Amy Zhao, OTD, OTR/L (she/her/hers)
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy
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Amy Zhao, OTD, OTR/L, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and occupational therapist at Children’s Institute Inc., a community-based mental health organization dedicated to supporting families’ emotional well-being and educational success in the Los Angeles area.
Dr. Zhao completed her post-professional doctoral residency at Children’s Institute with her capstone focused on using a gardening program through a virtual platform in order to support self-regulation for children with behavioral challenges. She is passionate about occupational justice, pediatric mental health and using occupations to empower communities. She returned to Children’s Institute after working in outpatient pediatric settings, where she provides trauma-informed occupational therapy services to children labeled with mental illness and supports the advocacy of occupational therapy in pediatric mental health.
Dr. Zhao believes occupational therapy practitioners have a duty to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice to help all people participate in the occupations they need to, are expected to, and want to. She additionally serves on the OTAC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Occupational Justice Committee.
