Meet Our Trojan Family
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
in Occupational Science

Find out about some of the students and alumni from each of our academic programs. The Trojan Family of students at USC Chan have a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and interests. Click their names and photos to find out more.

Current students are invited to submit their information for a featured profile.

Yujia Mo 莫宇佳 PhD ’26 ⟩

Hometown: Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 2026

Aditya Jayashankar PhD ’24 ⟩

Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 2024

Buwen Yao 姚卜文 PhD ’22 ⟩

Hometown: Jilin, China

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 2022

Raymond Hernandez PhD ’21 ⟩

Hometown: Glendale, California

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 2021

Kristine Carandang PhD ’18 ⟩

Hometown: Stafford, VA

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 2018

Sook-Lei Liew PhD ’12 ⟩

Hometown: Plano, TX

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 2012

Heidi McHugh Pendleton PhD ’98 ⟩

Hometown: Palo Alto, CA

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 1998

Louise Farnworth PhD ’98 ⟩

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 1998

Doris Pierce PhD ’96 ⟩

Hometown: Richmond, KY

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 1996

JoAnne Wright PhD ’95 ⟩

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT

Program: PhD in Occupational Science, Class of 1995

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®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status 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. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®).

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.