USC Occupational Therapy History

Since occupational therapy was introduced at USC as a baccalaureate program in 1942, the University of Southern California has established an unparalleled record of excellence in service to the profession of occupational therapy and the research discipline of occupational science. Today, the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is an internationally recognized leader in education, research, and clinical practice, thanks in part to a legacy of innovation and leadership including the following:

USC inaugurated the nation’s first Occupational Therapy post-professional degree program in 1947
USC created the world’s first doctoral program in Occupational Science in 1989
The landmark “USC Well Elderly Study” was the first occupational therapy research to be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, in 1997
U.S. News & World Report ranked USC #1 in the first national ranking of Occupational Therapy graduate programs in 1998, and today USC remains ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report, holding the top spot for more years than all other educational programs combined
4 Trojans have been elected President of the American Occupational Therapy Association
15 Trojans have received the AOTA Eleanor Clarke Slagle Award, the profession’s most prestigious academic recognition
60 Trojans have been selected as Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association
3 Trojans have been elected President of the Occupational Therapy Association of California
A. Jean Ayres’ influential theory and practice of Sensory Integration took root at USC
The Lifestyle Redesign^® research-based occupational therapy intervention approach for promoting wellness and minimizing preventable illness was developed at USC

Timeline

View a timeline of highlights (PDF) spanning over seven decades of USC occupational science and occupational therapy.

←1/37→

1917 - Occupational Therapy Founded

The National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy is established.