The family tree of one group of occupational therapists (OT) is forever intertwined with the Radford University Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) program.
Lindsay Pugh Tallman was among the graduates of the second class to complete the M.O.T. program in 2012. She was a third-generation Highlander who had also earned her bachelor’s degree in communications sciences and disorders from Radford.
While Tallman was in the M.O.T. program, Virginia Tech human development student Allie Woodrum asked to interview her about occupational therapy for one of her undergraduate courses.
“I knew Lindsay through a friend and set up a time to talk about occupational therapy since she was a part of the M.O.T. program at Radford,” Woodrum said. “She told me all the things about the amazing field of occupational therapy and Radford’s program.”
After the interview, Woodrum messaged Tallman to thank her for her time, and Tallman mentioned that Woodrum’s brother, Nicholas, was cute.
“To make a long story short, she then became my and Nicholas’ matchmaker,” said Tallman, who would go on to marry Nicholas, with whom she now has two children with another on the way. Nicholas is now a pediatrician who has completed a three-year residency program at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke.
“For her time and the interview, I set up my brother, Nick and her,” Woodrum said.. “It was a good little swap if I do say so myself.”
As Tallman got to know Woodrum better, she knew she would be a perfect candidate for the M.O.T. program.
“Lindsay talked highly of the professors she had and the small class sizes at Radford,” Woodrum said. “I was familiar with the area since I was at Virginia Tech at the time, and after visiting campus and meeting some of the professors, I was sold.”
Woodrum soon enrolled in the M.O.T. program. At the same time, her younger sister, Becca, followed in her footsteps and was studying human development at Virginia Tech. During Becca’s freshman year, Woodrum was living in Blacksburg and commuting to Radford for her M.O.T. studies. This allowed Woodrum to tell Becca all about her M.O.T. journey.
“Over time, Lindsay and I persuaded Becca to join in on the fun and apply to the M.O.T. program at Radford,” Woodrum said. “We have doctors and teachers in the family, and I wanted another family member to love occupational therapy as much as I do.”
Allie Woodrum completed the program and graduated in 2017. Becca is currently in her second year of the M.O.T. program at Radford University Carilion (RUC) and expects to graduate in December 2022.
In the time she has been in the program, Becca got engaged to Britton Lee, who is the younger brother of Hanna Lee. According to Tallman, Hanna was her brother’s girlfriend’s freshman-year roommate at Virginia Tech. During the time Tallman’s brother was at Tech, she got to know Hanna and encouraged her to apply to the M.O.T. program. Hanna applied and completed the program in 2018.
Tallman was a contract occupational therapist for two school systems, worked with a pediatric population ranging in age from newborn to 22 years, and worked for an outpatient rehab group from 2013 to 2018 in the Roanoke and New River valleys. Woodrum works in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system. Hanna worked at a children’s hospital in Washington, D.C., after graduation. She then volunteered and developed an occupational therapy program at a hospital in Kenya and recently moved to Houston to work at the No.-1 pediatric cardiology unit in the country at Texas Children’s Hospital.
After graduating, Becca plans to find a job in occupational therapy in the Northern Virginia area.
“All of my family and friends who are OTs explained that occupational therapy is focused on the client and their needs, helping them find meaningful engagement in their daily lives,” Becca Woodrum said. “That spoke to me and made me really want to pursue a career in OT. I’m so glad I have these wonderful, caring professionals around me that helped me find my path.”
Before moving and embarking on her career, though, Becca has a wedding in her future. She and Britton will be getting married in May once she has completed her M.O.T. studies. The group will get to reminisce at the event because Lindsay, Allie, and Hanna will all be on hand as bridesmaids.
“It’s fun to look back on my grad school journey when Becca talks about her current program,” Allie Woodrum said. “It was a great 2½ years with awesome professors and peers in my class. Hanna overlapped with me during parts of my college years, and I thought about how it’s such a small world once our siblings started dating. And now, they’re getting married.”
Mark Lambert
Radford University
