Students in the Occupational Therapy program spend their last three semesters creating a capstone project. This major academic achievement represents a synthesis of content learned throughout the program.
Subject matter such as theory, research methodology and analysis, program development, and education of clients are applied to either faculty lines of research or projects that will serve the community.
Students gather in teams to complete the thesis under the mentorship of their faculty thesis advisor. Completed theses are disseminated to a wide audience of constituents either in poster sessions, workshops, or peer-reviewed journals.
Theses/Capstones from 2018
Collaborative Practices in Special Education: An Exploratory Study, Blanka Pentek, Katherine Sadoff, and Evelyn Tang
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Formal Dementia Care Training Program: Abilities Care Experts™, Carmen Joaquin, Michelle D'Amato, April Perez, Louiza Alexandria Villarina, and Sophie E. Miller
Fragile X Syndrome: An Occupation Centered Analysis, Raechel Jacala, Katelyn Harden, Holly Snyder, and Amanda Lee
Functional Cognitive Activities for Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury: Pilot Case Studies, Ajay Pala, Karen Huang, and Ashley Cook
Living with Fragile X Syndrome: Occupations as an Outcome Measure in a Clinical Trial, Theresa Chase, Ty Duong, Ana Baldinger, and Kaylee Gothelf
Managing Fatigue with Technology for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, Janie Grant, May Anne Gamueda, America Ortega, and Jordan Song
Measuring Physiological Responses to Sensation in Typical Adults, Sarah Button, Kristen Christensen, and Emily Minor
Measuring The Outcomes of Therapeutic Listening in Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, Hannah Tashjian, Donielle Hair, and Phoebe Taasan
Older Adults’ Perspective: Exploring the Experience of Owning a Guide Dog, Jeffrey Kou, Yvonne Lam, Patricia Lyons, and Susan Nguyen
Pilot Study: Assistive Technology as a Vocational Support for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Erin Chaffee, Tina Ho, and Kevin Ng
Resilience and Protective Factors in Older Adults, Jessica McClain, Katelyn Gullatt, and Caroline Lee
Survey of Sensory Diet Use Among California Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Morganne Peterson, Allison Hunt, and Emily White
Theses/Capstones from 2017
Collaborative Approach to School-Based Occupational Therapy Sensorimotor Programs, Brooke Czuleger, Emily Garnica, Jessica Phung, and Maciej Rzepka
Efficacy of Therapeutic Listening® Quickshifts in Children with Sensory Processing Difficulties, Shannon Preto, Ann Malloy, and Bryant Luong
Fall Risk Reduction Using Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE), Kayla L. Comer, Tiffany Huang, Kelly Schmidt, and Matthew W. Tong
Implementing Multifactorial Education Modules with Older Adults: Individualized and Interactive Fall Prevention Education, Salvador Chavez, Jocelle Flores, and Rachelle Yambao
Increasing Functional Task Performance in Adults with Low Vision, Carrie Payne and Lauren Kufer
Living with Fragile X Syndrome: An Examination of Family Occupations, Rebecca Schira, Samantha Alexander, Noelani Brisbane, and Kaitlyn Williams
Measuring Adaptive Behaviors in Individuals with Autism Enrolled in Project-Based Therapy, Sarah Yoder, Nghi Tran, Jason Ichimaru, and Emily Lu
Occupational Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit, Kelsie Colombini, Kristen M. Henderson, Michelle Huie, and Courtney Malachowski
Occupations as an Outcome Measure in a Clinical Trial: Fragile X Syndrome and Sertraline, Michelle Beckwith, Brina Nguyen, Jennifer Sik, and Kenneth Yu
Sleep as an Occupation in College Students: A Mixed Method Study, Charlotte Sally, Savannah Hancock, Rhianna Wallace, and Jacqueline M. Bloom
The DUC Healthy Aging Website: Providing Online Occupation-Based Information, Haley Caruthers, Samantha Talavera, Jackeline Ulloa, and Stephanie Vera
The Effects of Therapeutic Listening on Bilateral Coordination, Avery Wilson, Mios Buccat, Amanda Grace Irao, Morgan Mousley, and Michael Yra Munchua
Validation of the Medication Box Task Assessment, Katherine Blank, Alison Chandler, Malcolm Isely, Serena Soria, and Yamin Zaw