The Meaningful Activity and Social Connection in Occupational Therapy (MASCOT) Lab was established in 2025 in Southern Illinois under the leadership of Dr. Szu-Wei Chen. The lab’s research direction is shaped by Dr. Chen’s background as an occupational therapist and researcher and by the needs of older adults and people aging with disabilities, an underserved population that often faces barriers to meaningful activity participation, social connection, and health.

The idea that meaningful activity participation can support health has long been central to Dr. Chen’s research agenda. Grounded in occupational therapy, her work is based on the belief that participation in everyday activities, or occupations, especially those that are personally meaningful and intrinsically motivating, can contribute to well-being, quality of life, and healthy aging. In addition to the influence of occupational therapy’s philosophical foundation, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly shaped Dr. Chen’s broader research direction by highlighting the serious impact of loneliness and social isolation on the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social health of aging populations. Dr. Chen’s lived experiences and research interactions with participants deepened her commitment to understanding social connection as an essential part of healthy aging.

The MASCOT Lab was established to advance this work by developing research that supports meaningful activity participation, strengthens social connections, and serves communities that are especially vulnerable to loneliness, social isolation, and face barriers to activity participation.

Lab Vision

We envision a future in which older adults and people aging with disabilities have more opportunities and fewer barriers to engage in meaningful activities, stay socially connected, and experience belonging, well-being, and quality of life throughout the aging process. In this future, occupational therapy is widely recognized as a vital force in community practice, supporting people to participate in activities that bring them meaning and joy and to live connected, meaningful, and healthy lives.

REAL Core Values

Respect for Lived Experience
We recognize that each person’s lived experience is unique and essential for shaping meaningful research questions, measures, and interventions. We value the perspectives of older adults and people aging with disabilities as important sources of knowledge.

Engage Communities
We conduct research with communities, not only about them. We build collaborative relationships with older adults, people aging with disabilities, community partners, and practitioners to ensure that our research is guided by community priorities and produces findings, tools, and strategies that can be implemented in real-world settings.

Advance Accessibility
We strive to make our research processes, materials, and activities accessible to people with diverse abilities, needs, and life circumstances.

Learn through Collaboration and Mentorship
We value interdisciplinary collaboration and supportive mentorship that strengthen research, learning, and professional growth. We foster a lab culture in which students, researchers, and collaborators learn from one another and work together to advance science and practice.

How We Work

Our lab uses a hybrid, community-engaged research model, working with older adults, people aging with disabilities, and community partners across online settings, Southern Illinois, and the Greater St. Louis area. This approach allows us to engage diverse aging and disability communities and develop practical strategies that are responsive to both local and virtual community contexts.