Hanh Nguyen OTD ’26
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Program: Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD), Class of 2026
Describe your educational and/or professional background before coming to occupational therapy.
During my undergraduate years, I studied Piano Performance. After my junior recital, I developed a condition called focal dystonia. While this injury temporarily put my growth as a musician on hold, I took a year off to retrain and study the Taubman approach with Professor Nina Scolnik at UCI. This method allowed me to explore the movements of the body and the intricate workings of the brain, which led to my interest in neuroscience and rehabilitation. Although focal dystonia changed the direction of my career, my background in music continues to fuel my passion for Occupational Therapy and remains an inspiration in everything I do. I performed an all left-hand senior recital (adaptation and compromise, right OT friends?) and continued running my teaching studio after graduation, until I decided to pursue OT.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Claude Monet’s house in Giverny, France.
What are your future plans in occupational therapy, either at USC or in your career?
When I tried to move each individual fingers years ago, I experienced a sense of despair.
Because music was such a huge part of my identity, losing the ability to play left me feeling purposeless. However, through this experience, I’ve learned that while occupations can be significant, they don’t have to define our identity; rather, they should help build and fulfill our lives. We are all unique individuals, and the different ways we construct our lives should ultimately serve to empower us, not diminish us. While I am still open to the many possibilities within OT, I hope to empower my clients in a similar way — helping them overcome their physical and emotional barriers and find fulfillment in life.
If you had your own late night talk show, who would you invite as your first guest?
Dr. Ashley Halle <3 !!!
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