Dr. Kirchen is the Founding Director of the Rocky Mountain College OTD Program. As a 5th generation Montanan, she is honored to be able to direct the first Montana-based OT program. Dr. Kirchen was the program director at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia prior to moving back home. During that time, she was named James Madison University, Distinguished Woman of the Year in 2017 and OT Educator of the Year in 2017 by the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association. Dr. Kirchen has practiced in pediatrics and geriatrics for the past 17 years. She conducts research related to the use of occupation-based interventions to promote the health, well-being and quality of life for all people, promoting civility in the workplace, the scholarship of teaching and learning and understanding the lived experience of veterans as it relates to quality of healthcare. Dr. Kirchen is interested in promoting occupational therapy in rural Montana and growing occupational therapy jobs within the mental health sector in Billings and throughout Montana.