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Home ⟩The People of USC Chan ⟩Meet Our Trojan Family ⟩Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD)

Alexis Nalbach MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I found occupational therapy because of my cousin Abby who was born prematurely with several neuromuscular delays. Throughout college I attended Abby’s intensive occupational therapy sessions. I had never been exposed to OT before, but immediately I was amazed by the holistic approach they used towards their patients. They not only treated the patients’ physical needs but also their psychological and emotional well-being. Watching her grow became truly inspiring and by my junior year of college I knew I found the career that would let my spirit shine through and allow me to make a difference in someone’s quality of life for the better.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Throughout all my experiences with occupational therapy what I’m really interested in is chronic care management with chronic diseases and health conditions specifically with diabetes. Although I am really open minded with all areas of OT and look forward to exploring them all to find my best fit!

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
The program is about to begin for myself but already I experienced one of my favorite memories. At the new admit reception the entire USC Trojan band came in to perform for us. I was in absolute awe as this has been a dream of mine to follow in my father’s footsteps and attend USC since I was young. Fight On!

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
If you opened my fridge you would definitely see the best of both worlds! As I try my best to eat a healthy diet, I love to treat myself to some junk food. A few of my must have snacks would be carrots and ranch, any type of fruit, and my guilty pleasure rocky road ice cream!

If you could choose anyone (living or dead) to be your mentor, who would you pick?
If I could choose someone to be my mentor it would be Ellen DeGeneres. She has such an amazing platform that promotes inclusiveness, equality, and positivity. She has positively impacted so many people’s lives throughout the world, she would be a great mentor through my journey of helping people through OT. It doesn’t hurt that she’s hilarious as well!

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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 master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE). The USC entry-level OTD degree program (cost of attendance) has been granted Candidacy Status by ACOTE. View our program’s ACOTE standards public data. ACOTE c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, (301) 652-6611 x2914, acoteonline.org

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for certification by 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.