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

Camille Hazen MA ’22

What brought you to occupational therapy?
Sports! I ran track & field in high-school and college, then went on to work at an adaptive sports program. At the adaptive sports program I worked with individuals who have cognitive, physical, behavioral, and developmental disabilities on participating in skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, boating, hiking, etc in the outdoors. During this time, a friend pointed me toward OT and after shadowing in an outpatient pediatric setting, I was all in!

What area of practice are you interested in?
Pediatrics.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
My background primarily existed in athletics (cross-country, track & field). I ran middle-distance races — 1500, mile, 5k, 4x400 — and still continue to participate in an all women’s club racing team called The Janes based out of Los Angeles. My goal was to make the Olympics, and as stress fractures began to show up my career came to a halt. These injuries became a blessing in disguise because I was able to travel more, meet more people, and eventually landed in Telluride, Colorado where I worked for Telluride Adaptive Sports Program and ran an inclusion program for kids at a summer camp called Telluride Academy . . . and I met my husband!

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Running, surfing, snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking and yoga.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
I really enjoyed when we zoom-pranked Dr. Rafeedie and Jane Baumgarten by copying their zoom background. Everyone had a “USC Chan” poster or a “TB 12” in their background and it was amazing.

How do you plan to use Occupational Therapy in the future?
To empower students of all ability levels and to inspire a “new normal” in the school system that involves inclusion in every decision and conversation.

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
Being the most lazy active person on the planet. I enjoy a 10-mile run, but I also enjoy a good Netflix marathon.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Everything in moderation, including moderation.

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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 accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is accredited 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 apply for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. All states require licensure to practice; a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® OTR certification examination or attain state licensure. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.