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Julia Lisle MA ’21

What brought you to occupational therapy?
When I was in highschool, I started volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding center. In this role, I had the opportunity to work alongside occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, and many wonderful clients who had a variety of needs. I enjoyed occupational therapy sessions the most because of how client-centered the therapists were. This experience led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in rehabilitation, where I expanded my knowledge of disability studies and various areas of rehabilitation. In the end, occupational therapy was the clear choice because it aligned with my values and interests.

What area of practice are you interested in?
I am interested in pediatric feeding and swallowing as well as pedagogy. One day I hope to teach occupational therapy graduate courses.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
In the pediatrics immersion, our last day of class is spent building an adaptive therapy tool out of cardboard and materials found in the classroom. My group built an adapted scooter board. The entire class period was spent laughing, as we tried to figure out how we were going to complete this task. At the end of class each group presented their creation in an SNL infomercial format. I was so impressed by my classmates’ humor, creativity, and resourcefulness.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Costa Rica.

You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest?
Paul McCartney, I’m a big Beatles fan.

Note: Julia is now Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy in the Chan division.

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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.