Megan Seifert OTD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy
CHP 133
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Megan Seifert OTD, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy at the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Megan works as an acute care therapist at the Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. She specializes in providing care for oncology and hematology populations, and serves as a mentor for fieldwork students.
Selected Publications
Seifert, M., Morikawa, S., & Amanat, Y. (2025). Exploring the functional and psychosocial impacts of CAR T-cell therapy from an occupational therapy perspective. Journal of Acute Care Occupational Therapy, 7(1), 1–36. Full text Show abstract
Background. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy with preliminary success in treating blood cancers, however, it is associated with adverse side effects that can impact patients’ functional statuses. There is a need to further explore side effects associated with CAR T-cell therapy and the role that occupational therapy may serve in addressing affected areas. The purpose of this study was to explore the functional and psychosocial effects patients experience while undergoing CAR T-cell therapy to better understand the rehabilitation needs from an occupational therapy perspective.
Methods. A retrospective chart review was completed to collect data from patients who underwent CAR T-cell therapy at a cancer hospital between February 2024 and July 2024. Patients were included if they received occupational therapy services throughout their inpatient stay, including completion of selected assessments prior to infusion, day +3 following infusion, day +6 following infusion, and day +9 following infusion.
Results. Trends between assessment scores prior to infusion and prior to discharge were explored with each patient. Although with varied results, this study found that CAR Tcell therapy may affect patients’ cognition, psychosocial wellbeing, grip strength, balance, and fatigue levels.
Discussion. Occupational therapy practitioners in acute care oncology can focus on the areas identified in this study to support evaluation and intervention planning for patients undergoing inpatient CAR T-cell therapy.
Keywords. acute care, cancer, CAR T-cell therapy, occupational therapy, oncology, rehabilitation
