Our Approach to Occupational Science Research

The figure below provides an overview of our conceptual approaches to conducting occupational science research.

USC Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Research Diagram

Three strengths that are not explicitly highlighted in this figure are:

Life span perspective — our research spans infancy through frail elderly, and some of our work is longitudinal.
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, well-being, community re-integration, family life, and health disparities.
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.”