and not start from scratch, it can
be done great and strong. It is a lot about if the field is ready and the
gathering together that is always so important. It is unique people that walk
together to made up a vision, and a lot of learning and building a legend that
make up the sequence that leads to a development.
Sivan
