Latest Chan Division News
Pandemic

Healthier aging through sharing life stories ⟩
September 28, 2020

Academics and Courses Faculty Pandemic Students

September is Healthy Aging Month, a national observance to draw attention to the lifestyle choices and behaviors that can promote healthy aging for older Americans. In her course, “OT 538: Adulthood and Aging,” Associate Professor of Research Stacey Schepens Niemiec assigns students a project using the power of personal stories to highlight occupations that contribute to meaningful older life experiences. To learn more, Student Ambassador Lamoni Lucas MA ’21 asked Schepens Niemiec to explain the inspiration and purpose of the “Life Story” project, and four OT 538 students to reflect on the project and its mementos.

Schepens Niemiec: Life storytelling — sharing one’s personal life experiences and stories with others — is a meaningful, culturally rich, shared occupation that can be powerfully health-promoting. Life storytelling can help people make sense of their lives, become more aware of the scripts…

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PKUHSC Program Returns to In-Person Teaching ⟩
September 14, 2020

China Initiative Community and Partners International Pandemic

More than six months after transitioning to virtual instruction, Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC) dual-degree students returned to in-person classes and restored normal campus life in Beijing.

After 7 months of online teaching that began after the Lunar New Year national holidays in February 2020, PKUHSC instructors and students finally returned to in-person classes, as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided in China. Cohort 1 continued their typical second-year coursework, including an in-person…

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When education requires in-person work during a pandemic ⟩
August 26, 2020

Academics and Courses Chan in the Media Faculty Pandemic

By Kate Faye / HSC News With Keck Medicine of USC now accepting all patients for needed health care services and the fall semester in motion, departments throughout have taken steps to make sure that the risk of COVID-19 transmission is minimal. This has resulted in new policies and best practices…

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Clinical faculty featured in AOTA’s free COVID-19 webinar ⟩
August 20, 2020

Associations and Bodies Clinical Faculty Lectures and Talks Pandemic

Associate Clinical Professor Jamie Wilcox USC Chan clinical faculty members Jamie Wilcox MA ’13, OTD ’14 and John Margetis ’11, MA ’12, OTD ’13 shared insights and expertise gained from working with COVID-positive patients at Keck Hospital of USC during an Aug. 19 webinar hosted by the…

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Chan Community Commission meets the moment ⟩
August 19, 2020

Community and Partners Diversity, Access, Equity Events Faculty Global Initiatives Pandemic Students

How student-leaders, faculty and staff kept the division connected during USC’s first fully remote semester.

By Kayla Johari MA ’21 and Calvin Lee MA ’21 During the Summer 2020 semester — the first full academic semester spent away from campus due to the Covid-19 pandemic — the Chan Community Commission (CCC) was assembled to support the incoming Class of 2022. The commission joined USC Chan…

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Creating a virtual community for international students ⟩
May 13, 2020

Global Initiatives International Pandemic Students

Amidst a global pandemic and powered by online technology, USC Chan’s Global Initiatives proves that it’s a small, small world.

By Areli Benitez MA ’19, OTD ’20 and Mariah Morris MA ’19, OTD ’20 A vibrant, virtual world has grown within USC Chan's Global Initiatives during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. From virtual hangouts on Friday afternoons, to hosting an international mentorship panel with recent USC Chan…

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Managing Stress ⟩
April 15, 2020

Health and Wellness Pandemic

Stress Management Tips for National Stress Awareness Day, from Dr. Tracy Jalaba of the USC OT Faculty Practice.

By Tracy Jalaba OTD, OTR/L In its most basic definition, stress is our body’s response to a demand. With the introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the protective measures put in place to try to wrangle it, there has been no shortage of new demands for our bodies to try to adjust to! While…

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Response to COVID-19: PKUHSC Program Transitions to Online Teaching Even Before USC Chan ⟩
February 4, 2020

Academics and Courses China Initiative Community and Partners Pandemic

PKUHSC instructors Dr. Hui (Angela) Wang and Dr. Liguo Qian quickly shift classes online and adapt to accommodate stay-at-home orders in Beijing.

The first time Dr. Hui (Angela) Wang met her students was on January 4th, 2020 — during the last week of the PKUHSC fall semester. Dr. Wang, a China Initiative scholar, had completed her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at USC Chan, and just returned to China to continue her Post-Professional…

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