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Designing belonging: Advancing science on environmental modifications to foster activity engagement and social connection among individuals with serious mental illness

Health Core ⟩ HEAL Lab ⟩

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) experience unconscionable disparities in health and longevity, which are exacerbated by social isolation and loneliness. The objective of this career development award is to build the foundation for a unique program of research focused on how behavioral mechanisms of action (social interaction and activity engagement) can reduce social isolation among people with SMI through targeted, co-designed environmental modifications in community mental health centers. This will be achieved through an innovative, stepwise, mixed-methods research plan integrated with world-class mentorship and training in:

1. socio-spatial methods (GIS, social network analysis, and ecological momentary assessment);
2. theory interlinking environmental design, behavior and health; and
3. intervention co-design based on community-based participatory research principles.

Funding

Type	Source	Number	Amount
Federal	National Institute of Mental Health	1K01MH136343-01A1	$184,540

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.