Melina Allahverdian OTD, OTR/L (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy
HRA 500
(323) 442-3340
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Curriculum Vitae
Melina Allahverdian, OTD, OTR/L graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with her bachelor’s in Biological Sciences. She later 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 neurological conditions including chronic headache, post-concussion recovery, and chronic pain, as well as with clients in our autoimmune, weight management, and college student programs.
She is passionate about empowering clients to build a quality of life that they find inspiring for themselves. Her favorite occupations include her self-training in culinary arts, practicing and teaching yoga, volleyball, supporting service development within Armenian communities, and time to connect with art, nature, and her family.
Education
Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
2021 | University of Southern California
Master of Arts (MA)
in Occupational Therapy
2020 | University of Southern California
Bachelor of Science (BS)
in Biological Sciences
2017 | University of California, Santa Barbara
Selected Publications
Reeves, L., Axtell, S., Ravikumar, S., Sako, M., & Allahverdian, M. (2020). Program development, implementation and outcomes of a mindfulness training program for an interdisciplinary headache team at an academic medical center [Presentation at the 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society]. Headache, 60(S1), 148. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13893 Show abstract
Surveys have shown that 60% of neurologists and 57.4% of headache specialists in the United States reported at least one symptom of burnout. Other studies suggest that neurologists experience some of the highest rates of burnout compared to other physician groups along with lowest rates of work-life balance. Burnout symptoms include emotional exhaustion, physical symptoms, decreased performance, and career dissatisfaction. Mindfulness based stress reduction, relaxation techniques, and cognitive behavioral interventions have been shown to reduce burnout. Spurred by the knowledge of the disproportionate rates of burnout in neurologists, a new mindfulness training program was developed and implemented amongst an interdisciplinary headache team at an academic medical center. The purpose of this study is to explain the program development and implementation of a new mindfulness training curriculum and present the outcomes on burnout and professional quality of life amongst interdisciplinary headache team members.
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