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

Sophie Lovell MA ’23

What brought you to occupational therapy?
My little sister had an extremely rare degenerative disease and my experiences with her led me to a love of working with children with disabilities. I hope to be able to share what I learned through my experiences and provide the compassion and support to others that was so integral to our family’s time with my sister.

What area of practice are you interested in?
My mind is open to all fields right now, but I am particularly passionate about pediatrics, early intervention, and sensory integration.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
My little sister was born with a rare degenerative disease called Sanfilippo Syndrome that affects 1 in 70,000 individuals. I grew up helping take care of her until she passed away in 2015. This led to my passion for working with disabled children and helping families navigate the fear and confusion that comes alongside a diagnosis. Therefore, I volunteered with groups that help individuals with rare diseases, was a substitute teacher in a special education school, became a hippo-therapy volunteer, visited children in the inpatient hospital, and much more. Through these experiences, I found occupational therapy and felt that this fit in exact alignment with my goals.

How do you plan to use Occupational Therapy in the future?
I am interested in starting my own OT practice for pediatrics and early intervention.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I would love to go to New Zealand and just explore the area!

You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest?
Betty White! The Golden Girls is the best!

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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.