Director of IDEAS Center for Innovation

Kathryn Beckner, MS, OTR/L

Kathryn Beckner, MS, OTR/L, serves as Director for the IDEAS Center for Innovation within the Central Virginia VA Health Care System. She is committed to fostering an innovative culture that empowers VA employees to identify problems and incorporate the Veteran's voice when shaping the future of health care delivery. Beckner's passion centers on supporting frontline staff and multidisciplinary teams in operationalizing innovations and implementing them into clinical practice.

Previously, Beckner acted as the Deputy Director of the IDEAS Center for Innovation and Innovation Specialist for the VHA Innovators Network at her facility. In this role, she led a team from multiple VA sites in collaborating with an industry partner to co-develop a novel rehabilitation technology. Under her guidance, this innovation advanced rapidly from a paper concept to a commercialized product now utilized at VAs nationwide within two years.

An occupational therapist by training, Beckner provided clinical care as a Spinal Cord Injury Specialist at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System from 2011-2020. In 2018, she was appointed Clinical Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Occupational Therapy and serves on their Admissions Committee. She has participated in numerous professional engagements as a speaker and panelist, contributed to a text book chapter, and presented at conferences in the field. Beckner's contributions earned her recognition as the 2021 VHA Innovators Network Innovation Specialist of the Year.