Latest Chan Division News

Sensory adapted dental rooms significantly reduce autistic children’s physiological and behavioral stress during teeth cleanings >
June 2, 2023

Autism Community and Partners Diversity, Access, Equity Health and Wellness Research

Results of USC–CHLA study of 162 autistic children show that safe and feasible adaptations to the clinic environment created more relaxed, less anxious dental care experiences.

By Mike McNulty In the SADE research clinic at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, sensory adaptations to the environment were shown to significantly reduce autistic children's physiological and behavioral stress during dental cleanings. (Photo by Phil Channing) New results from a study led by USC…

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Growing by design >
April 21, 2023

Community and Partners Events Health and Wellness Pandemic Students

When designing the USC Peace Garden, student landscape architect Daniela Velazco prioritized people and planting.

By Mike McNulty USC Peace Garden designer Daniela Velazco MLA+U/MHC ’23 (Photo by Hannah Benet) "A garden is a physical manifestation of people coming together, doing the work and enjoying themselves along the way," says Daniela Velazco MLA+U/MHC ’23. Velazco spent the better part of last summer…

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Anne Henderson BS ’46, 98 >
April 20, 2023

Alumni

Henderson was an alumna of the Class of 1946 and the recipient of the 1988 American Occupational Therapy Association's Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award.

Anne Henderson, PhD, 98, passed away on April 19, 2023, at North Hill, Needham, MA, with loving nieces at her side. Anne was born in Taegu, Korea in 1924 where her parents were serving as missionaries. She and her 6 brothers and sisters lived in Korea until 1940, at which time the family returned…

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Erna Blanche to keynote division’s 2023 commencement >
April 10, 2023

Alumni Events Faculty Lectures and Talks

USC alumna and current faculty member is a renowned expert in pediatric occupational therapy and therapeutic interventions based on occupational science.

Clinical Professor Erna Blanche Clinical Professor Erna Imperatore Blanche MA ’88, PhD ’98 has been selected as the keynote speaker for the USC Chan Division's 2023 commencement ceremony to be held on Friday, May 12, at the USC University Park Campus. Blanche is an expert in pediatric…

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International study shows link between brain age and stroke outcomes >
April 7, 2023

Faculty Research

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.

A new study lead by a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC shows that younger “brain age,” a neuroimaging-based assessment of global brain health, is associated with better post-stroke outcomes. The findings could lead to better ways to predict post-stroke outcomes and…

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USC Chan Student Completes Externship at PKUHSC in Beijing, China >
April 3, 2023

Academics and Courses China Initiative Community and Partners International Students

USC Chan Entry-Level Master’s student Tina Peng discusses her externship at Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC) in Beijing, China, focused on building leadership skills and learning about local occupational therapy (OT) practice.

Every spring, second-year Entry-Level MA students participate in a student-driven externship assignment designed to build their leadership skills, provide opportunities to learn about non-clinical roles of occupational therapists, and help develop a sense of professional identity. As part of this…

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Mitigating on-the-job stress: Stress mapping with artificial intelligence >
March 29, 2023

Faculty Health and Wellness Research

USC Chan’s Shawn Roll leading interdisciplinary team on $1.1M National Science Foundation grant for managing, mitigating on-the-job stress.

By Mike McNulty for The Explorer Journal 2023 (Illustration by master1305/Adobe Stock) The World Health Organization has called stress the “health epidemic of the 21st century” — and that was before the Covid-19 pandemic. While a highly personalized phenomenon, job-related stress is…

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Chan Bakes for Earthquake Relief >
March 12, 2023

Community and Partners Events Global Initiatives International Students

From March 6-10, more than 50 USC Chan students, staff, and faculty worked together to host a bake sale fundraiser in support of earthquake relief efforts after the February 6 earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

Amber Butler MA ’23, Philanthropy Chair of USC’s Occupational Therapy and Science Council, initially proposed the idea for the bake sale, saying “I was feeling helpless watching the news and seeing all the devastation in Syria and Turkey. I was heartbroken watching families and rescue officers…

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Chan Partners with LA Community Organizations in Blanket Drive >
March 10, 2023

Community and Partners Global Initiatives Students

USC Chan Global Initiatives partnered with the Bless One Foundation to hold a Winter Blanket Drive on behalf of the St. Joseph Center in Long Beach, California.

USC Chan student Maquela Noel OTD ’25 spearheaded the Blanket Drive and shared “Helping individuals in need has always meant something to me because I feel as though everyone deserves equal opportunities. The Drive allowed us to make an impact in the Los Angeles community, which I will cherish…

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More than two dozen Trojans on WROTSS 2023 agenda >
February 13, 2023

Associations and Bodies Conferences

More than two dozen USC Chan faculty, students and alumni will be speaking at the 2023 Western Regional Occupational Therapy Spring Symposium in Las Vegas from Mar. 3-5. The event is a collaboration between the occupational therapy state professional associations of Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico,…

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