Latest Chan Division News
Students

Neil Harvison, AOTA’s chief of knowledge, to address Class of 2021 ⟩
April 29, 2021

Associations and Bodies Events Lectures and Talks Students

Strategic executive at the national professional association will highlight USC Chan’s May 13 online celebration.

Neil Harvison, Chief of Knowledge at the American Occupational Therapy Association Neil Harvison, chief of knowledge at the American Occupational Therapy Association, has been named the keynote speaker for the USC Chan Division’s 2021 virtual commencement celebration. Harvison manages knowledge…

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Finding Global Community and Connection in 2021 ⟩
February 23, 2021

Global Initiatives International Pandemic Students

As we say goodbye to a tumultuous year, all of us at Global Initiatives wish to send our warmest greetings of friendship to all of you, whether you are reading this blog locally in Los Angeles or around the world.

By Daniel Park, OTD, OTR/L Director of Global Initiatives and Associate Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy As we hope that 2021 brings healing to our lives, we know that now more than ever, coming together as a global community is all the more important. Here in the United States, the…

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New study shows children with autism have less activity in brain region that observes, simulates movements ⟩
January 28, 2021

Autism Faculty Research Students

Team of USC and UCLA researchers first to pinpoint reduced frontal lobe activity, helping explain some social characteristics unique to autism.

By Mike McNulty A brain region responsible for processing visual observations of others’ movements then mapping those movements upon one’s own body schema is significantly less activated in children with autism spectrum disorder, compared to typically-developing children and to children with…

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OTD Alumni Talk About Finding Their First OT Jobs ⟩
January 8, 2021

Academics and Courses Alumni Clinical Pandemic Students

As many of our Master’s students have already applied to the OTD Program and some continue to consider their options for next year, five recent alumni from our OTD Program — Ana Sanchez, Elissa Taylor, Nicole Wright, Ozan Yay, and Patrice Zhao — discuss their experiences searching and applying for jobs under unprecedented circumstances with our OTD Student Ambassador Daniel Padilla Vega.

Where did you complete your OTD Residency? Ana: I completed my residency at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), which is a community college. Elissa: LAC+USC Medical Center’s Adult West Primary Care clinic (supported by the USC LRCC research lab). Nicole Wright OTD, OTR/L, CIMI Nicole: I completed…

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BFA students add minors alongside dance training ⟩
September 29, 2020

Academics and Courses Chan in the Media Students

The USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance is a dance conservatory in a university setting. Students in the [Bachelor of Fine Arts] program take a myriad of dance classes along with school-wide general education requirements. This allows BFA students to explore subjects outside of dance, as well as add minors to complement their dance training.

By Brigid Murphy / USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance Bella Allen and India Dobbie (BFA ’22) perform "Ancient Chaos" by Bella Allen. (Photo by Mary Mallaney) Bella Allen (BFA ’22) took advantage of the abundant academic offerings at USC and chose to pursue a minor in Occupational Science within…

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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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40 Trojans to take part in 2020 OTAC Conference ⟩
September 21, 2020

Alumni Associations and Bodies Conferences Faculty Students

40 Trojans, including faculty members, students and alumni, will be speaking and presenting during the 2020 conference of the Occupational Therapy Association of California. The annual event will be going online from Oct. 8-11. Click to see the full list of this year's USC-affiliated speakers.

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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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PhD student Dominique Como earns NIH fellowship ⟩
August 17, 2020

Awards Research Students

$92K award to support oral health care disparities research and training

In July, USC Chan occupational science PhD student Dominique Como ’21 received a National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award. Commonly referred to as a F31 award, the two-year fellowship funded by the National Institute of Dental and…

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China Initiative PhD Student Co-Teaches Occupational Science Seminar in the Master’s Program at PKUHSC ⟩
July 28, 2020

Academics and Courses China Initiative Community and Partners International Students

Buwen Yao, a China Initiative scholar and current 3rd year PhD student at USC Chan, joins a PKUHSC instructor in co-teaching the Occupational Science Seminar course in the master’s program.

Buwen Yao Buwen Yao, at the time a medical student in rehabilitation medicine at Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC), was selected as a China Initiative scholar in 2018 to complete a PhD in occupational science (OS) at USC Chan. She will be amongst the first, if not the first person…

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