Lifestyle Redesign

Meet Our Team

Chantelle Rice Collins OTD, OTR/L, CDCES, LRC, FAOTA ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Dr. Chantelle Rice Collins, OTD, OTR/L, CDCES, LRC, FAOTA has over 15 years of experience as a Lifestyle Redesign clinician, with expertise in weight management, diabetes care, and mental health. As Director of the Faculty Practice, she oversees clinical operations and provides strategic leadership, supervision, and mentorship to faculty clinicians, post-professional fellows, and student trainees, supporting high-quality care, education, and workforce development.

Lindsey Shomer OTD, OTR/L, CEAS, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Lindsey Shomer, OTD, OTR/L, CEAS, LRC earned her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC and completed her residency at the USC OT Faculty Practice. As Clinical Manager, she oversees clinic operations, faculty, staff, and trainees, and specializes in Lifestyle Redesign® for headache, pain, and sleep disorders. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and is a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist. 

Tracy Jalaba OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Tracy Jalaba, OTD, OTR/L, LRC completed her doctoral residency at the USC OT Faculty Practice. She specializes in Lifestyle Redesign® for ASD, college student, mental health, sleep disorders, and ADHD programs. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and is a PEERS® Young Adult Certified Provider.  In addition to her work at OTFP, she represented OT in the USC Office for Student Accessibility Services for seven years.

Rebecca Cunningham OTD, OTR/L, MSCS, LRC ⟩

Rebecca Cunningham, OTD, OTR/L, MSCS, LRC earned her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC and completed her residency at the USC OT Faculty Practice. She is a certified MS specialist and provides Lifestyle Redesign® services focused on chronic condition self-management for MS, Parksinson’s disease, epilepsy, sleep disorders, and MCAS and dysautonomia.

Nora Dixon OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her)

Nora Dixon OTD, OTR/L, LRC earned 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 gender affirmation, college student, mental health, chronic headache, autism spectrum, ADHD, MCAS and dysautonomia, life coaching Lifestyle Redesign® programs.

Emma Schiewe OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Emma Schiewe OTD, OTR/L, TTS, LRC earned her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC and completed her residency at the USC OT Faculty Practice. Emma works as a clinical faculty member practicing Lifestyle Redesign® in our oncology program and within primary care OT, addressing concerns with chronic conditions such as mental health, weight management, and women’s health. Emma became a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist in 2022 to support clients quit smoking and vaping.

Marilyn Thompson OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/ella)

Marilyn Thompson OTD, OTR/L, LRC earned her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California and completed her doctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente. As an assistant professor of clinical occupational therapy at USC and clinical faculty member, Dr. Thompson focuses on supporting clients in chronic condition self-management while advancing culturally responsive care and health equity for underserved communities.

Melina Allahverdian OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Melina Allahverdian OTD, OTR/L, LRC earned her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC, and she completed her doctoral residency at the USC OT Faculty Practice. She specializes in Lifestyle Redesign® and works with clients living with chronic headache, post-concussion syndrome, chronic pain, sleep disorder, and other autoimmune diagnoses including MCAS and POTS/dysautonomia.

Erin Bussell OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Erin Bussell OTD, OTR/L, LRC, CEAS II 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 practices Lifestyle Redesign®, addressing diabetes, mental health conditions, weight management, health coaching, college students, and pelvic floor issues. She is also a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist. Dr. Bussell is passionate about promoting body positivity, engaging in culturally sensitive care, and evaluating the impact of environmental factors on individuals’ well-being.

Katherine (Kati) Wechsler OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Kati Wechsler, OTD, OTR/L, LRC received her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC, and she completed her doctoral residency at UCLA’s BrainSPORT clinic. At the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, Dr. Wechsler works with clients living with chronic pain, headaches, post-concussion syndrome, MCAS, POTS/dysautonomia, and sleep disorders.

Hilary Stanek OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Hilary Stanek, OTD, OTR/L, LRC earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in occupational therapy from USC and completed a doctoral residency at USC’s OT Faculty Practice. She now serves as clinical faculty providing Lifestyle Redesign® services to individuals with chronic neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, headache/migraine, and epilepsy.

Anna Lynch OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩

Anna Lynch, OTD, OTR/L, LRC completed her masters and clinical doctorate at USC. During her residency, she supported the growth of the Lifestyle Redesign® for Sleep Disorders program and integration of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia into a Lifestyle Redesign® framework, and she continues to serve clients with sleep disorders. A neuro-affirming and trauma-informed OT with 14 years of yoga teaching experience, Anna also sees clients with headache disorders, pain, MCAS, POTS, and post-concussion.

Kelly Yu Chien Liao OTD, OTR/L, LRC ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Kelly Liao OTD, OTR/L, LRC, earned her master’s and doctorate in occupational therapy at USC and completed her doctoral residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice. She works with college students, ADHD, mental health, chronic headache, and life coaching populations. Dr. Liao is a certified Mandarin interpreter, supporting accessible and inclusive, language-concordant care.

Susan Xing MSOT, OTR/L ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Susan Xing MSOT, OTR/L earned her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University. She began her career at Bellevue Hospital in NYC, then completed her fellowship at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice where she now serves as a clinical faculty member. Susan is passionate about functional cognition and works with individuals with Parkinson’s, MS, post-concussion, headache, chronic pain, mental health, and ADHD.

Savanna Forry MA, OTD, OTR/L ⟩
(she/her)

Savanna Forry OTD, OTR/L earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California, where her doctoral studies at the USC Kortschak Center for Learning and Creativity focused on supporting academic engagement for individuals with developmental, learning, and mental health disabilities at the college and graduate level. She has diverse experience across college athletics and outpatient pediatrics, specializing in working with teens, young adults, and student-athletes.

Bethany A. Gruskin PhD, MSOT, OTR/L ⟩
(she/her)

Bethany Gruskin, PhD, MSOT, OTR/L earned her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of New England and her doctorate from the University of Southern California. She is currently completing her fellowship at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice. Bethany leverages her strong background in research to facilitate collaborative Lifestyle Redesign® inverventions, specializing in chronic pain, chronic headache, MCAS/dysautonomia, sleep disorders, mental health, and college students.

Hannah Schultz MSOT, OTR/L ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Hannah Schultz, MSOT, OTR/L, earned degrees in both Speech/Language Pathology & Audiology and Occupational Therapy from Iona University in New Rochelle, NY. She has previously worked as a pediatric OT with LAUSD treating pre-K to young adults. Currently completing a Lifestyle Redesign® fellowship, she specializes in weight management, diabetes management, mental health, Long-COVID, college students, and sleep disorder.

Katherine Loera OTD ⟩

Katherine Loera, OTD, OTR/L, earned her bachelor’s and doctorate in occupational therapy from USC and completed her residency at the UCLA BrainSPORT clinical program. Katherine works as a clinical staff member in the OT Faculty Practice Fellowship Program, providing services to individuals living with chronic pain, headaches, post-concussion syndrome, MCAS, POTS/dysautonomia, and sleep disorders. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Lifestyle Redesign from USC and is currently pursuing her certification in Lifestyle Redesign®.

Yung-Hsin (Cindy) Chang MS, OTR/L ⟩

Yung-Hsin (Cindy) Chang, MS, OTR/L earned her OT degree in Taiwan and has clinical experience across hospital, inpatient, and skilled nursing settings. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Lifestyle Redesign® from USC and is currently pursuing her Post-Professional OTD at USC, with a focus on supporting college and international students through holistic, evidence-based care.

Adriana Rivera  ⟩

Adriana Rivera is a dedicated healthcare, result-driven leader with a business administration and communications background from Cal State LA. As Clinical Office Manager, she expertly manages front desk and billing operations, fosters teamwork, and streamlines processes to improve patient experience and workflows. Her compassionate approach enhances patient satisfaction and supports sustainable practice growth. Adriana’s combination of strong administrative skills, empathetic leadership and operations management drives her to successfully manage a strong healthcare team.

Rubina Azaryan ⟩

Rubina Azaryan is the Billing Supervisor at the OT Faculty Practice, where she manages accounts, oversees billing department workflows, and ensures high-quality customer service and accurate financial operations. She holds degrees in Library Science and certifications in medical and dental office management, billing, and coding. She is also an active member in Armenian Members of Youth.

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 Account Representative at the OT Faculty Practice and has 24 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.

Viviana Valdovinos ⟩
(she/her/hers)

Viviana Valdovinos is a clinical biller with 10+ years of experience. She has served USC since 2020. Supporting scheduling and billing, she specializes in benefits verification and patient care. Viviana is dedicated to exceptional service and enjoys gardening and spending time with loved ones.

Marili Vargas ⟩

Marili Vargas is a Clinical Client Scheduler at the OT Faculty Practice. A UEI-trained, certified Medical Assistant with over 20 years of experience, she has worked in family practice, OB-GYN, and USC audiology. Since joining in 2023, she has streamlined front desk operations and delivers high-quality patient service. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, particularly watching football and other sports.

Nancy Holguin ⟩

Nancy Holguin joined the OT Faculty Practice in October 2023 as a Clinic Scheduler. Bringing over a decade of experience from a Santa Monica acupuncture clinic, she excels in patient scheduling, phone management, and front-desk support. Nancy is passionate about medical service and collaborative environments. Outside of work, she enjoys exercising, exploring vegetarian cuisine, watching horror movies, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Eva Bautista ⟩

Eva Bautista recently joined the OT Faculty Practice as a Clinical Client Scheduler. She has more than ten years of experience as an Executive and Administrative Assistant, offering strong organizational skills, professionalism, and reliability. Eva is currently training as a Medical Assistant. She is known for her ability to manage complex tasks, multitask effectively, and maintain accuracy in fast‑paced environments. She excels in delivering exceptional customer service and providing compassionate care to every client she supports.

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To make an appointment or for more information contact us today!

USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9003

ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is in Accreditation–Inactive status by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.

Professional program graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.