Faculty and Staff
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:
In Memoriam
(Photo screenshot credit: AOTA Centennial Celebration - https://www.otcentennial.org/)
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.
Lorraine pioneered publication of quality educational resources aimed at developing cutting-edge practice skills for occupational therapy with persons who have physical disabilities. She demonstrated influential leadership through the creation of one of the first (now 9th edition) and most highly regarded national/international textbooks devoted to occupational therapy for persons with physical disabilities – Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction. Lorraine was also among the first to develop and publish cutting-edge educational resources including study-guides and multi-media self-paced learning modules thus improving the lives of those with physical disabilities through skilled OT.
She was nominated by Dr. Heidi Pendleton [pdf] for consideration to be one of the 100 most Influential people in Occupational Therapy's 100-year history and was selected and honored at the centennial
Celebration at the AOTA Conference in Philadelphia 2017.
Faculty Awards and Honors
The Occupational Therapy Department is excited to announce the awards and honor garnered by our faculty members.
2024 OTAC Award Honoree
OTAC is pleased and honored to announce its 2024 awardees, one of which is our very
own, Alison H. George, MS, OTR/L, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award
at the upcoming 2024 Occupational Therapy Association of California Conference in
Pasadena, CA, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the profession. Congratulations!
Fullbright Recipient
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. Congratulations, Dr. Andonian!
AOTA 2024 Distinguished Educator Award and AOTA 2024 Retired Educators Commendation Award
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 2024 Award for Excellence in the Advancement of OT
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
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.
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)
Department Chair
Name: Dr. Gigi Smith
Location: CCB 204
Phone: 408.924.3070
Graduate (MSOT) & Undergraduate (Pre-OT) Coordinator
Name: Dr. Gigi Smith
Location: CCB 204
Phone: 408.924.3094
OT Doctorate Coordinators
Name: Dr. Gigi Smith/Dr. Courtney Boitano
Location: CCB 204/220
Phone: 408.924.3188
Faculty
Andonian, Lynne
CCB 208
408.924.3059
[email protected]
Arabit, Luis
CCB 111
408.924.3077
[email protected]
Arada, Cesar
CCB 207
408.924.3078
[email protected]
Boitano, Courtney
CCB 111
408.924.3150
[email protected]
Bolding, Deborah
CCB 113
408.924.3038
[email protected]
Chang, Megan
CCB 112
408.924.3075
[email protected]
Chio, Choi
CCB 111
408.924.3090
[email protected]
Dundee, Bonnie
CCB 220
408.924.3851
[email protected]
Fang, Chiao-Ju
HB 233
408.924.3085
[email protected]
George, Alison
CCB 208
408.924.3095
[email protected]
Golembeski, Yvonne
CCB 220
408.924.3087
[email protected]
Gorth, Renee
CCB 104
408.924.3048
[email protected]
Haworth, Christine
CCB 220
408.924.2911
[email protected]
Kaye, Melisa
CCB 113
408.924.3073
[email protected]
Khatri, Hiral
CCB 220
408.924.5811
[email protected]
Koketsu, Jean
CCB 220
408.924.3119
[email protected]
Krumanaker, Kristen
CCB 111
408.924.7405
[email protected]
Le, Lea
CCB 104
408.924.3083
[email protected]
Long, Katrina
CCB 111
408.924.3139
[email protected]
McLaughlin, Rochelle
CCB 104
408.924.3089
[email protected]
Sarah McPeak
CCB 111
408.924.7046
[email protected]
Nguyen, Uyen
CCB 104
408.924.3074
[email protected]
Pickett, Karen
CCB 220
408.924.3201
[email protected]
Schultz-Krohn, Winifred
CCB 206
408.924.3081
[email protected]
Smith, Gigi
CCB 204
408.924.3072
[email protected]
Teaford, Graham
CCB 104
408.924.3335
[email protected]
Tipton-Burton, Michelle
CCB 220
408.924.3696
[email protected]
Wise, Kathryn
CCB 111
408.924.7435
[email protected]
Emeritus/Emerita Faculty
Read Faculty Emeritus/Emerita Bios
Burton, Gordon
[email protected]
Cara, Elizabeth
[email protected]
Glogoski, Carolyn
[email protected]
Killingsworth, Amy
[email protected]
Llorens, Lela A. W.
MacRae, Anne
Pedretti, Lorraine
Pendleton, Heidi McHugh
[email protected]
Richardson, Pamela
[email protected]
Schultz-Krohn, Winifred
[email protected]
Schwartz, Kathleen Barker
[email protected]
Serrett, Karen Diasio
Southam, Marti
[email protected]
Staff
Fanfa-Sullivan, Catherine
CCB 205
408.924.3079
[email protected]
Sara Villarreal
CCB 203
408.924.3071
[email protected]
Ocampo, Vicky
CCB 212
408.924.3086
[email protected]
