Marinthea Richter OTD
Faculty Mentor: Bobbi Pineda PhD, OTR/L, CNT
Research Lab: NICU Therapy Lab
Year of Entry: 2020

Research Interests
I am currently a PhD student in the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy working under the guidance of Dr. Bobbi Pineda. My research interest relates to the neurodevelopmental outcomes of high-risk infants and early intervention focusing on neonates. I became interested in this field during my clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist in South Africa, where I worked in pediatric acute care and outpatients at a large tertiary hospital. My current role as a PhD student is to support Dr. Pineda’s work related to the Supporting and Enhancing Neonatal Sensory Experience program (SENSE), and her research on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature infants admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. My long term goal is to return to South Africa and continue with research on factors that may influence the neurodevelopmental outcomes for NICU survivors in developing countries.
Education
Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
2020 | University of Southern California
Masters in Early Childhood Intervention (MECI)
2017 | University of Pretoria
Bachelors in Occupational Therapy (BOT)
2012 | University of Pretoria
Publications
Journal Articles
Meether, M., Bush, C. N., Richter, M., & Pineda, R. (2020). Neurobehavior of very preterm infants at term equivalent age is related to early childhood outcomes. Acta Paediatrica. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.15595 Show abstract