Dr. Sarah Jean Barton is a theologian and occupational therapist with a Doctor of Theology degree from Duke Divinity School. She completed her occupational therapy training at Boston University. Her research interests include theology and disability, research in collaboration with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, bioethics, liturgy, and occupational engagement in religious activities. She has published and presented in a variety of interdisciplinary contexts on issues related to Christian theology and ethics, intellectual disability, spirituality, disability studies, and occupational therapy. She is the author of Becoming the Baptized Body: Disability and the Practice of Christian Community (Baylor University Press).
Currently, Dr. Barton is Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Theological Ethics at Duke University. She holds a dual appointment in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Division in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the School of Medicine as well as at Duke Divinity School. She also works as a pediatric occupational therapist at Duke Health, with special expertise in collaborating with families and children experiencing medical complexity, trauma, or neuromuscular disorders. Dr. Barton is one of only seven occupational therapists in North Carolina to hold the AOTA Board Certification in Pediatrics.