About Our Team


"You can't be what you can't see."

~Marian Wright Edelman, American civil rights activist 

Dr. Elizabeth Dion, OTD/s

Author

Dr. Elizabeth Dion is a mental health advocate, an Occupational Therapist, and the author of Hospital Heroes: Rugby's Medical Adventure. She graduated in 2021 from the Ohio State University with her Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy.


Dr. Dion unravels big ideas and loves making people laugh. She believes that every person is capable and deserves to live a fulfilling life, no matter what challenges they face. When Dr. Dion isn't writing new children's stories, you'll find her playing fetch with her dog or hugging trees in the park.

Tesha Merkel, MFA

Character Illustration 

Tesha is an animal lover, artist, storyteller, and character illustrator for Hospital Heroes: Rugby's Medical Adventure. She graduated in 2021 from the Ohio State University with a Master in Fine Arts specializing in digital animation and interactive media. 

Tesha excels in animation development and creating characters that pull on the heartstrings. Check her website at teshamerkel.com or find her on social media for freelance and commission availability. 

See more of Tesha's art here.

Sara Caudill, MFA

Background Illustration

Sara is an XR designer, writer, and background illustrator for Hospital Heroes: Rugby's Medical Adventure. She graduated in 2021 from the Ohio State University with a Master in Fine Arts, specializing in digital animation and interactive media. 

Sara lived in South Korea for three years where she was a Fulbright grantee. Her extensive internship experience includes work on The Simpsons with Fox TV and virtual reality for NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center.

See more of Sara's work here.

Mission Statement


Our goal when creating Hospital Heroes: Rugby's Medical Adventure was to share about lesser-known medical professions in a fun and creative way. Rugby's story introduces little readers to professions such as:

  • Occupational Therapy (OT)
  • Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)
  • Dietetics
  • Respiratory Therapy (RT)
  • Mental Health Counseling
  • Physical Therapy (PT)
  • Social Work

The book promotes LGBTQ+ positivity and diversity in healthcare.

"You only aspire to what you've been exposed to. Sometimes we might self-eliminate just because we don't think we're qualified."~ Charles Q. Brown Jr., Four-Star General


It is extremely important for all children to see people who look like them represented as professionals with rewarding careers. We hope that by reading Hospital Heroes: Rugby's Medical Adventure, little ones will feel encouraged to step into a medical profession, realizing that by helping others, they too can become an invaluable healthcare hero.


- Elizabeth Dion, OTD

Author of Hosptial Heroes: Rugby's Medical Team
Clinical Doctorate of Occupational Therapy, The Ohio State University 2021