Faculty and Staff

OT faculty in graduatioon regalia group photo in 2024

The Occupational Therapy Department faculty are excellent teachers, experienced clinicians, and nationally recognized leaders and scholars in the profession.

All of the faculty members are occupational therapists with advanced degrees, diverse backgrounds, specializations, interests and expertise including: physical and mental health rehabilitation, pediatrics, community mental health, gerontology, independent living skills, measurement and research, international occupational therapy, multicultural issues, the history of occupational therapy, kinesiology, infant and family mental health, psychogeriatrics, family-centered intervention, neurological rehabilitation, the social inclusion of children, job analysis, the uses of therapeutic humor, and health promotion.

Follow the links below for faculty and staff directory:

Department Chair

Faculty

Emeritus/Emerita Faculty

Staff

Faculty Awards and Honors

The Occupational Therapy Department is excited to announce the awards and honor garnered by our faculty members.

TAA Announces 2025 Textbook Award Winners

Pedretti_9th_ed_textbook The SJSU Occupational Therapy department is very proud to announce that the Pedretti textbook co-edited by our very own esteemed emerita faculty, Dr. Heidi M. Pendleton and Dr. Winifred A. Schultz-Krohn, was recognized for the Longevity award by TAA (Textbook & Academic Authors Association) ----and this group reviews textbooks from ALL disciplines! The textbook originally created by Lorraine Williams Pedretti, MS, OTR (deceased), a former faculty and Emerita faculty at San Jose State University is one of the first and most highly regarded textbooks devoted to occupational therapy treatment for persons with physical disabilities. It is a staple in many occupational therapy programs and has been continually known for its accessibility and practical application supported by research and evidence-based practice.

"Fifty-four textbooks have been awarded 2025 Textbook Awards by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA). Nineteen textbooks received William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Awards, 19 textbooks received Textbook Excellence Awards, and 16 textbooks received Most Promising New Textbook Awards.
The McGuffey Longevity Award recognizes textbooks and learning materials whose excellence has been demonstrated over time. The Textbook Excellence Award recognizes excellence in current textbooks and learning materials. The Most Promising New Textbook Award recognizes excellence in 1st edition textbooks and learning materials. Congratulations, winners!"
Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy, 9th edition
By Heidi M. Pendleton, Winifred A. Schultz-Krohn
Published by Elsevier
College/University
Life Sciences

Read the article here

2025-2026 SJSU Seed Grant

headshot photo of Dr. Melisa Kaye Dr. Melisa Kaye was awarded a 2025-2026 SJSU Seed Grant on Project Illuminate: Advancing Graduate Student Success in Healthcare Pathways. Dr. Kaye also co-authored and published in two journals: Kaye, M.P., McCollum, M.C., & Hanzalik, S.B. (2025) Disparities between reported and actual study habits and perceptions among first-year occupational therapy graduate students. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education. AND, Kaye, M.P., Hanzalik, S. (2024). Student engagement and accountability in flipped and traditional classrooms: A comparison of concept map and question-and-answer homework strategies. Journal of Active Learning in Higher Education, 1-17. DOI: 10.177/1469784241270411
Congratulations, Dr. Kaye!

15th International Conference on Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation

headshot photo of Dr. Graham Teaford Dr. Graham Teaford and his group of research students’ poster was accepted at the 15th International Conference on Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation to be held in Florence, Italy, in September. This conference is only held every three years, and many disciplines other than OT are represented. Congratulations to Dr. Teaford and his group of research students, which included Natalie Huff, Julianna Eng, Katherine Apostol, Brianna Gilbert, Jennifer Gibb,s and Jasmine Huang.

2nd Annual CHHS Interprofessional Collaboration Symposium for World Health Day

headshot photo of Dr. Courtney Boitano Dr. Courtney Boitano recently hosted the 2nd Annual CHHS Interprofessional Collaboration Symposium for World Health Day on April 11th at the Student Union Theatre, attended by both faculty and students from a variety of disciplines. The event seeks to develop interprofessional education experiences for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

1st OTAC Older Adult Symposium

Our SJSU OT Chair, Dr. Gigi Smith, together with SJSU OT Faculty, Dr. Graham Teaford and Dr. Cesar Arada, presented at the 1st OTAC Older Adult Symposium on May 10, 2025, held at the OT department at San Jose State University.

2024-25 Interdisciplinary Collaborative Research SEED Awardee

headshot photo of Chiao-Ju Fang Dr. Chiao-Ju Fang is part of an interdisciplinary Human-Robots Interaction Health team at San Jose State which was granted the California State University (CSU) SEED Grant Award. The goal of Faculty SEED Grants is to support and encourage the development of a strong program of STEM Education research or scholarship by faculty members in STEM fields. STEM-NET SEED awards help fund activity that supports the submission of large external grants aligned with STEM-NET’s mission and help further the vision. Non-STEM faculty may be involved in the multi-investigator proposals. Read more about the project of the awardees here.
The same Health team also received the VPRI Teaming Award. This is a funding program for intended to build the capacity of SJSU faculty to design and conduct RSCA collaboratively with faculty both at SJSU and/or external institutions. Find more information about this grant here.

Project descriptions for these awards may be found in Dr. Fang's list of Research and Publications. Congratulations, Dr. Fang!

2024 OTAC Award Honoree

photo of Alison George in front of Smith and Carlos statues at SJSU s OTAC is pleased and honored to announce its 2024 awardees, one of which is our very own, Alison H. George, MS, OTR/L, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Occupational Therapy Association of California Conference in Pasadena, CA, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the profession. She was also honored by SJSU at the Honoring Spartans event last April 16, 2025, for 30 years of outstanding service to the university. Congratulations!

Fullbright Recipient

photo of Dr. Lynne Andonian The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funded Dr. Lynne Andonian's Fulbright Specialist project to develop a curriculum about Community-based Occupational Therapy and teach/pilot it at JAMK University Finland while she’s on sabbatical this Fall 2024. Dr. Lynne Andonian was also honored by SJSU at the Honoring Spartans event last April 16, 2025, for 20 years of outstanding service to the university. Congratulations, Dr. Andonian!

AOTA 2024 Distinguished Educator Award and AOTA 2024 Retired Educators Commendation Award

photo of Wynn Schultz-Krohn by SJSU statues of Tommy Smith and Juan Carlos Dr. Winifred Schultz-Krohn, Dr. Wynn to her students, exemplifies the attributes of a distinguished educator by her servant-leader-educator approach focused on promoting others. Dr. Schulz-Krohn, Emeritus Faculty in the Department of Occupational Therapy, received dual honors: the AOTA 2024 Distinguished Educator Award and the AOTA 2024 Retired Educators Commendation Award. Over the past 30+ years as an OT educator, she has supported and launched students as occupational therapists. Her two decades+ of pro bono services at a local shelter for unhoused families provided opportunities for students to collaborate on research projects resulting in over 400 students presenting at state, national, and international conferences. She created and supervised fieldwork experiences at this shelter on a pro bono basis for over 20 years. Additionally, she secured an endowed scholarship at San Jose State University to support OT students. Congratulations, Dr. Wynn!

AOTA 2025 Service Commendation Award

photo of Dr. Luis Arabit Dr. Luis Arabit received a 2025 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Service Commendation Award for his 2nd term of volunteer leadership service as the American Occupational Therapy Political Action (AOTPAC) Region V Board Director (2022-2024) and Co-Chair of the AOTPAC Ambassadors group (2018-2024).

Dr. Luis Arabit has generously shared his extensive expertise with colleagues, students, and others to move the profession forward. He has "made significant contributions to the advancement of occupational therapy" in political advocacy and leadership. Luis organized events, provided presentations and lectures on the importance of advocacy and legislation impacting occupational therapy. His advocacy and leadership positions include elected and appointed positions at the local, state, and national levels. As OTAC VP, he helped increased membership in the Occupational Therapy Association of California and as the Region 5 AOTPAC Director and AOTPAC Ambassadors Co-Chair he has inspired students and practitioners to actively support the profession. Congratulations, Dr. Arabit!

SJSU OT Faculty in the News

photo of Dr. Katrina Long Katrina Long, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy published her book "Make Your Move: Exercise for Brain Health and Life with Parkinson’s" for The Michael J. Fox Foundation about exercise for brain health and life with Parkinson’s disease. This much-needed resource addresses common questions about exercise and offers practical tools and tips. Whether you know someone living with Parkinson’s or simply interested in understanding the benefits of exercise for overall brain health, this guide is for you. Visit this link to read the guide and share it with your friends, family, and anyone else who may be interested.

Dr. Katrina Long recently hosted the CHHS Celebration of Research event on April 23. held in front of the CCB building. The event showcased research posters of various disciplines housed within the CHHS. Dr. Long, together with OT students, participated and represented occupational therapy, showcasing the work of the OT faculty and our research students. Dr. Long also presented a poster at the World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders and was declared the winner of the best poster at the conference.

Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA)

ROSTER OF FELLOWS (Est. 1973) recognizes occupational therapists who through their knowledge, expertise, leadership, advocacy, and/or guidance have made a significant contribution over time to the profession with a measured impact on consumers of occupational therapy services and/or members of the Association.

The nominee(s) shall have made a significant contribution to the profession by utilizing special skills and/or knowledge on behalf of members, consumers, public/community at large, and/or other organizations. Both scholarly contribution and organizational
leadership will be considered.
Person(s) receiving this award may self-identify by using “FAOTA” after their signature. These initials shall be included in the identifying information that follows their name in the registry as evidence of this honor.

The San Jose State University is proud to have so many FAOTA Faculty in the Occupational Therapy Department. The following is a list of current and emeritus (retired) faculty who have received this award as a clear indication of strong commitment and service to the profession:

Dr. Luis de Leon Arabit
Dr. Deborah Bolding
Dr. Megan C. Chang
Dr. Gigi Smith
Dr. Winifred Schultz-Krohn

Previous Occupational Therapy faculty also awarded this honor include:

Dr. Heidi Pendleton (Retired)
Dr. Marti Southam (Retired)
Dr. Anne MacRae (Retired)
Dr. Kathleen (Kay) Schwartz (Retired)
Dr. Pamela Richardson (Retired)
Dr. Lela Llorens (Retired)
Dr. Karen Diasio-Serrett (Retired)

In Memoriam

photo screenshot of Lorraine Pedretti from 100 Influential People in OT

(Photo screenshot credit: AOTA Centennial Celebration)

Lorraine Williams Pedretti, MS, OTR/Ret.

On November 12, 2024, the Occupational Therapy profession has lost one of its legendary pillars, Lorraine Williams Pedretti, a 1964 graduate of then San José State College. Emeritus Professor Pedretti was a beloved SJSU OT Department faculty member from 1968-1994 and was the San Jose State University OT Distinguished Alumna of the Year for 2004. We were fortunate to have such a stellar OT in our department history. (Continue reading here...)