University of Southern California

Redesigning Lives. The Future of Healthcare

Research

USC Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Research Diagram

The Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at USC is internationally recognized for its academic excellence, innovation in research, sustained acquisition of extramural funding, and leadership in implementing successful models of interdisciplinary research. Understanding “real people” in “real lives” requires conceptual and methodological expertise that has been, and continues to be, developed through scholarship in the fields of occupational science and occupational therapy. 

The figure above provides an overview of our conceptual cores. Three strengths that are not explicitly highlighted in this figure are:

  1. life span perspective — our research spans infancy through frail elderly, and some of our work is longitudinal;
  2. study of interrelationships and cross cutting themes — in brief, much of our research has cut across more than one core, or has deliberately addressed the intersections of core conceptual areas, such as health and well-being and community re-integration, and family life and health disparities;
  3. commitment to socially responsive research — our roots in a practice profession, and our continued development of therapeutic practices, provide us with a lens directed toward the “mattering” of scholarship, a desire to make a measurable difference for “real people.”

Methodologically, we are particularly strong in translational research, randomized clinical trial design and qualitative research approaches.  Our division is unusual in that our research programs span a broad continuum of modes of inquiry.  In addition, we are contributing to the development of innovative solutions to methodological and analytic challenges related to studying lives in context.  We remain committed to facilitating the dissemination of research findings to practitioners and the public and promoting approaches to scholarship that facilitate the integration of theory and practice.

Additional detail related to funded research programs, faculty scholarship, and research collaborations are provided in the menu to the left.