Victoria Garcia Wilburn is Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health and Human Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She is a community engaged researcher, partnering with community organizations to help solve pressing issues that impact Central Indiana residents. Her most current projects utilizes translational science to help refine interventions for adolescents in substance use disorder recovery. Her research is supported by such organizations as the Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Mental Health America of Indiana. She is the 2021 recipient of the prestigious IUPUI Bantz Scholar Award.
Dr. Garcia Wilburn is a 2005 graduate from Boston University, and earned her Master (2012) and Doctorate of Health Science (2014) from the University of Indianapolis. She holds a certificate in Change Leadership from Cornell University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Occupational Therapy Association. She made history being the youngest first-generation college attendee to be awarded Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, her profession’s highest honor of distinction. She was recognized as Occupational Therapist of the Year in 2018 and inducted into the Indiana Latino Leadership Circle 2020. In 2021 she was awarded Boston University’s Alumni Association Special Recognition Award for “outstanding contributions to humanity beyond professional responsibility.” Being a FirstGen herself she is committed to educational equity.