Meet Our New Faculty
March 1, 2025
Dr. Barbara Elleman
Dr. Barbara Elleman is an assistant professor in the Occupational Doctorate Program at Xavier University. Barb has been involved with the OT program as an adjunct professor since 2014 and provided guest lectures for many years prior to that. Barb graduated from East Carolina University in 1992 (B.S in OT) and earned a post professional Masters (MHS in OT) from the University of Indianapolis in 2002. She completed a post professional doctorate (OTD) at Eastern Kentucky University in 2020 and is currently pursuing a PhD through the University of Kentucky.
Barb began her career working in inpatient rehabilitation with adults and children and has worked with individuals across the lifespan in varied settings including home health, acute care, rehab, skilled nursing and outpatient; however much of her career has involved work with children and infants. Barb’s research interests relate to pedagogy of teaching and learning, intervention to support mothers and infants and children exposed to opioids in utero and supporting student scholarship. In teaching Barb enjoys incorporating flipped classroom, active learning and authentic learning experiences into the courses she teaches. She is thrilled to join the Xavier faculty and excited for the opportunity to mentor students to become competent pediatric practitioners and support student research and scholarship. Outside of work, Barb enjoys playing tennis, hiking and spending time with her husband, her adult and teenage children, grandson and her dog Brutus. Barb can be reached at ellemanb@xavier.edu.
Dr. Kristin Blackham
Dr. Kristin Blackham is a teaching professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program at Xavier University, where she has been a faculty member since 2020. She earned her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) from the University of Toledo in 2009.
Dr. Blackham is an occupational therapist with advanced clinical skills in the adult acute care setting. She is a certified lymphedema therapist and specializes in post-op breast cancer rehabilitation, program development, and student mentoring. After about 15 years of clinical practice, her love for educating students during their fieldwork experiences led to a career transition into academia.
In her teaching, Dr. Blackham has a passion for bridging the gap between the classroom and workplace. To assist in the transition from student to professional, clinical practice application is infused into every course she instructs. Dr. Blackham’s passion for leadership and mentoring led to the development and implementation of the Musketeer Mentors, Xavier’s OTD student/peer mentoring program.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Blackham enjoys an active lifestyle and spending as much time as possible with her three sons and husband.
For more information, Dr. Blackham can be reached at blackhamk@xavier.edu.