About Our Research
Completed Projects
For more than 25 years, the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy has been at the vanguard of occupational science research, which is aimed at building the research base for the practice profession of occupational therapy, pursuing basic knowledge concerning the phenomena of human occupation and designing interventions to improve people’s everyday lives. Completed research projects include the following (please note, the below is not a comprehensive list).
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¡Vivir Mi Vida! Pilot Study of a Lifestyle Intervention for Latinos: Long-Term Follow-Up ⟩
Overall Aims: To evaluate the health status and experiences of participants in a lifestyle intervention ¡Vivir Mi Vida! (Live My Life!), one year after conclusion of the program.
Period: Jul 2017 – Dec 2017
Internal Funding $9,897
¡Vivir Mi Vida!: A Pilot Study of a Lifestyle Intervention to Optimize Health Outcomes in Latino Patients ⟩
Overall Aims: To test the feasibility and efficacy of a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention, ¡Vivir Mi Vida! (Live My Life!), intended to improve the health and well-being of late-midlife Latino adults.
Period: Jan 2016 – Jun 2016
Internal Funding $110,000
A Smartphone Application to Improve Physical Activity in Underactive Older Adults ⟩
Despite the health benefits of physical activity (PA), less than 10% of older adults meet national PA guidelines. Barriers to PA range from low self-efficacy and feeling “too old,” to limited social support. Health-related smartphone applications (apps), which are now being used to improve…
Period: Sep 2017 – May 2022
Federal Funding $844,572
Adapting and Implementing a Healthcare Toolkit to Improve Women’s Healthcare Utilization for Autistic Women ⟩
Girls and women are increasingly identified and diagnosed with autism; however, very little research has focused on their health and healthcare needs. Emerging research suggests that autistic women may face disparities in women’s healthcare access and utilization compared to neurotypical…
Period: Oct 2020 – Aug 2022
Federal Funding $123,292
Addressing Uncontrolled Diabetes in Primary Care: A Lifestyle Redesign Approach ⟩
Health Core ⟩ LRCC Lab ⟩HART Lab ⟩
This study is examining the feasibility of implementing an occupational therapy intervention addressing diabetes management in a primary care clinic within the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS), as well as the impact of this intervention approach on clinical outcomes,…
Period: Jul 2017 – Dec 2018
Intramural Funding $74,375
An Experimental Investigation into Staging CTS Utilizing Portable Ultrasound and Doppler as a Diagnostic Alternative ⟩
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a musculoskeletal disorder, afflicting employees who are involved in using their hands for intensive work tasks. An increase in the reported number of cases of CTS has been noted and the causes are still being investigated. Research has indicated that employees at…
Period: Jan 2011 – Dec 2012
Private Funding $4,303
Animal Assisted Therapy as Socially Assistive Technology: Implications for Autism ⟩
This interdisciplinary project develops a new theoretical approach to animal assisted therapy for children with autism. The approach is based on occupational science, a discipline that conceptualizes human occupations in relation to well-being and meaning-making in everyday life, and on socially…
Period: Jul 2008 – Jun 2009
Intramural Funding $22,943
AOTA/AOTF Center for Scholarship and Research at the University of Southern California ⟩
Period: Jan 1996 – Dec 1999
Private Funding $75,000
Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Proposed New Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation CPT Codes ⟩
The American Medical Association CPT code workgroup has developed a proposed set of codes to refine the 97000 series and better reflect the work of therapy services. This study will test the reliability and validity of the proposed codes when used by those currently using CPT codes to bill for…
Period: May 2014 – Feb 2015
Private Funding $23,004
Association of Nerve Movement During Functional Hand Use to Pathology Development in Dental Hygienists ⟩
Nearly 70% of dental hygienists report experiencing discomfort in their forearms/wrists/hands, and more than half of dental hygienists report developing median nerve pathology during their career. To enhance education, develop preventive training programs, and address work-related musculoskeletal…
Period: Aug 2018 – May 2019
Intramural Funding $6,000
Autism in Urban Context: Linking Heterogeneity with Health and Service Disparities ⟩
This two-year multi-method ethnographic project led by Olga Solomon examined health and service disparities in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) diagnosis of African American children living in Los Angeles. The research team followed a cohort of 23 African American families with children diagnosed…
Period: Sep 2009 – Aug 2012
Federal Funding $1,248,025
Beating the Odds: Facilitating Lifestyle Change in Urban Latino Young Adults with Diabetes ⟩
Health outcomes are poor among young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Urban, low-SES Latino young adults with diabetes may be at particularly high risk. Community-based lifestyle interventions have been effective in reducing health declines and improving quality of life…
Period: Jul 2011 – Jun 2014
Federal Funding $146,279
Big Data Neuroimaging to Predict Motor Behavior After Stroke ⟩
The overall goal of this project is to provide personalized, precise rehabilitation medicine to individuals after stroke by developing accurate predictive models that help detect who will recover and best respond to different types of post-stroke treatments. Using a novel meta-analytic approach,…
Period: Apr 2017 – Dec 2020
Federal Funding $802,315
Boundary Crossing: An Ethnographic and Longitudinal Study ⟩
SIEFL Core ⟩ Boundary Crossings Lab ⟩
This four year ethnographic and longitudinal study will examine family cultures and family life among 30 African American families and their children in a way that attempts to avoid an overly homogenized description of how urban families at risk manage challenges in daily life as they try to address…
Period: Sep 2000 – Sep 2004
Federal Funding $2,368,277
Boundary Crossings: Re-Situating Cultural Competence ⟩
SIEFL Core ⟩ Boundary Crossings Lab ⟩
This 4 year longitudinal, urban, multi-method ethnographic study will examine cross cultural healthcare encounters. The study will identify, describe and situate how families contribute to the production of culturally responsive care and the strategies families and practitioners employ to establish…
Period: Jul 2005 – May 2011
Federal Funding $2,424,288
Brain and Cognitive Development in the PASS Cohort: The Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Diversity Supplement ⟩
This research seeks to examine the relationship between the neural networks of sensorimotor integration, caregiver reported measures of sensory processing, behavioral motor measures, and cognitive measures in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure.
Period: Sep 2018 – May 2021
Federal Funding $349,962
Center for Occupational Science-Based Leadership Training in Pediatric Occupational Therapy ⟩
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Maternal and Child Health Bureau, this grant responds to recent statistics which indicate that in the United States mothers and children often fail to receive basic health care services. This lack of care has led to unacceptably high…
Period: Jan 1997 – Dec 2003
Federal Funding $756,162
Co-adaptation of Intelligent Office Desks and Human Users to Promote Worker Productivity, Health and Wellness ⟩
In the U.S., there are 81 million office workers who spend 75% or more of their day working at a desk. Unfortunately, increased daily sitting time is linked to significant health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Multiple other health-related issues arise in these workers…
Period: Aug 2018 – Dec 2022
Federal Funding $687,100
Community Discharge After Hip Fracture ⟩
Among community-dwelling older adults who experience an acute hospitalization and are discharged to post-acute care, the primary rehabilitation goal is community discharge. Yet, little is known about getting post-acute care Medicare beneficiaries back to the community and have them remain there.…
Period: Sep 2011 – Aug 2014
Federal Funding $75,000
Cortically Coupled Computing for Augmented Reality ⟩
This grant will focus on the development and testing of novel systems that integrate virtual and augmented reality with electroencephalography (EEG)-based neurofeedback.
Period: Jul 2017 – May 2019
Federal Funding $160,288
CoYoT1 to California (CTC) — Telemedicine to Engage Young Adults with Diabetes ⟩
The purpose of this study is to adapt and pilot-test a successful telemedicine and shared medical appointment clinical care model for young adults with type 1 diabetes. Previously implemented among a privately-insured population at a diabetes specialty center, we will adapt the care model to meet…
Period: Jan 2018 – Dec 2021
Private Funding $108,784
Crossing Cultural Boundaries: An Ethnographic Study ⟩
SIEFL Core ⟩ Boundary Crossings Lab ⟩
The purpose of this three-year ethnograhic study is to examine how the problems of children with special health care needs are variously understood or framed by family members and health care practitioners, the influence on different frames or misunderstandings on the intervention process, the…
Period: Jan 1997 – Dec 1999
Federal Funding $688,894
Daily Living Context and Pressure Sores in Consumers with Spinal Cord Injury ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
This project examines the beliefs and practices underlying the activities, habits, and daily routines of 18 ethnically diverse consumers with SCI. The intent is to document how personality, lifestyle patterns and choices, and environmental context mutually interact within the individually…
Period: Jan 2000 – Dec 2004
Federal Funding $467,851
Defining the Care Processes that Guide Lifestyle Redesign Informed Occupational Therapy ⟩
Funding Source: In-kind contributions from USC Chan and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center for co-investigators’ and research assistants’ time. Overall Aim: To explore the care processes that constitute Lifestyle Redesign® informed occupational therapy as they have been translated…
Period: Jan 2015 – Aug 2015
Developing a Framework for Integrating Virtual Reality with fMRI and EEG to Measure the Multidimensional Neural Evaluation of Basic and Social Emotions ⟩
Period: Jul 2016 – Dec 2018
Intramural Funding $25,000
Developing Outpatient Therapy Payment Alternatives ⟩
The purpose of this project is to identify, collect, and analyze therapy-related information tied to beneficiary need. This five-year project was conceived to address that lack of therapy-related information tied to beneficiary need and the effectiveness of outpatient therapy services. The…
Period: Jan 2010 – Dec 2013
Private Funding $31,298
Development of a Universal Assessment for California’s Home and Community-Based Services Programs ⟩
Mandated by the passed legislation in the state of California, this project will develop a universal assessment for California’s home and community-based service programs. There are two principal objectives for this work: (1) develop a universal assessment tool (UAT) that meets the requirements of…
Period: Apr 2014 – Mar 2015
Private Funding $133,928
Development of Teaching Material in Support of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT) ⟩
Under this contract, the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy provides updates to the teaching materials used in Western Psychological Services’ continuing education program and provides administrative services as related to the program.
Period: Jun 1998 – Dec 2016
Private Funding $1,269,811
Diabetes Self-Management Lifestyle Intervention for Urban Minority Young Adults ⟩
This three-year mentored career development award pilot-tested an innovative individually tailored, community-based intervention, Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes (REAL), targeting underserved minority young adults with poorly-controlled diabetes. Study outcomes included glycemic…
Period: Jul 2014 – Apr 2018
Federal Funding $456,312
Documenting Progression of Acute to Chronic Musculoskeletal Injuries: A National Survey of Ultrasound Users ⟩
The pervasive issue of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) among sonographers was first reported in a professional editorial more than 30 years ago. Despite growing awareness, current evidence is limited to the prevalence and loose associations among risk factors and WRMSD — no…
Period: Sep 2022 – Aug 2023
Federal Funding $50,817
Early Behavioral Characteristics and Biobehavioral Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Novel Parent-Infant Interaction Paradigm ⟩
This pilot study will examine biobehavioral synchrony during mother-child interactions associated with infants’ at-risk status for later diagnosis of ASD. The findings will provide insights into the relationship between the patterns of the synchrony and early behavioral risk markers of ASD…
Period: Nov 2018 – Aug 2020
Intramural Funding $25,000
Effectiveness of Bowel and Bladder Techniques in Children With Spina Bifida ⟩
Using the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, the aim of this study was to identify effective strategies for managing urinary and bowel complications resulting from spina bifida. Charts of 210 children between 4- and 13-years-old with spina…
Period: Jan 2005 – Dec 2008
Federal Funding $1,125,000
Effectiveness of Two Occupational Therapy Treatments for the Elderly ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
In response to this need, we conducted between 1994 and 1996 a randomized controlled trial, the Well Elderly Study, to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive [Occupational Therapy] specifically targeted for urban, multi-ethnic, independent-living older adults. Typically, OT is provided to older…
Period: Feb 1994 – Apr 1997
Federal Funding $810,890
Effects of Mind-Body Interventions on Stress, Anxiety, and Pain in Hand Therapy Patients ⟩
This cross-over design study is being conducted to evaluate the proximal effects of mindfulness and visual biofeedback on stress, anxiety and pain in patients receiving hand therapy for hand dysfunction due to an orthopedic injury. Using both qualitative and quantitative techniques, this study will…
Period: Jun 2014 – May 2015
Private Funding $3,135
Environmental Barriers and Facilitators for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder during Primary Care Health Encounters ⟩
To identify environmental barriers and facilitators during primary care health encounters for adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Period: Sep 2017 – Mar 2019
Private Funding $49,946
Environmental Factors and their Impact on Children Undergoing Chemotherapy Infusions ⟩
To identify environmental factors that influence the experience of stress during outpatient chemotherapy infusions by interviewing children with cancer, their parents, and their healthcare providers.
Period: Jul 2015 – Dec 2017
Private Funding $188,773
Environmental Impact on Stress during Challenging Healthcare Encounters ⟩
To identify environmental barriers and facilitators during healthcare encounters, develop evidence-based interventions tailored environmental modification interventions to improve care experiences for consumers and healthcare providers, and examine the efficacy and effectiveness of these…
Period: Sep 2017 – Aug 2022
Federal Funding $250,076
Environmental Predictors of Stress in Children Undergoing Chemotherapy Infusions ⟩
Children undergoing cancer treatment are at risk for adverse mental and physical health consequences due to repeated exposures to physical and/or psychological stressors. Although it is well documented that cancer therapies are stressful, there is a lack of data regarding the stress response during…
Period: Jul 2016 – Nov 2017
Intramural Funding $29,400
Evaluation of a Novel Intervention for Infants at Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders ⟩
This project aims to develop and test a parent coaching model for increasing awareness of sensory modulation and communication functions to increase social engagement for infants at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a community sample. Our current ability to detect infants at-risk for…
Period: Aug 2017 – Jul 2020
Federal Funding $79,172
Examining the Relationship Between Clinician-Observed and Patient Self-Reported Visual Function in Everyday Activities ⟩
Self-reports are commonly used to evaluate changes in everyday activities due to progressive visual loss among patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and geographic atrophy (GA). Because the vision loss is insidious it is reasonable to hypothesize that patients may make multiple accommodations…
Period: Jul 2012 – Jun 2013
Private Funding $313,704
Expansion of the C3I Program to Develop Tobacco Cessation Treatment Capacity and Infrastructure for Cancer Patients ⟩
This Administrative Supplement to the NCI P30 Cancer Center Support Grant supports infrastructure building and implementation of tobacco cessation for cancer patients as part of the Cancer Moonshot/Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I).
Period: Sep 2020 – Nov 2021
Federal Funding $33,526 (supplement)
First Years Inventory (FYI) Pilot Study to Culturally Diverse Populations in Los Angeles ⟩
This study aims to add new data to our team’s ongoing research to identify early risk markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and develop better screening tools for infants in the general population. In our previous study in North Carolina, approximately 7000 parents of infants between 8 and 16…
Period: Nov 2018 – Aug 2020
Private Funding $3,000
Health Mediating Effects of the Well Elderly Program ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
Previous theory and research implicates participation in meaningful activity as an important factor in enhancing older adults' health-related quality of life. Consistent with this emphasis, a previous R01 grant completed by our study group demonstrated that an activity-based intervention (the Well…
Period: May 2004 – Apr 2010
Federal Funding $2,247,187
Health Services Utilization of Autistic Youth: Are Therapeutic Services Associated with Reduced Acute Psychiatric Care? ⟩
Autistic youth have high utilization of acute psychiatric healthcare, including psychiatric hospitalizations and using the emergency department for psychiatric reasons, which may indicate that they do not receive sufficient lower-level health services. Community-based therapeutic services like…
Period: Oct 2020 – Sep 2022
Private Funding $99,998
Helmsley Type 1 Diabetes Transition “Let’s Empower and Prepare” (LEAP) Program ⟩
Adolescence is a period of many physical, social, and psychological changes, and maintaining control of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and understanding the healthcare system is often not a priority. Diabetes-related health outcomes worsen during adolescence, with poor adherence to insulin therapy and blood…
Period: Feb 2011 – Dec 2013
Private Funding $1,119,060
Identifying Patient-Centered Fall Prevention Care Process in Hip Fracture Rehabilitation ⟩
The research objective of this three-year mentored career development award is to address the occurrence of fall rates among post-acute care patients by defining gaps in rehabilitation documentation and practice, developing patient-centered evidence based quality measures of rehabilitation services…
Period: Jul 2015 – Dec 2017
Federal Funding $437,222
Identifying Risk Factors for Harm in Children on Invasive Home Medical Therapies ⟩
This grant is funding a pilot study aimed at identifying and understanding the mediators of harm in children who are on home mechanical ventilation and home parenteral nutrition by using systems engineering, human factors approaches and collaboration with parents to reduce risks and harm to the…
Period: Mar 2014 – Jun 2016
Intramural Funding $45,000
Identifying Risk of Musculoskeletal Injury in Dental Hygiene Practice ⟩
Nearly 70% of dental hygienists report experiencing discomfort in their forearms/wrists/hands, and more than half of dental hygienists report developing median nerve pathology during their career. To enhance education, develop preventive training programs, and address work-related musculoskeletal…
Period: Aug 2017 – May 2018
Intramural Funding $4,500
Improving Adherence in Type 1 Diabetes by Peer Mentoring: A Feasibility Study ⟩
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the second most common serious childhood disease in the US, with the rate of incidence accelerating in the most recent decade. Studies show that effective glycemic control decreases the risk of T1D-related secondary complications, highlighting the importance of glycemic…
Period: Oct 2011 – Oct 2013
Private Funding $7,169
Informing a Precision Medicine Approach to Post-Surgical Flexor Tendon Rehabilitation Using Sonography ⟩
The Judy Bell-Krotoski “Grab the Evidence” award is a competitive foundation award funded by the American Hand Therapy Foundation that supports basic research science and evidence-based studies in hand and upper limb rehabilitation. This award will fund a research study that optimizes functional…
Period: Jul 2019 – Jun 2020
Private Funding $6,350
Inner Ear Anatomy and Motor Skills in Children with Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss (Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute Pilot Award) ⟩
This transdisciplinary research project seeks to investigate the correlations among the neural structures of sensorimotor integration and behavioral measures of sensorimotor function in children ages 6-13 with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
Period: Jul 2018 – Dec 2019
Intramural Funding $40,000
Innovative Technology for Autism Spectrum Disorders ⟩
Period: Jan 2009 – Dec 2010
Private Funding $10,000
Integrating Childhood Obesity Prevention into Home Visitation Programs ⟩
This translational study will assess the feasibility, initial efficacy and cost-benefit of delivering a nutrition and physical activity module, named COPE (Childhood Obesity Prevention at homE) to an established Home Visitation Program (HVP) curriculum. Home visitation programs provide in-home…
Period: Jul 2014 – Jun 2015
Intramural Funding $27,686
Integrating Electromyography and Sonographic Imaging for Evidence-Based Physical Therapy for Chronic Pelvic Pain ⟩
Our team used sonography to evaluate the physical mechanisms underlying Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS). We developed and validated a scanning protocol to evaluate the muscles of the male pelvic floor using a transperineal approach. This protocol can be used to evaluate…
Period: Jul 2012 – Jun 2013
Intramural Funding $30,000
Interdisciplinary Leadership in ASD: Optimizing Research-Practice Partnerships for Evidence-Based Outcomes ⟩
Period: Feb 2017 – Jul 2019
Federal Funding $29,875
Investigation of the Neural Mechanisms of Sensorimotor Integration ⟩
Using structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and fMRI techniques, this study seeks to investigate the structural and functional connectivity of sensorimotor integration in typically developing children and those with autism spectrum disorder, aged 6-8 years.
Period: Jul 2013 – Jun 2016
Intramural Funding $128,152
Large-Scale Psychometric Assessment of the ECERS-3 ⟩
This project is designed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-3rd Edition (ECERS-3), the latest version of the most widely used tool for assessing quality in early childhood classrooms. The project has three primary goals: (1) validate the ECERS-3,…
Period: Aug 2017 – Jul 2018
Federal Funding $1,585,103
Lifestyle Redesign® for Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Rural Veterans with SCI ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
The Long Beach VA Health Care System is collaborating with the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy on a demonstration project to develop a sustainable Lifestyle Redesign® program tailored for pressure ulcer prevention in rural veterans with spinal cord injuries to be…
Period: Aug 2012 – Jan 2014
Federal Funding $180,511
Lifestyle Redesign® for Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Spinal Cord Injury (PUPS) ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
Advanced pressure ulcers are a common and medically serious complication of spinal cord injury (SCI) and are associated with extremely high treatment costs and reduced quality of life. However, preventive interventions that address this problem have received very little research attention. To…
Period: Sep 2008 – Jul 2014
Federal Funding $3,035,996
Manual on Well-Elderly ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
Period: Jan 1998 – Dec 1999
Private Funding $26,000
Measurement and Outcomes Post Severe Brain Injury ⟩
The aims are to provide health services research expertise in rehabilitation outcomes and psychometrics for research being conducted on the measurement and outcomes of traumatic brain injury.
Period: Aug 2012 – Jul 2013
Federal Funding $15,071
Median Nerve Mobility: Changes Across Time and Associations with Personal/Work Factors ⟩
This project engages undergraduate students in the analysis of sonographic images of the median nerve as it moves during hand grip to examine the associations of these changes to symptomatology in dental hygiene students.
Period: Aug 2020 – May 2021
Intramural Funding $6,000
Medicare Payment Reform Demonstration and CARE Tool Development Initiatives ⟩
The demonstration will provide standardized information on patient health and functional status, independent of site of care, and will examine resources and outcomes associated with treatment in each type of setting. This will allow Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine the…
Period: Jan 2010 – Dec 2013
Private Funding $44,352
MetaNet: A Multilingual Metaphor Extraction, Representation, and Validation System ⟩
The scope of the USC-led experiment is to conduct a fMRI study on metaphorical language processing and emotion processing to approximately 20 subjects.
Period: Jan 2012 – Dec 2017
Private Funding $293,273
Modulating Motor Behavior by Action Observation and Imitation: Implications for Stroke Rehabilitation ⟩
Abstract Investigators will use MRI and fMRI imaging to examine whether, and how best, the mirror neuron system can be activated following stroke to optimally tailor stroke rehabilitation for individual patients. The human mirror neuron system (MNS) refers to brain motor regions that respond when…
Period: Jan 2012 – Jun 2016
Private Funding $200,000
Modulating the Motor System with tDCS to Enhance Post-Stroke Motor Recovery ⟩
This pilot study will examine how Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) works in post-stroke brain recovery in order to gain critical insight as to how to maximize this promising technology for rehabilitation. Stroke is a leading cause of adult long-term disability worldwide. Despite…
Period: Nov 2018 – Aug 2019
Intramural Funding $23,500
Moving Beyond the Average: Building a Comprehensive Model of Classroom Quality that Incorporates Children’s Individual Experiences ⟩
The goal of this project is to explore how individual children's engagement varies within classrooms and the degree to which variation in child engagement is associated with children's outcomes. Specifically, the research team aims to (i) evaluate the degree to which the average engagement of…
Period: Sep 2020 – Jul 2022
Federal Funding $37,648
Neural Basis for the Production and Perception of Prosody ⟩
Prosody, the melody and intonation of speech, is an extremely important and usually undervalued component of human communication. A significant component of human social interactions depends on prosody. The aim of the present project is to explore the application of recent approaches and concepts in…
Period: Sep 2009 – Dec 2011
Federal Funding $161,690
Neural Correlates of Sensory Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder ⟩
Period: Apr 2021 – Oct 2022
Private Funding
Novel precision medicine approach to advance rehabilitation of surgically repaired tendons of the hand ⟩
The training and research conducted through this full-time competitive fellowship will provide proficiencies in three primary areas related to integrating musculoskeletal sonography into clinical rehabilitation to support patient recovery following surgical tendon repair: 1) musculoskeletal…
Period: Aug 2019 – Jul 2021
Federal Funding $90,032
Occupation and society: Global to local perspectives for the future ⟩
The purpose of this project is to support the inaugural World Occupational Science Conference.
Period: Jul 2022 – Jun 2023
Federal Funding $25,000
Occupational Therapy Student Training: Assistive Computer Technology for Supported Employment of Persons with Disabilities ⟩
Period: Jan 1994 – Dec 1997
Federal Funding $249,266
Occupational Therapy Student Training: Community-Based Programs Promoting Independent Living Skills and Integration for Persons with Disabilities ⟩
Period: Jan 1997 – Dec 2000
Federal Funding $299,910
Optimizing Care for Patients with Dementia: A Comparison of Two Non-Pharmacological Treatment Approaches ⟩
Period: Jan 2018 – Dec 2018
Private Funding $309,977 (shared with USC Price School of Public Policy)
Outcome of Sensory-Based Intervention After Birth Trauma ⟩
The investigators hypothesize that children with significant birth trauma, who receive a specific type of sensory-based [occupational therapy] rehabilitation intervention will have (a) positive psychophysiological changes (e.g., electrodermal activity and vagal tone); (b) improved impulse control…
Period: Sep 2001 – Aug 2003
Private Funding $8,855
Parent-Infant Engaged: Extension Pilot Study to Culturally Diverse Populations in Los Angeles ⟩
This study aims to develop more culturally sensitive early screening tool to identify early risk markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for ethnic minority infants in the general population. The First Years Inventory (FYI; Baranek et al., 2013) is a newly revised screener that has been normed…
Period: Nov 2018 – May 2020
Intramural Funding $3,000
Parent-Infant Physiology Study (PIPS) ⟩
This pilot study examines the relationship between biobehavioral synchrony during mother-infant interactions and early developmental outcomes. The study aims to understand individual differences in behavioral and physiological patterns of dyadic parent-infant interaction and their associations to…
Period: Nov 2018 – Mar 2020
Intramural Funding $25,000
Parents and Infants Engaged (PIE) ⟩
The PIE study is a “proof of concept” evaluation of PIE, an intervention for infants at-risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. This study is a two-site collaboration at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) and the University of Southern California (USC Chan Division). It examines…
Period: Aug 2017 – Jul 2020
Federal Funding $79,172
Picture Naming and Pursuit Rotor: Effects of Estrogen on Memory Performance Among Alzheimer’s Disease and Nondemented Postmenopausal Women ⟩
Period: Jan 1997 – Dec 1999
Private Funding $60,000
Pressure Ulcer Prevention App Development ⟩
To create a mobile phone application that helps patients with spinal cord injury and their clinicians more quickly and efficiently track skin conditions to minimize the development of pressure ulcers.
Period: Feb 2014 – Jan 2015
Private Funding $8,000
Public Mental-Behavioral Health Pipeline Program ⟩
The Pipeline Program will provide customized learning experiences, academic support, career development, mentorship and financial assistance in order to increase the number of occupational therapy students enrolled in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy entry-level…
Period: Jun 2018 – Jun 2019
Private Funding $121,801
Rapid Prompting Method of Communicating with Severely Autistic Children: A Language Socialization ⟩
The study examined from an anthropological, language socialization perspective a practice of “Rapid Prompting” used for communication with children diagnosed with autism. The study employed ethnographic methodology, which included participant observation and video recording in naturalistic…
Period: Jan 2006 – Dec 2006
Private Funding $22,730
REINVENT: A Closed-Loop VR Neurofeedback System for Motor Recovery after Severe Stroke ⟩
This study will examine the preliminary effectiveness of a novel system that could provide an innovative new way for individuals with severe motor impairments after stroke, who cannot activate motor regions through volitional movement, to train and strengthen neural connections between the brain and…
Period: Jan 2016 – Dec 2018
Private Funding $149,446
RRTC on Measuring Rehabilitation Outcomes and Effectiveness ⟩
Period: Jan 2009 – Dec 2011
Federal Funding $59,146
School-Based Occupational Therapy Training Grant ⟩
Period: Jan 2004 – Dec 2009
Federal Funding $795,510
Sensory Adapted Dental Environments to Enhance Oral Care for Children (SADE-2) ⟩
SIEFL Core ⟩ SADE Lab ⟩TEM Lab ⟩
The SADE-2 study is a randomized clinical trial of 184 ethnically diverse children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We are investigating the efficacy of a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) compared to a regular dental environment (RDE) to decrease children’s physiological anxiety,…
Period: May 2015 – Apr 2022
Federal Funding $3,783,021
Sensory Adapted Dental Environments to Enhance Oral Care for Children with Autism ⟩
Abstract The goal of this research project is to collect information that will support a later clinical trial on the effectiveness of a specially adapted dental environment for children who have difficulty tolerating oral care in the dental clinic. Within this project, two groups of children will be…
Period: Sep 2011 – Aug 2015
Federal Funding $531,376
Social isolation, third places, and precarious employment circumstances: A scoping review ⟩
The purpose of this study is to understand the state of knowledge regarding place, social isolation, and connectedness in the lives of people without stable workplaces.
Period: Mar 2022 – Jan 2024
Federal Funding $29,870
Sonographic Tissue Morphology in Early Stage Work-Related Median Nerve Pathology ⟩
The goal of this grant is to evaluate the impacts of intensive hand activity on sonographic measurements of tissue morphology, discomfort and occupational performance in a longitudinal study to develop a predictive model of morphologic progression of pathology and screening techniques for early…
Period: Sep 2015 – Sep 2020
Federal Funding $2,324,186
The Effectiveness of Two Occupational Therapy Treatments for the Elderly ⟩
Health Core ⟩ Lifestyle Interventions for Health Promotion and Prevention Lab ⟩
Period: Jan 1994 – Dec 1997
Private Funding $90,000
The Mirror Neuron System (MNS) and Action Observation after Stroke Affecting Cortical Motor Regions ⟩
The putative human mirror neuron system (MNS) is defined as motor brain regions that respond both when we perform an action, and when we observe similar actions being performed by others. Thus, the motor system may be engaged without overt movement. Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke is…
Period: Jul 2011 – Jun 2014
Federal Funding $162,000
The Mirror Neuron System (MNS): A Neural Substrate for Methods in Stroke Rehabilitation ⟩
This study aims to understand how individuals with stroke process actions. In particular, are similar brain regions active when they make an action and when they watch someone else make an action? What parts of the brain are active when they observe an action that, due to their stroke, they…
Period: Jul 2010 – Jun 2014
Private Funding $231,000
The Neurobiological Basis of Heterogeneous Social and Motor Deficits in ASD ⟩
This goal of this study is to better understand the relationship between variation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) along both social and motor dimensions by showing how these variations, using functional MRI imaging, relate to functioning in social and motor brain networks and functional…
Period: Apr 2015 – Jan 2020
Federal Funding $2,151,952
The Relationship Between Brain Functioning, Behavior, and Microbiota in Autism Spectrum Disorder ⟩
Gastrointestinal (GI) issues are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can lead to a lower quality of life. Several studies have linked these GI issues to altered gut microbial makeup in ASD. But research has not yet clarified how this may be related to the core features of ASD…
Period: Sep 2018 – Aug 2021
Federal Funding $506,659
Training Occupational Therapy Specialists: Personnel Preparation to Serve Young Children with Disabilities ⟩
From 2008 to 2013, the Training Occupational Therapist Specialists (TOTS) program fostered the specialized preparation needed for entry-level occupational therapists to serve infants, toddlers, and young children with special needs throughout California and nationally. Funded by an $800,000 grant…
Period: Jan 2008 – Dec 2013
Federal Funding $800,000
TREET: Training in Rehabilitation Efficacy and Effectiveness Trials ⟩
Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) continue to be the gold standard for assessing the efficacy and effectiveness of rehabilitation science interventions. Unfortunately, relatively few researchers have completed large-scale trials of rehabilitation interventions, and there are no centralized training…
Period: May 2011 – Apr 2016
Federal Funding $1,084,601
USC School-Based Occupational Therapy Training Project ⟩
The purpose of this U.S. Department of Education sponsored grant is to provide services for children with high-incidence disabilities in school settings. Shortages of school-based occupational therapists are noted across the nation, with an acute need documented in California. The project will train…
Period: Jan 1998 – Dec 2001
Federal Funding $568,130
Using EHR Data to Monitor Functional Recovery in Adults with Brain Injury during Inpatient Rehabilitation ⟩
The goals of this pilot study were to (1) document procedures for cleaning and managing electronic health record data for research on rehabilitation services and outcomes and (2) explain the association of functional recovery with therapy time and content over an episode of inpatient rehabilitation…
Period: Dec 2020 – May 2023
Private Funding $92,241
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