Our Team
Chantelle Rice Collins OTD, OTR/L, CDCES ⟩
Chantelle Rice Collins OTD, OTR/L, CDCES graduated from USC with her master’s degree in occupational therapy and her doctorate of occupational therapy, and completed her doctoral residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she created a lifestyle intervention program for individuals living with diabetes. Dr. Rice Collins is the director of the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she also sees patients in the Lifestyle Redesign® programs, including weight management, diabetes, college students, health coaching and pain management and chronic headache management. Having witnessed firsthand the power of lifestyle change, Dr. Rice Collins believes in prevention and management of chronic conditions, and her clients exemplify the way wellness approaches to health can increase the quality of everyday life. She recently became a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist® (CDCES®) and frequently presents at both state and national levels on occupational therapy’s role in diabetes management. Dr. Rice Collins maintains balance in her life by spending free time with her family and friends across the country and enjoying the outdoors as a Southern California native.
Lindsey Shomer OTD, OTR/L, CEAS ⟩
Lindsey Shomer OTD, OTR/L, CEAS completed her master’s degree in occupational therapy and doctorate of occupational therapy at USC. Her clinical residency was completed at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she practiced Lifestyle Redesign. Her doctoral work consisted of growing the pain management program and creating a 10-week Lifestyle Redesign Fibromyalgia Treatment and Support Group. As a clinical faculty member, Dr. Shomer works with clients in the pain management, chronic headache, weight management and ergonomics programs, and is a member of the USC Chronic Pain and Chronic Headache Interdisciplinary Teams. Dr. Shomer received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from UCLA in 2011, and enjoys spending her free time outdoors going on nature hikes, traveling, camping with friends and doing yoga.
Tracy Jalaba OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Tracy Jalaba OTD, OTR/L earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise biology from University of California at Davis before completing her master’s and doctorate of occupational therapy degrees from USC. She completed her doctoral residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she focused on the development of Lifestyle Redesign services for Adults and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum (ASD). As a clinical faculty member, Dr. Jalaba works primarily with clients in our ASD, college student, mental health, sleep disorders, and health coaching programs. She has completed the training course for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and is a PEERS® Young Adult Certified Provider. In addition to her work at OTFP, she represented occupational therapy in the USC Office for Student Accessibility Services for seven years. Dr. Jalaba is from Northern California and has found balance in LA by enjoying time outdoors with her dog, Moxie, exploring new restaurants, and escaping to the mountains to ski in the winter.
Rebecca Cunningham OTD, OTR/L, MSCS ⟩
Rebecca Cunningham OTD, OTR/L, MSCS received her master’s in occupational therapy and doctorate of occupational therapy at USC. Her clinical residency was completed at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she focused on further development of the Lifestyle Redesign program for individuals living with Multiple Sclerosis. As a clinical faculty member, Dr. Cunningham works with clients in our Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, MCAS and dysautonomia, and neurological conditions programs. She is a member of the USC MS multidisciplinary team and MCAS working group. Dr. Cunningham holds the designation of certified MS specialist and has completed training for the delivery of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. She is from Ventura County and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego. In her free time, Dr. Cunningham enjoys camping, cross-stitching, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.
Emma Schiewe OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Emma Schiewe OTD, OTR/L, received her master’s in occupational therapy and doctorate of occupational therapy at USC. Her clinical residency was completed at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she focused on expanding OT’s role in oncology throughout the cancer continuum. As a clinical faculty member, Dr. Schiewe primarily collaborates with clients to promote their engagement in their meaningful activities, roles, and routines while improving the management of their chronic symptoms in our weight management, mental health, ergonomics, college student, diabetes, oncology, and health coaching Lifestyle Redesign programs. She is passionate about the expansion of occupational therapy’s role in supporting the holistic health and wellness of individuals with cancer and mental health diagnoses. Dr. Schiewe is from Southern California and graduated from USC with her dual bachelor’s degrees in human biology and art history and minor in occupational science. During her free time, Emma enjoys creating art, reading, running, visiting museums, going to concerts, and spending time with her friends and family.
Marilyn Thompson OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Marilyn Thompson OTD, OTR/L, received her master’s in occupational therapy and doctorate of occupational therapy at USC. Dr. Thompson completed her doctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente Inglewood Medical Clinic and West Los Angeles Hospital, where she focused on expanding the role and value of primary care OT. She collaborated with five medical departments and multidisciplinary teams to develop lifestyle intervention services for patients requiring support with bariatric care, chronic condition management, mental health, weight management, sickle cell disease, and pediatric obesity. As a clinical faculty member at the USC OT Faculty Practice, Dr. Thompson will work with clients to improve their self-management of various chronic conditions, primarily in the weight management, smoking cessation, mental health, and health coaching Lifestyle Redesign programs. She is passionate about reducing health disparities for communities traditionally underserved through providing high-quality, culturally humble care, and increasing access to OT services. Her favorite occupations include dancing, cooking, spending time with her friends and family.
Melina Allahverdian OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Melina Allahverdian OTD, OTR/L received her doctorate in Occupational Therapy from USC where she completed her clinical residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice. Dr. Allahverdian primarily works with clients living with chronic headache, chronic pain, post-concussion syndrome, MCAS and dysautonomia. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with her bachelor’s in Biological Sciences where she received a distinction of honor in genetics research. Dr. Allahverdian is passionate about helping clients find strategies that empower their symptom management to build a quality of life that they find inspiring for themselves. Her favorite occupations include self-training in culinary arts, practicing and teaching yoga, supporting service development within the Armenian community, and connecting with art, nature, and her family.
Nora Dixon OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Nora Dixon OTD, OTR/L received her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and Spanish from Elmhurst University and completed her master’s and doctorate degrees in occupational therapy at USC. During her clinical doctoral residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, Nora supported the research, development, and launch of the practice’s gender affirmation program. As a clinical faculty member, Nora works with clients in our college student, gender affirmation, mental health, chronic headache, autism spectrum, MCAS and dysautonomia, ergonomics, and life coaching Lifestyle Redesign programs. To find balance in her life, Nora enjoys planning road trips and visiting new hiking destinations with her dog.
Erin Bussell OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Erin Bussell OTD, OTR/L received her master’s and doctorate in Occupational Therapy from USC. She completed her doctoral residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice. As a clinical faculty member, Dr. Bussell primarily works with individuals to manage diabetes, mental health conditions, weight management, health coaching, and pelvic floor. In addition, she evaluates USC faculty and staff work environments in the ergonomics program. Dr. Bussell is passionate about promoting body positivity, engaging in culturally sensitive care, and evaluating the impact of the environment factors on individuals’ wellbeing. She graduated from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s in Sports Medicine. Dr. Bussell’s favorite occupations include hiking, spending time at the beach, participating in high-intensity Pilates, cooking and baking, and reading.
Kati Wechsler OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Kati Wechsler OTD, OTR/L received her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC. She completed her clinical doctoral residency at the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, where she collaborated with the interdisciplinary team to provide treatment to individuals recovering from concussions, as well as individuals living with chronic headaches and dysautonomia. At the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, Dr. Wechsler is working with clients living with chronic pain, chronic headaches, post-concussion syndrome, MCAS, and dysautonomia. Dr. Wechsler’s favorite occupations include traveling, participating in competitive cheerleading, baking, and exploring Los Angeles.
Hilary Stanek OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Hilary Stanek OTD, OTR/L completed her master’s and post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy at USC and the Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice with a focus in implementing Lifestyle Redesign for individuals with chronic neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy. She is also working with clients in the chronic headache, mental health, and college student programs. She is passionate about supporting people through a lens that is client-centered and with cultural humility. Before pursuing OT, Dr. Stanek earned her BA in Family and Human Services from the University of Oregon and worked in community mental health for 6 years. Dr. Stanek’s favorite occupations include hiking with her dog, expressing creativity through home cooking and baking, going to live music and theater, and attending Angel City FC soccer games.
Anna Lynch OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Anna Lynch OTD, OTR/L completed her master’s and clinical doctoral degrees at USC. She completed her residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she focused on expanding the Lifestyle Redesign for Sleep Disorders program. Dr. Lynch currently works with individuals with chronic pain, chronic headaches, MCAS / dysautonomia, sleep disorders, as well as with individuals in the clinic’s life coaching program. Additionally, Dr. Lynch has over 11 years of yoga teaching experience, which informs the holistic, creative, mindfulness-based approach she incorporates with all of her clients. These approaches go hand-in-hand with Dr. Lynch’s priority of providing client-centered care, as she strives to bring cultural humility to all of her therapeutic relationships and attend to her client’s contextualized circumstances, including addressing systemic barriers and issues of health inequities a client may be facing. Dr. Lynch’s favorite occupations include cooking, baking, hiking, and exploring Southern California.
Kelly Liao OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Kelly Liao OTD, OTR/L completed her master’s and doctorate degree in occupational therapy at USC. She completed her doctoral residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she utilized the holistic lens of Lifestyle Redesign in addressing clients’ mental health and lifestyle balance. Dr. Liao currently works across the programs of college students, mental health, chronic headache, as well as life coaching. She is a certified interpreter in providing language-concordant care in Mandarin, which aligns with her mission in promoting accessibility to services through inclusivity. Dr. Liao’s favorite occupations include weight lifting/strength training, playing with her cat, going to the beach, and attending concerts.
Erin Hult OTD, OTR/L ⟩
Erin Hult OTD, OTR/L received her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University and completed her doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University. During her time as a doctoral student, she developed “Helping Underserved Leaders Transition: A School-based Pre-vocational Skills Program” for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dr. Hult began her career as a School-based therapist before joining the Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice as an OT fellow. She is passionate about meeting patients’ sensory processing needs. She is a fierce advocate for mental health care, neurodiversity affirming care, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Dr. Hult’s favorite occupations include cooking, listening to music, reading and spending time outside whether it be the beach, the city or hiking.
Mary McGregor MA, OTR/L ⟩
Mary McGregor MA, OTR/L earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College before completing her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at USC. As a fellow at the Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, Mary primarily works with clients in the Weight Management, Sleep Disorder, College Students, and Health Coaching programs. Before joining the Faculty Practice, Mary worked as a home health occupational therapist in Santa Barbara. She is a certified Kripalu mindful outdoor guide, passionate about the outdoors and helping people of all abilities access and learn about the healing power of the natural world. Outside of work, Mary likes to hike, ski, travel, go to concerts, and spend time on the water and at the beach.
Susan Xing MSOT, OTR/L ⟩
Susan Xing MSOT, OTR/L received her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at Columbia University, in New York, NY. Susan previously worked as an Occupational Therapist at Bellevue Hospital in NYC where she worked with socioeconomically disadvantaged and medically complex populations in settings spanning acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient. As a fellow at the OT Faculty Practice, Susan provides holistic and inclusive care to a wide variety of client populations including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Headaches and Sleep Disorders. Susan’s favorite occupations include reading, writing, cooking, and running.
Adriana Rivera ⟩
Adriana Rivera attended Cal State University of Los Angeles where she studied communications and business administration. She services as the Clinic Office Manager at OTFP and comes with progressive experience as an operations manager in the Traditional Chinese Medicine field, focusing on reproductive medicine and mind/body health. Adriana excels in team building and business development, and brings with her experience, creativity and innovation. Her passion in the medical industry allows her to train, coach and build strong supportive team members to ensure the clinic’s growth and success, while ensuring a quality experience for the customer. In her free time, Adriana enjoys reading, cooking, going to concerts and spending time outdoors with her family.
Rubina Azaryan ⟩
Rubina Azaryan graduated from the University of Armenia with a bachelor’s degree in communications and language arts. Additionally, she holds an AA degree in the science of library arts. Her other notable certificates are medical/dental office management and billing/coding. Rubina is currently an account representative where she manages and holds accounts, completes billing and follow-ups, ensures quality customer service and maintains reports. Her passion for the medical industry has led to mentoring young adults in pursuing careers in billing/coding and terminology. She is currently a member of the Armenian Members of the Youth, which helps children and adults access clothing and food to build better lives. Her passion of creativity continues to keep her active. She uses her skills to design clothing, baby gifts and jewelry, all from scratch.
Maribell Amador ⟩
Maribell Amador attended Glendale Community College where she studied accounting and Concorde Career College where she obtained her Medical Billing Certification. Maribell serves as the clinical medical biller at the OT Faculty Practice and has 18 years of experience in billing, collections and management in the rehabilitation industry. Maribell assists with managing patients’ accounts including benefits and eligibility, billing and follow ups. Maribell is passionate about helping patients understand their insurance plans so they can access the services that they need to improve their health and quality of life. In her free time Maribell enjoys vacationing with her three sons and husband.
Denise Carmona ⟩
Denise Carmona is a Clinical Client Scheduler at the OT Faculty Practice. She attended Rio Hondo Community College where she studied Business Administration. Prior to joining our team, she worked as a manager handling book-keeping and customer relations in the automobile financing field for 14 years. Denise is passionate about providing high-quality customer service to our OTFP clients both in-person and remotely. She handles many of our front desk duties, including scheduling, intake paperwork and referral organization, and responding to patient inquiries. In her free time, Denise enjoys spending time with her family and developing and promoting her online business.
Viviana Valdovinos ⟩
Viviana Valdovinos is a Clinical Medical Biller at the OT Faculty Practice and has been part of the USC family for over 4 years. She formerly worked in the Audiology Department for three years before joining the OTFP team. She comes with over 10 years of experience in the medical field as a patient coordinator. Viviana supports both the OTFP scheduling and billing teams, including verification of benefits and eligibility and posting billing entries. Viviana is passionate about providing exceptional customer service to our clients through supportive communication, flexibility, and commitment to optimal patient care. In her free time, she enjoys walking her dogs, gardening, and spending time with her friends and family.
Marili Vargas ⟩
Marili Vargas is a Clinical Client Scheduler at the OT Faculty Practice. She graduated from UEI’s medical assistant program and obtained her certification as a medical assistant. She has twenty years’ experience in the medical field, working in multiple medical settings, such as family practice, OB-GYN, and the audiology clinic at USC. She joined our practice in 2024, and has worked directly with the clinic office manager to streamline the front desk processes and provide high-quality customer service to our clients. She handles many of the front desk duties, including scheduling, intake paperwork and referral organization, plus responding to patient inquiries, via phone and email. In her free time, Marili enjoys spending time with her kids and family watching sports games, especially football.
Nancy Holguin ⟩
Nancy Holguin joined our team in October of 2023 as a Clinic Scheduler at the OT Faculty Practice. She formerly worked for an acupuncture clinic of traditional Chinese medicine in Santa Monica, as a front desk receptionist for over ten years. She is very passionate about helping others and thrives in a medical field setting. She enjoys working in a team setting and providing exceptional customer service. Nancy handles most of the front desk duties including handling incoming and outgoing calls, scheduling patients, supporting the front desk team and checking patients in and out. In her free time, she enjoys exercising, trying new vegetarian dishes, watching scare movies and spending time with her family and friends.
Kennia Escareno ⟩
Kennia Escareno works as a Clinical Client Scheduler at the OT Faculty Practice and has over seven years of customer service experience. She provides high-quality service to OTFP clients in-person and remotely, handling tasks like scheduling, intake paperwork and referral organization, insurance, and responding to patient inquiries. Kennia is focused on her academic journey, preparing to soon graduate with an AA and looking forward to pursuing a BA. In her free time, Kennia enjoys studying for upcoming semesters, running, and treating herself to sushi. She is also deeply passionate about volunteering to support communities with social issues and loves to explore her interests in fashion, makeup, and video editing.
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All the therapists were great — truly supportive, kind, encouraging and knowledgeable.
— Participant, Lifestyle Redesign for Weight Management
To make an appointment or for more information contact us today!
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