The Temple University Gallery of Success, which honors esteemed alumni, has named College of Public Health graduate Beth A. Pfeiffer to its 2023 list of honorees. Now in its 25th year, the Gallery of Success celebrates outstanding professional achievement by graduates of Temple’s 17 Schools and Colleges.

Beth Pfeiffer has gained international prominence for her work in occupational therapy for people with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. An associate professor of health and rehabilitation sciences at the College of Public Health, Pfeiffer earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy at CPH in 1997.

In 2008, she co-founded an outpatient pediatric clinic in the Lehigh Valley area that continues to serve families. As a professor she has conducted research fueled by more than $15 million in funding, with approximately $5 million channeled directly to her Research, Engagement and Advocacy for Community and Health (REACH) lab. In 2022, she presented her research at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists in Paris and was awarded the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health Intellectual Disability Services Community Leadership Award of Excellence.

Pfeiffer’s clinical and research work focuses on helping individuals with IDD, including adolescents and young adults, engage more fully in their communities, feel productive, and become participating stakeholders in research and practice that concerns them.

“Working with kids in the school system and seeing them transition into adult roles and life has always been really rewarding,” she says. “I just love what I do. It means so much to me, the opportunity to make changes that are meaningful in people’s lives.”