Remembering Ann Neville-Jan
February 2, 2015

Ann Neville-Jan PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, associate chair of curriculum and faculty, and associate professor, died Feb. 1, after experiencing complications from surgery. She was 64.

Neville-Jan had been an integral member of the USC Chan Division for 25 years. Throughout her academic career at USC she taught research, theory and clinical courses across the undergraduate and graduate programs, was responsible for various administrative and curricular duties and chaired dissertation committees for many master’s and doctoral students.

After completing her undergraduate education in 1972 at Towson State University in Maryland, she earned a master of science degree in occupational therapy in 1974 from Columbia University.

During her early career, she practiced in mental health settings and held positions as director of occupational therapy at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, rehabilitation coordinator for psychiatric services at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center and education coordinator at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center.

In 1986, she earned her doctor of philosophy degree in occupational therapy from New York University, and was appointed a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) the same year. She joined the occupational therapy faculty at USC as an adjunct assistant professor in 1987 and became a full-time member in 1989.

She held positions within the AOTA and had been invited to participate on panels of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) and the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. She was a recent occupational therapy consultant to the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). In 2014, she received the Occupational Therapy Association of California Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her scholarship included chronic pain, depression and secondary conditions associated with disability.

She was an expert on spina bifida, both as a researcher and as someone with the developmental congenital disorder. She secured funded research grants from the NCMRR, the AOTF, the U.S. Department of Education and the American Cancer Society.

She was a member of the editorial board of the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal and her academic articles were published in the journals American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Disability & Society and Occupational Therapy in Mental Health.

“Ann was an outstanding scholar, mentor and educator, and most importantly, a dear friend to many. So many of the division’s successes can be directly attributed to her leadership and commitment,” wrote Associate Dean Florence Clark in an emailed statement to USC Chan faculty, staff and students. “Beyond this, as we all know, her special smile and positive spirit fueled all of us, and in every moment reminded us of the importance of caring.”

She is survived by her husband Darrell Jan, daughter Sara and son J.D.

The family suggests memorial contributions be directed to the USC Chan Division. To do so, visit giveto.usc.edu, select your gift options and then click the “Next page” button at the bottom of the screen. On the following “Making a gift” page, click “Memorial or honorarium information” and please indicate Ann Neville-Jan.

Support services for staff and faculty are available at the Center for Work and Family Life of USC. For more information, go to employees.usc.edu/work-family-life or call (213) 821-0800.

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