The 28th USC Chan Occupational Science Symposium
2025

View the schedule ⟩

The 28th USC Chan Occupational Science Symposium, “Embodiment, Emplacement, and Occupational Science,” was held on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at The Huntington in San Marino, California.

This live + virtual event was dedicated to the life and legacy of Dr. Elizabeth June Yerxa, and explored concepts of embodiment and emplacement in occupational science. Presentations and breakout sessions challenged traditional views that separate mind, body and environment, thus urging a more integrated understanding of human occupation.

Featuring…

2025 WILMA WEST LECTURER

Antoine Bailliard PhD, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA
Duke University School of Medicine

And…

2025 ELIZABETH JUNE YERXA LECTURER

Linda Tickle-Degnen PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Tufts University

PRESENTATIONS FROM SPEAKERS WITHIN AND BEYOND THE USC CHAN DIVISION

• Joy Agner PhD, OTR/L
• Rebecca Aldrich PhD, OTR/L
• Helane Marie Anderson MA
• Amber Angell PhD, OTR/L
• Lisa Aziz-Zadeh PhD
• Yousef Babish BScOT, BLS, YMHFA
• Holly Carrington BA
• Alison Cogan PhD, OTR/L
• Patrick Corbin MFA
• Rebecca Cunningham OTD, OTR/L, MSCS, LRC
• Nora Dixon OTD, OTR/L, LRC
• Zama Dlamini MPH
• Yoko Fukumura PhD
• Stephanie Keeney Parks PhD
• Michael Krass
• Diego Lopez OTD, OTR/L
• Diane Parham PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
• Sofronia Ringold BA, CCRP
• Alix Sleight PhD, OTD, MPH, OTR/L
• Ashley Uyeshiro Simon OTD, OTR/L, LRC

AND MUCH MORE!

Schedule & Map

View or download a map of the event site.

                                                                                       

Time / Location	Program
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Garden Court	Check In and Refreshments
9:00 – 10:25 a.m. Haaga Hall	Welcome Remarks and Introduction followed by Wilma West Lecture “Imagining Occupation through Embodiment and Emplacement” — Antoine Bailliard
10:25 – 10:50 a.m. Garden Court	~ Refreshment break ~
10:50 – 11:50 a.m. (choice of one)	Breakout Presentations and Discussions Session 1 - Roger’s Classroom “Embodiment and the Gut: Exploring Gastrointestinal Symptom Experiences and Gut Microbiome Impact in Autistic People” — Amber Angell and Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, with Stephanie Keeney Parks and Sofronia Ringold Session 2 - Melanie’s Classroom “Embodiment through Occupation in Rehabilitation and Recovery” — Alison Cogan and Alix Sleight, with Holly Carrington and Yoko Fukumura Session 3 - Steven’s Classroom “Inviting Action and Inclusion through Place: Linking Design Elements and Embodied Responses” — Joy Agner and Rebecca Aldrich, with Yousef Babish and Zama Dlamini Session 4 - Haaga Hall “Embodiment in Lifestyle Redesign® Practice: Applications for Gender Affirming Care and Chronic Condition Management” — Rebecca Cunningham and Nora Dixon
11:50 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. Garden Court	~ Lunch break ~
12:50 – 2:00 p.m. Gardens	Optional Nature Walk in Huntington Gardens (self-paced)
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Haaga Hall	Elizabeth June Yerxa Tributes and Lecture “A Tribute to Elizabeth Yerxa” — Diane Parham “A Primer in Mentoring: Lessons from Dr. Yerxa” — Linda Tickle-Degnen
3:30 – 3:55 p.m. Garden Court	~ Refreshment break ~
3:55 – 4:45 p.m. (choice of one)	Experiential Breakout Sessions Session 1 - Rogers’s Classroom “Mindful Creativity: Embodying Freedom from the Conditioned Mind” — Michael Krass Session 2 - Melanie’s Classroom “Transforming Classrooms into Spaces for Well-being and Learning” — Ashley Uyeshiro Simon and Diego Lopez Session 3 - Steven’s Classroom “Sound & Frequency as a Tool for Physical Healing” — Helane Marie Anderson Session 4 - Haaga Hall “Dance and Joy” — Patrick Corbin
4:45 – 5:00 p.m. Haaga Hall	Closing Remarks

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this event, participants will be able to:

• Apply principles of embodiment and emplacement to the development of client-centered and occupation-based occupational therapy interventions.
• Determine appropriate ways to incorporate embodiment and emplacement into the framing of occupational science research questions and methodologies.
• Use examples from the presentations to illustrate how meaningful occupation can foster embodiment.
• Differentiate between traditional mind-body-environment models and more integrated models of occupation through the lens of embodiment and emplacement.
• Explain the impact of Dr. Elizabeth Yerxa’s scholarship on the evolution of occupational therapy and the emergence of occupational science.
• Examine the theoretical underpinnings of embodiment and emplacement and their implications for occupational therapy research and practice.
• Analyze how diverse research contributes to understanding the embodied and emplaced nature of occupation across different populations and contexts.

CEU Information

For More Information

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USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9003

ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is in Accreditation–Inactive status by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.

Professional program graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.