Latest Chan Division News
Faculty
USC scientists find a gut-brain link that may affect behavior in children with autism ⟩
April 14, 2025
An imbalance in the microbiome disrupts neurotransmitter production and may manifest as social difficulties and repetitive behaviors.
By Leigh Hopper A new USC study suggests that gut imbalances in children with autism may create an imbalance of metabolites in the digestive system — ultimately disrupting neurotransmitter production and influencing behavioral symptoms. The research, published Monday in Nature Communications, adds…
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Can “social architecture” reverse the loneliness epidemic? ⟩
April 11, 2025
Community and Partners Faculty Students
In the heart of Hollywood, USC Chan’s Joy Agner is studying how the built and social environment can better connect people to each other through occupation.
By Mike McNulty Originally appeared in The Explorer: Journal of USC Student Research published by the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC Photo courtesy of Joy Agner Feeling lonely? You’re not alone. Recent surveys show that approximately half of adults in the United States experience loneliness,…
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Nine faculty and alumni to receive AOTA, AOTF awards ⟩
March 20, 2025
Alumni Associations and Bodies Awards Conferences Faculty
Nine USC faculty members and alumni will receive annual awards presented by the American Occupational Therapy Association and American Occupational Therapy Foundation during the association's annual conference, which runs from April 3–5 in Philadelphia. Leah Stein Duker Assistant Professor Leah…
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In memoriam: Elizabeth June Yerxa, 94 ⟩
January 21, 2025
Alumni Faculty
Former chair of the USC Department of Occupational Therapy and founder of the research discipline of occupational science.
By Professor Emeritus Florence Clark Dr. Elizabeth June Yerxa ’52, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California (USC) Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, died on Dec. 18, 2024. She was 94. Dr. Yerxa was a remarkable woman: an…
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Wildfire Resources and Relief ⟩
January 15, 2025
Alumni Community and Partners Faculty
Help support Trojans in need in the aftermath of the southern California wildfires.
The damage and devastation caused by the southern California wildfires is tragic, and they have immediately impacted members of our USC Chan family. But in the face of this heartbreak, the USC Chan Trojan Family is working together in a number of ways to connect people to resources and support to…
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New $5.5 million NIH-funded study to test whether sensory adaptations can ease children’s dental fears and anxieties ⟩
November 25, 2024
Community and Partners Faculty Research
Study led by Leah Stein Duker in partnership with Children's Hospital Los Angeles extends Sensory Adapted Dental Environment research line begun in 2011.
By Mike McNulty (Adobe Stock) A new study funded by more than $5.5 million in NIH grants will test whether a Sensory Adapted Dental Environment (SADE) — a novel intervention that provides soothing visual, auditory and tactile input within the dental clinic environment — can reduce anxiety and…
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Occupational therapy a core discipline in new $1 million AHRQ grant expanding Long COVID clinic ⟩
August 12, 2024
Clinical Community and Partners Faculty Pandemic
Occupational therapist Jamieson Wilcox is a co-investigator on grant to establish the Keck COVID Recovery Clinic, Optimal Outcomes for Patients in a Comprehensive Assessment and Management Program.
By Mike McNulty AI generated image (Adobe Firefly) A new grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) will expand Keck Medicine of USC’s COVID Recovery Clinic, an interdisciplinary care clinic that has included occupational therapy on its collaborative team since its…
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Cogan named recipient of ACRM’s Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award ⟩
June 21, 2024
Associations and Bodies Awards Conferences Faculty
Annual award recognizes significant contributions made to rehabilitation research within the first five years of one’s career.
Assistant Professor Alison Cogan Assistant Professor Alison Cogan MA ’12, PhD ’17 has been named the 2024 recipient of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine's Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award. Cogan will receive the award during the ACRM 101st Annual Fall Conference in…
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FDA Health Care at Home Initiative identifies occupational therapy as a key need ⟩
April 26, 2024
Associations and Bodies Community and Partners Faculty
Occupational therapy will figure prominently in the launch of the FDA's Health Care at Home Initiative to Help Advance Health Equity, with the expert assistance of Associate Professor Beth Pyatak.
Occupational therapy will figure prominently in the launch of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Health Care at Home Initiative to Help Advance Health Equity. The Initiative aims to better position the FDA to address health care needs by moving care into the home setting. Based within the…
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Shawn Roll receives 2024 Distinguished Sonographer Award ⟩
April 23, 2024
Associations and Bodies Awards Faculty
Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of medical ultrasound.
Professor Shawn Roll is the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Sonographer Award from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Roll was honored at the institute's annual conference in April. Established in 1997, the Distinguished Sonographer Award recognizes and honors AIUM members who…
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