 Upon graduation from UCLA, Kielhofner accepted an appointment at Boston University, soon thereafter to accept a position at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).While at VCU, he began earnestly to further develop and explain his Model of Human Occupation, which was then starting to gain attention in the profession of occupational therapy.In 1988 he accepted an appointment as Professor, Wade-Meyer Chair, and Head at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he remained until his death in 2010.