Faculty / Staff Resources Student Resources
University of Southern California
University of Southern California
USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
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Illustration of Liberty Bell with AOTA logo for Inspire conference in Philadelphia

USC at AOTA

Heading to the American Occupational Therapy Association's annual Inspire conference in Philadelphia? See this year's featured speakers, celebrate nine USC-affiliated award-winners and get the details for our Trojan Family Reception at USC Chan at AOTA.

Occupational Science at USC Chan

Occupational Science

USC Chan founded the first occupational science (OS) PhD program, Undergraduate Minor and academic department. OS content is woven throughout all of the academic curricula, studied in our interdisciplinary research programs and disseminated through publications and the USC Occupational Science Symposium.

Lifestyle Redesign® at USC Chan

Lifestyle Redesign®

Lifestyle Redesign® is an intervention approach pioneered at USC Chan that continues to be taught in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education courses, utilized by our occupational therapists at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice and advanced through our research studies.

Sensory Integration at USC Chan

Sensory Integration

Sensory integration theory, assessment and intervention were developed at USC Chan by Faculty Emeritus A. Jean Ayres PhD, OTR and continue to be taught today in our academic degree and continuing education programs and furthered through our research studies.

USC Chan alumni and the Trojan Family

Trojan Family

The Trojan Family is USC’s lifelong worldwide network of esteemed alumni and USC Chan’s alumni total over 3,000 and hail from 48 of the 50 states and more than 60 different countries. Keep up with USC Chan by browsing the latest issue of USC Chan Magazine and joining the Alumni Association.

Illustration of Liberty Bell with AOTA logo for Inspire conference in Philadelphia

USC at AOTA

Heading to the American Occupational Therapy Association's annual Inspire conference in Philadelphia? See this year's featured speakers, celebrate nine USC-affiliated award-winners and get the details for our Trojan Family Reception at USC Chan at AOTA.

Occupational Science at USC Chan

Occupational Science

USC Chan founded the first occupational science (OS) PhD program, Undergraduate Minor and academic department. OS content is woven throughout all of the academic curricula, studied in our interdisciplinary research programs and disseminated through publications and the USC Occupational Science Symposium.

Lifestyle Redesign® at USC Chan

Lifestyle Redesign®

Lifestyle Redesign® is an intervention approach pioneered at USC Chan that continues to be taught in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education courses, utilized by our occupational therapists at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice and advanced through our research studies.

Sensory Integration at USC Chan

Sensory Integration

Sensory integration theory, assessment and intervention were developed at USC Chan by Faculty Emeritus A. Jean Ayres PhD, OTR and continue to be taught today in our academic degree and continuing education programs and furthered through our research studies.

USC Chan alumni and the Trojan Family

Trojan Family

The Trojan Family is USC’s lifelong worldwide network of esteemed alumni and USC Chan’s alumni total over 3,000 and hail from 48 of the 50 states and more than 60 different countries. Keep up with USC Chan by browsing the latest issue of USC Chan Magazine and joining the Alumni Association.

Research Expertise Research Expertise

Research Expertise

Our faculty have $28.7M in active, federally funded research projects.

Request Program Info Request Program Info

Request Program Info

Prospective student? Request information about our programs.

See a USC Clinician See a USC Clinician

See a USC Clinician

Learn more about USC occupational therapy services.

Map of Eaton Fire perimeter Map of Eaton Fire perimeter

Wildfire Information

Connect with resources and relief after the recent wildfires.

Latest News

PhD candidate Franklin receives AOTF Kielhofner Award ⟩

February 7, 2025

$5,000 award will support qualitative and participatory approach to expand "belonging" theory in occupational therapy.

In memoriam: Elizabeth June Yerxa, 94 ⟩

January 21, 2025

Former chair of the USC Department of Occupational Therapy and founder of the research discipline of occupational science.

Wildfire Resources and Relief ⟩

January 15, 2025

Help support Trojans in need in the aftermath of the southern California wildfires.

Student Vlog
JARED AT CHAN

Student Blog

Tanya

Pursuing a Sensory Integration Graduate Certificate: My Journey So Far ⟩

March 5, 2025
by Tanya

Sensory Integration (SI) has been an area where I’ve always wanted to delve further and bridge my understanding of its theory and practice. While I was confident in addressing factors (e.g., fine…

Mason

Expanded Horizons, Open Ambitions ⟩

February 27, 2025
by Mason

In occupational therapy school, students have the opportunity to take part in a plethora of fieldwork experiences, and students engage in both level 1 and level 2 fieldwork. Uniquely here at USC Chan,…

Upcoming Events

USC Chan Magazine

USC Chan Magazine, Fall 2024

Fall 2024 ⟩

Summertime and the Livin’ is OT ⟩
During the past decade, USC’s Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion program has graduated more than 500 students, changing their lives and careers while building an internationally-connected Trojan family.

Golden Goals ⟩
After receiving a heart transplant at Keck Hospital of USC, former NCAA soccer player Courtney Shoda is relearning how to play the game of life.

Join the Club: Faculty Member Joy Agner Mobilizing Knowledge about the Clubhouse Model to Support People with Mental Health Conditions ⟩
By partnering with a community organization, one USC Chan faculty member demonstrates how to engage a user base, develop a collaborative research agenda and put knowledge to work for the people who can most use it.

Can Sensory Adaptations Ease Children’s Dental Fears and Anxieties? ⟩
New $5.5 million NIH-funded study led by Leah Stein Duker extends research line begun in 2011.

Professor Sharon Cermak’s Retirement Caps Illustrious Career Spanning More than Five Decades ⟩
Celebrating the 55-year career of one of occupational therapy’s most prolific researchers studying developmental disorders in children.

View/download the Fall 2024 issue (6.6MB)

USC Chan Magazine, Fall 2023 / Winter 2024

Fall 2023 / Winter 2024 ⟩

Growing by Design ⟩
When designing the USC Peace Garden, landscape architect Daniela Velazco prioritized people and planting.

New Team Challenge Looking to Change the Game ⟩
The inaugural gamechanger team-based challenge finds new ways of moving academic knowledge into the real world to benefit people’s everyday lives and occupations.

Mitigating On-the-Job Stress ⟩
Shawn Roll leading interdisciplinary team on $1.1M National Science Foundation grant for managing and mitigating on-the-job stress using artificial intelligence.

International Study Shows Link Between Brain Age and Stroke Outcomes ⟩
A USC-led team of researchers find that brain age, a neuroimaging-based assessment of global brain health, may play a role in post-stroke outcomes and could potentially help identify people at risk for poorer outcomes.

Beyond the Spectrum ⟩
Rethinking autism research from the perspective of an autistic researcher.

View/download the Fall 2023 / Winter 2024 issue (4.7MB)