Melanie Evangelista

Melanie Evangelista is an occupational therapist with over 8 years of experience working with adults and older adults in inpatient settings. Currently, she is a treating occupational therapist within Mercy Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation, but her clinical experience also includes almost 6 years as an occupational therapist within a skilled nursing facility where she treated both subacute rehabilitation and long-term care clients.

Prior to working at Pace, she held a position as a clinical assistant professor within Yeshiva University’s OTD program and has also worked as an adjunct capstone mentor with OTD students at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).

She is a PhD candidate in Gerontology at Concordia University Chicago, received board certification in Gerontology from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in January of 2024, and currently co-chairs AOTA’s Palliative Care Community of Practice.

She is passionate about the role of occupational therapy across the palliative care continuum, an advocate for changing the way death is viewed and discussed in America, and fervent in her mission of providing high-quality, evidenced-based care to older adults regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, or religious backgrounds.

PhD(c), Gerontology
Concordia University Chicago
Chicago, IL

MS, Occupational Therapy
New York Institute of Technology
Long Island, NY

BS, Life Sciences
New York Institute of Technology
Long Island, NY

• New York State, Licensed Occupational Therapist
• National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR)
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Board Certification in Gerontology

• Religious and Spiritual Influences on Death Stories. Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, MA, Symposia Presenter. Evangelista, M. (November 2025).
• From Incarceration to Independence: Addressing Financial Management through Gamification. New York Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Glens Falls, NY, Poster presenter. Witkes, K., Moskovits, A., & Evangelista, M. (October 2025).
• The Role of Occupational Therapy Across the Palliative Care Continuum. New York State Occupational Therapy Association - Occupational Therapy for Older Adults Continuing Education, virtual, presenter. Evangelista, M. (June 2025).
• The Nature of Occupational Therapy in End-of-Life Care: A Scoping Review. American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, poster presenter. Evangelista, M., Celestin, R., Henry, T., Smith-Brown, C., & Sumter, T. (April 2025).
• The Nature of Occupational Therapy in End-of-Life Care: A Scoping Review. New York State Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Albany, NY, poster presenter. Evangelista, M., Celestin, R., Henry, T., Smith-Brown, C., & Sumter, T. (November 2024).
• Occupational Therapy's Role in the Phenomenon of Death. Occupational Therapy Association of California Annual Conference, Pasadena, CA, presenter. Evangelista, M. (November 2024).
• Occupational Therapy's Role in the Phenomenon of Death. American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, conversations that matter presenter. Evangelista, M. (March 2024).
• Building Bridges While Increasing Cultural Awareness: Promoting Social Participation Opportunities for Aging Muslims. American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, poster presenter. Evangelista, M. & Syed-Razzaq, S. (March 2024).
• Occupational Therapy's Role in the Phenomenon of Death. New York State Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Albany, NY, conversations that matter presenter. Evangelista, M. (October 2023).
• Changing Perspectives: Addressing Occupational Needs of Dementia in a Safety-First World. American Occupational Therapy Association Specialty Conference, Bethesda, MD, presenter. Laghezza, A. & Evangelista, M. (June 2023).

• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• New York State Occupational Therapy Association (NYSOTA)
• Gerontological Society of America (GSA)

• Gerontology
• Occupational Therapy's role in end-of-life care
• Death and dying as an occupation

• OTH 575: Clinical Reasoning III: Pediatrics/Adolescence Level I Fieldwork