Awards ceremony recognizes longtime leaders, partners and alumni
April 28, 2026

More than 500 alumni and friends packed the Hilton Anaheim hotel ballroom for the festivities.

Alumni Awards China Initiative Community and Partners Conferences Events

Grace Baranek, Ronnie C. Chan, and Beong-Soo Kim with Chan’s Global Visionary Impact Award at the division’s April 25 awards ceremony (Photo by Glenn Marzano)

Leaders, advocates and alums were lauded during an awards ceremony at the Hilton Anaheim hotel, capping off the annual conference of the American Occupational Therapy Association. The evening brought together more than 500 members of the USC Trojan Family — faculty, students, alumni, colleagues and community partners — to highlight the division’s continued impact on occupational therapy education, research and practice.

Associate Dean and Chair Grace Baranek kicked off the festivities, followed by Dean Yang Chai of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC who emphasized the division’s top-ranked occupational therapy educational ranking and its vital role in improving how people function and participate in daily life.

Madison Harris ’16, MA ’17, OTD ’18 received the Alumni Award in recognition for her work at UCLA’s BrainSPORT program, where she provides occupational therapy services to children, athletes and veterans with brain injury and concussion.

The Primary Care Adult West clinic at LA General Medical Center received the Community Partnership Award in recognition of the clinic’s longstanding collaboration with USC Chan on delivering and researching Lifestyle Redesign® interventions for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Michael R. Sugar received the Advocacy and Occupational Justice Award for his decades of advocacy, inside and outside the classroom, amplifying the stories and voices of individuals with HIV/AIDS.

Rosemond Seligson received the Fieldwork Educator Award for her mentorship of USC students in nontraditional practice settings. [See related story about Seligson].

Ronnie C. Chan and Grace Baranek, with Chan’s Global Visionary Impact Award, at the division’s April 25 awards ceremony (Photo by Glenn Marzano)

University President Beong-Soo Kim — wearing an “I Heart OT” pin on his lapel — presented the Global Visionary Impact Award to alum and Lifetime Trustee Ronnie C. Chan. Chan’s philanthropic leadership, including a landmark $20 million endowment gift to USC, has accelerated the growth and professional status of occupational therapy in China through the USC Chan China Initiative.

The event concluded with the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Emeritus Florence Clark, a pioneering scholar and co-founder of occupational science who helped shape the discipline, led major research initiatives and mentored generations of students, educators and researchers.

The renowned USC Trojan Marching Band closed out the program with a pop-up performance that had the entire ballroom on their feet waving the USC “Fight On!” gesture.