Don Gordon PhD, OTR/L

Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy
Room: CHP 133
(323) 442-8824
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Biography
Don Gordon completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studied animal behavior and earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and English literature. He received his master’s degree in occupational therapy at USC in 1994 and earned his PhD in occupational science at USC in 2002. His doctoral work involved a close analysis of the scientific foundations of occupational therapy practice.
Dr. Gordon currently works in acute care specializing in neurobehavioral diagnoses including the treatment of individuals with epileptic and non-epileptic seizures. He has been practicing in both psychiatry and physical disabilities throughout most of his career, and has instructed a wide array of classes in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. He has also been a life advisor at the California Wellbeing Insitute, complementing his ongoing professional interests in the neuroscience of human behavior, positive psychology, and prevention and wellness.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
in Occupational Science
2002 | University of Southern California
Master of Arts (MA)
in Occupational Therapy
1994 | University of Southern California
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
in English Literature
1989 | University California, Santa Cruz
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
in Biology
1984 | University California, Santa Cruz
Publications
2009
Book Chapters
Gordon, D. M. (2009). The history of occupational therapy. In E. B. Crepeau, B. Schell, & E. Cohn (Eds.), Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy (11th ed., pp. 202-215). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.
1996
Conference Presentations/Proceedings
Clark, F. A., Gordon, D. M., Mandel, D., McDannel, R., McDonald, A., Meltzer, P., Scroggins, B., Spitzer, S. L., & Young, B. (1996). Occupational science. In P. A. H. Crist & C. B. Royeen (Eds.), Infusing occupation into practice: Comparison of three clinical approaches in occupational therapy [Workshop proceedings of the AOTA Education Special Interest Section, Chicago, IL] (pp. 13-17, 30-34, 40-43, 51-52, 57-59, 101-11). Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.