Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy Student Wins 2023 CSU Trustees’ Award

September 12, 2023 By Kandis Newman

Krystal Lopez is pursuing an advanced degree in occupational therapy (OT) for one simple reason. “I want to help people,” she says.

“A lot of us don’t realize how much we take the things that we’re able to do for granted, until we’re no longer able to do them,” Lopez continues. “Being able to help people regain their independence, become happier, and have a better life overall—that’s what really inspires me.”

Born and raised in Santa Ana, Calif., Lopez is an OT graduate student at CSUDH. After graduating from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social behavior, she decided to transition over to OT studies for her graduate work. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in OT from CSUDH.

Lopez’s hard work and dedication have earned her a 2023 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. The Trustees’ Award is the California State University’s highest recognition of student achievement, providing annual scholarships to one student from each CSU campus who demonstrates superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service, and financial need. In addition to the CSU Trustees’ Award, Lopez was named the 2023 TELACU Scholar.

“The life stories of these extraordinary students who have triumphed over personal hardships to stand among the university system’s most distinguished scholars are a testament to the transformative power of public higher education,” said CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester in announcing the awards.

Lopez’s OT journey began during her senior year at UCI, when she started volunteering at an OT clinic as part of her studies. The COVID-19 pandemic limited her options, but she eventually found a clinic that was accepting new volunteers.

“I really liked it there,” she says. “I loved the people, the staff, and especially the kids I got to work with. I ended up getting offered a job there.”

Many of Lopez’s co-workers at the clinic had an OT background and were familiar with the program at CSUDH. “They spoke really highly of it and said to be prepared because it was really competitive. But I took a chance, applied, and got in! My peers were very happy for me because they went through the same process and knew how difficult it was.”

As a first-generation college student, Lopez is proud to be a part of the CSUDH OT community. “We have really amazing professors that bring a lot of great insights. They’re able to help us understand what we need to learn to be to become better professionals. Even though there’s a big cohort of us in the program, it’s divided into individual sections, which helps us get close to and rely on each other.”

After earning her master’s, Lopez would like to return to Santa Ana and work with children there. “I want to be able to give back to my community. I grew up there and know what kinds of struggles the people go through. I want to bring back the knowledge I’ve gained and bring resources back into the community.

“Basically, I just want to help kids so that they’re also able to do whatever it is that they want to do!”

CSUDH Launches First Doctoral Program

June 15, 2023 By Philip Bader

Group photo of the first OTD student cohort with program coordinator Dr. Eric Hwang. — _{Dr. Eric Hwang (front row center), program director for OTD, with the program’s first student cohort.}

Seventeen students embarked this summer term on an academic journey that no other Toro has yet made. They represent the inaugural student cohort of CSUDH’s Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) program–the first doctoral program offered in the university’s more than 60-year history.

President Thomas A. Parham welcomed the students during an orientation event on May 15 at the Loker Student Union ballroom and applauded their decision to break new ground for generations of students to follow.

“Go into your studies knowing that what you’re doing is significant and worthwhile and makes an enormous difference. Go into it knowing that your institution could not be prouder of you,” Parham said. “You are not only inheriting a legacy from all the work that has been done in the past, but you are poised to set a standard for the future because you are the first.”

Sterling Hager said he was drawn to the program for several reasons. A graduate of CSU Fullerton with a BS in kinesiology, he interned and later worked at a clinic near his home in Santa Ana with graduates of CSUDH.

Dr. Parham addresses the first student cohort at an orientation event on May 15. — _{President Parham speaks to incoming OTD students.}

“Everything they had to say about the master’s program in OT and their exemplary work was really inspiring,” said Hager. “The more I dug into the OTD program, and after meeting the faculty during information sessions, the more I felt like this was the right fit and the kind of legacy I wanted to be a part of.”

Alyanna Paulino came to OT after graduating from UCLA with a bachelor’s in physiological sciences. She returned to her home in the San Francisco Bay Area and got certified as an EMT. “I was originally in Pre-Med but found my heart wasn’t in it. Working for a year as an EMT gave me exposure to a lot of other specializations in healthcare,” she said.

“CSUDH had such a great institutional reputation for the quality of the field work their students perform,” Paulino said. “Listening to patients talk about how OT had improved their lives really showed me that as a discipline, it offered so much of what I was passionate about.”

One of the biggest challenges in creating the OTD program related to institutional mission, said Dr. Ken O’Donnell, Vice Provost and Accreditation Liaison Officer. “The CSUs were created as a system mostly for baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Doctoral programs require a legal exception at the state level,” O’Donnell said.

“You need a more vigorous research agenda than you did before, and faculty have to be ready to pull students up to a level that they may have been at themselves not that long ago. That perspective shift is really the hard part.”

Dr. Ken O'Donnell, the Vice Provost and Accreditation Liaison Officer, speaks to incoming OTD students. — _{Ken O’Donnell speaks at the OTD orientation event.}

O’Donnell said the OTD is just one of several additional doctoral programs CSUDH will launch in the next few years, including a doctorate of education (Ed.D) program in Summer 2024, and a Doctorate of Nursing (DNP) in 2025.

Getting the OTD program up and running took years of work and involved partners up and down the state, said Dr. Terry Peralta-Catipon, OT department chair and associate professor. Peralta spearheaded curriculum development for the program and was involved throughout the process.

“Working with the CSU Chancellor’s Office, we began by drafting AB 289, sponsored by State Assemblymember Richard Bloom and signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2019,” Peralta-Catipon said. “Then we had to work right through the pandemic, developing the curriculum and securing regional accreditation through WASC and professional accreditation through ACOTE. It’s been a very busy five years!”

Sheree Schrager, dean of Graduate Studies and Research, worked with faculty and graduate program directors to establish institutional learning outcomes for the doctoral program, and program director Eric Hwang partnered with Peralta to ensure the doctoral program was distinct from the existing Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Mi-Sook Kim, dean of the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing, said the OTD program represented a significant milestone. “It not only provides a pathway for students from diverse backgrounds to achieve the highest level of expertise in OT, but also contributes to the advancement of the field.”

Part of that advancement lies in the contributions the OTD can make in creating greater diversity in the field, said Sheryl Ryan, an assistant professor and capstone coordinator for the program.

Dr. Terry Peralta speaks to incoming OTD students at an orientation event on May 15. — _{Dr. Terry Peralta-Catipon, chair of the OT department.}

“We’re currently in a moment where there’s a lot of change happening in the profession,” Ryan said. “We want to build greater cultural, sexual, and gender diversity so that future leaders in the field can break new ground, and I think CSUDH is uniquely placed to be a conduit for that.”

Dr. Abbie Bryant serves as field work coordinator for the program and previously worked alongside CSUDH interns and graduates. “They’re just so humble and willing to get their hands dirty, try new things, make mistakes,” said Bryant. “We give them so much hands-on experience in our programs, and they are so supported in trying new things. That really stands out when they get into clinical practice.”

O’Donnell said he was proud of all the hard work that went into creating the OTD program, and that he’s excited to see the impact it has for CSUDH and beyond.

“This is the kind of curriculum that you get excited about because it will make a difference. This is occupational therapy informed by social justice and a commitment to diversity and excellence. This is good for the world, not just for our university.”

Daily Breeze: Cal State Dominguez Hills Receives $700k in Funding

May 5, 2022 By Lilly McKibbin

Barragán (center) with CSUDH faculty, students, and administrators.

Source: Daily Breeze

The Cal State Dominguez Hills nursing and occupational therapy training facilities will receive some serious upgrades thanks to a chunk of federal funding Rep. Nanette Diaz-Barragán helped secure.

The Democratic congresswoman, whose district includes Dominguez Hills, visited the university’s campus, near Carson, on Wednesday, May 4, to present the $700,000 in federal money that will help improve the training laboratory at the College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing.

Diaz-Barragán requested the funds through the recently passed congressional spending package, according to a CSUDH press release.

“This is about you,” Diaz-Barragán said to students during her campus visit. “With upgraded clinical laboratory equipment, students will have access to the modern tools and equipment needed to obtain the skills and training needed to successfully enter the health care workforce.”

The College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing will soon be home to the first and only publicly funded Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy Program in Southern California, officials said.

Dominguez Hills will use the funding to buy new equipment, supplies and teaching tools, including hospital beds, examination tables, a classroom camera, assessment materials and more.

“This investment will contribute to enhanced educational experience, more local hires at hospitals and community centers,” Diaz-Barragán said, “and better public health outcomes in medically underserved communities here in California’s 44th District and throughout the Greater Los Angeles metro area.”

Under guidelines from the House Appropriations Committee – which selects projects to receive funding via the spending bill – each congressional representative can request funding for up to 10 projects in their districts per fiscal year. The process is generally highly competitive as allocations are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams.

State and local governments, as well as specific nonprofits, are the only groups eligible to receive funding through this program, the press release said.

Originally, CSUDH’s program had been allocated $691,680 – but in a relatively unprecedented move, the House Appropriations Committee rounded that number up to $700,000.

It’s “something that rarely happens,” Diaz-Barragán said.

The money will help the university continue educating health care providers who will serve the Greater Los Angeles area, said CSUDH President Thomas Parham.

“These laboratory upgrades will enhance the instructional and research capability of our faculty, the educational experience and success of students, and contribute to improving the delivery of health care and therapeutic services throughout the region,” Parham said in the release, “thus reducing health disparities and fostering long-term health outcomes for generations to come.”

Nursing, OT Skills Labs Receive Federal Appropriations for Upgrades

May 5, 2022 By Lilly McKibbin

Students with Rep. Barragan — Occupational Therapy students with Rep. Barragán.

On May 4, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (D-44th) presented a check for $700,000 to California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) students, faculty, and staff for much-needed upgrades to the College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing facilities.

The special community project funding, which came from the House Appropriations Committee, was requested by Barragán. Originally set for $691,680, the amount was rounded up by the committee to $700,000–something that rarely happens, Barragán noted.

Dean of College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing Mi-Sook Kim, Rep. Barragán, and President Parham.

“This is about you,” Barragán said to the gathered students from the university’s Occupational Therapy program. “With upgraded clinical laboratory equipment, the students at the CSUDH College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing will have access to the modern tools and equipment needed to obtain the skills and training needed to successfully enter the health care workforce.

“This investment will contribute to enhanced educational experience, more local hires at hospitals and community centers, and better public health outcomes in medically underserved communities here in California’s 44th District and throughout the Great Los Angeles metro area where these students will pursue health careers.”

The funding will go toward purchasing new equipment, supplies, teaching tools and simulation capabilities, including hospital beds, examination tables, classroom cameras, assessment materials, and more.

“CSUDH has a stellar record of achievement in educating and graduating nurses, occupational therapists, and other allied medical professionals who serve the healthcare needs of Los Angeles County’s diverse population,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “These laboratory upgrades will enhance the instructional and research capability of our faculty, the educational experience and success of students, and contribute to improving the delivery of healthcare and therapeutic services throughout the region, thus reducing health disparities and fostering long-term health outcomes for generations to come.”

Dean of the College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing Mi-Sook Kim thanked Barragán for her support, adding that the College “humbly accept[s] this gift with a promise that we will return this investment by sending well-trained, competent, health care workers out for the cities and communities in the 44th congressional district and beyond.”

View all of the event photos here.

The CSUDH College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing nursing and occupational therapy skills laboratories provide a training ground for the development of technical skills that prepares nursing and occupational therapy (OT) students to deliver culturally competent care in a wide variety of clinical settings. The only OT program at a public university in Southern California, the college’s OT program is well recognized for its quality and has been approved to develop the first OT doctoral program at a CSU campus. Recent OT master’s degree graduates enjoy a 100 percent pass rate on national OT certification exams. The CSUDH nursing undergraduate program is a pioneer in online nursing education and offers working nurses across the state an opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degree while working. The program’s master’s degree program educates clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse educations, and nurse administrators.

Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each representative may request funding for up to 10 projects in their community for fiscal year 2022– although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding.

CSUDH Alumni Bring OT Skills to Their Texas Practice

April 19, 2022 By Kandis Newman

CSUDH Alumni Bring OT Skills to Their Own Texas Practice — CSUDH alumni Vanessa Yanez and Hiram Corona Martinez

CSUDH Occupational Therapy (OT) alumni Hiram Corona Martinez and Vanessa Yanez long dreamed of running their own practice – and in June 2021, their plans came to fruition with their Bravo Therapy & Independent Living Center in San Antonio, Tex. The married couple’s practice quickly become a success due to their patient-first focus on quality care.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple began to recognize certain patterns in health care that they wanted to change and do differently, explains Yanez. “We saw a real lack of diversity in health care administration and management. Many of them didn’t understand our culture, even though a lot of the patients and clients that we were seeing were Latinx or of Hispanic descent.”

“We wanted to build something that was culturally sensitive and focused just on quality care,” she adds. “Something that was really ingrained in me as an OT student from Dominguez Hills is quality. Focus on giving your best, on bringing in the latest research for your clients. That’s something we really wanted to create together.”

The couple’s practice has been building a network of therapists from various disciplines in the San Antonio metropolitan area. They work in a variety of spaces, from school clinics to in-home visits to remote telehealth. “That’s one of the pillars of our profession,” says Martinez. “We want to work in as natural an environment as possible. Whatever works best for our clients, wherever they are most comfortable, that’s where we provide the services.”

The couple, whose marriage predates their careers in OT, found their way to the discipline in their own unique ways. For Yanez, her interest in OT stems from being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19. The Southern California native worked with occupational therapists throughout her treatment and recovery, and was impressed enough by their dedication and skills to pursue her own OT career.

Texas-raised Martinez had been struggling to get a job in finance due to the 2008 financial crisis when his wife convinced him to give OT a try. “My journey began by volunteering at a local pediatric clinic in California. I saw how occupational therapists work with autistic children, and fell in love with it right away.”

Both Yanez and Martinez chose CSUDH’s OT program because of its sterling reputation among those in the field. “I was looking into different schools and the one that a lot of employers were really talking about, saying that the students come out really prepared, was Dominguez Hills,” recalls Yanez. “It was an easy decision for me to go to CSUDH, because I heard such amazing things about the professors and the quality of students.”

Martinez agrees. “In the occupational therapy field, there’s the knowledge that alumni from CSUDH are very strong candidates, much more so than graduates from other local universities. They’re usually very prepared.”

The couple gives credit for the program’s success to its professors and leadership. “They are very knowledgeable, and have many years in practice,” says Yanez. “You can tell their level of dedication to students. They take their time to meet with them and are really accessible. A lot of the instructors at CSUDH were really like mentors.

“They were really open to guide us, and there was a lot of hands-on learning. Other programs are more theoretical, which is also important, but it’s vital to also have a clinical aspect of it. That’s something that they’ve nailed in the CSUDH OT program.”

CSUDH’s program strives to stay at the cutting edge of the discipline, which Martinez says also contributes to alumni success. “The CSUDH OT program is very dynamic, it’s not static. Every year they ask for feedback from the students, and they modify the program based on that feedback – so it’s a program that stays up to date. It’s very much in contact with the pulse of the industry.”

After several years working in Southern California, the couple moved to Texas to enable Yanez to enroll in a PhD program, and to be closer to Martinez’s family. They got jobs working in the OT departments of different companies, but when COVID-19 hit, “It changed everything,” says Yanez.

In addition to a lack of diversity in the field, the couple was troubled by the “push towards productivity” they saw in their workplaces and across the health care industry. “A lot of clinics and hospitals are now being run by investors,” says Yanez. “For them, the end result is all about money, which means seeing more and more patients.”

“When more and more clients are being shoved onto your schedule, you can kind of lose the human aspect of what you’re doing,” says Martinez. “We wanted to step away from that approach and focus on the basics – 100 percent client care, making sure that they’re taken care of, making sure our therapists are not overworked and are able to maintain that balance.”

In their San Antonio practice, Yanez specializes in oncology (cancer care), which has been her OT focus throughout her education and career – thanks to the inspiration of the therapists who worked with her during her own cancer battle. Martinez, meanwhile, works in pediatric care with a focus on autistic children.

Their practice has been a success, providing access to treatment for a wide range of community members. “There’s a very big need for OT services in this area,” says Yanez. “Opening our private practice is a case of the right time and the right place. We’re glad we’re able to help meet the needs of the community.”

Martinez and Yanez credit CSUDH with giving their OT careers the best possible start. “I don’t think people realize the quality of the professors that we have at CSUDH,” says Martinez. “They’re world class, honestly. In our field, students coming out of Dominguez Hills are highly sought after – they have their clinical skills ready to go.”

Yanez agrees. “CSUDH professors are always so available and so willing to share their knowledge with their students, so we can learn from their experiences and move the profession forward. Dominguez Hills is just doing an incredible job of that.”