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: 

Department Chair

Faculty

Emeritus/Emerita Faculty

Staff

(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.

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.

OTAC 2023 Award Honoree

Congratulations to Dr. Luis Arabit, who received the Luella Grangaard Political Action Award at the 2023 Occupational Therapy Association of California Conference in recognition of his outstanding contributions in promotion of occupational therapy through legislative and political endeavors.

CFOT 2023 Research Grant Recipient

Congratulations to Dr. Courtney Boitano, who received the Lisa Test Endowed Research Award combined with the CFOT Research Grant Award at the recently held 2023 Occupational Therapy Association of California Conference in Pasadena, CA. Her research topic - Evaluation of Response to Intervention (RtI) occupational therapy tier 1 and tier 2 services on general education elementary school students’ sensory processing: A follow up study.

'22 - '23 CHHS Outstanding Engagement Award

Congratulations to Dr. Lynne Andonian who was awarded the '22 - '23 Outstanding Engagement Award by the SJSU College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS)!

The Outstanding Engagement Award is given to a faculty member or program team, with five or more years of experience in the College, who exemplifies the mission of developing and promoting partnerships, particularly in service to high-needs communities, and collaborations between campus and external partners for the benefit of the community, state, nation, and/or world.

2023 SJSU RSCA Seed Grant Program Award

Congratulations to Dr. Chiao-Ju Fang, who was awarded the 2023 SJSU RSCA Seed Grant award for her work, "Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN): Description and Usability of App-based Coaching Intervention for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)."

The award letter states: “The Office of Research, with support from the RSCA Advisory Council, concluded evaluations of all submitted proposals after the first review by the college review committee. The proposal entitled 'Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN): Description and Usability of App-based Coaching Intervention for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)' ranked highly and has been approved for funding.”

2023 AOTF Implementation Research Grant

Dr. Chiao-Ju Fang was also recently notified that she is receiving a large Implementation Research Grant (Option #1) from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) for two years!

The title of her project is "Implementation of App-Based Coaching Intervention (Social Participation and Navigation; SPAN) to Promote Participation of Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)". According to Dr. Fang, the proposed research aims to close the gap between evidence (i.e., using technology-based interventions) and practice (i.e., evidence-based interventions assisting young adults with ASD) by adapting and evaluating the implementation of evidence-based practices in routine care via telehealth to improve their quality and effectiveness with a focus on participation.

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)

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

Read Faculty Bios

Andonian, Lynne
CCB 208
408.924.3059
Lynne.Andonian@sjsu.edu

Arabit, Luis
CCB 111
408.924.3077
Luis.Arabit@sjsu.edu

Arada, Cesar
CCB 207
408.924.3078
Cesar.Arada@sjsu.edu

Boitano, Courtney
CCB 111
408.924.3150
Courtney.Boitano@sjsu.edu

Bolding, Deborah
CCB 113
408.924.3038
Deborah.Bolding@sjsu.edu

Chang, Megan
CCB 112
408.924.3075
Megan.Chang@sjsu.edu

Chio, Choi
CCB 111
408.924.3090
Choi.Chio@sjsu.edu

Dundee, Bonnie
CCB 220
408.924.3851
Bonnie.e.Dundee@sjsu.edu

Fang, Chiao-Ju
HB 233
408.924.3085
Chiao-Ju.Fang@sjsu.edu

George, Alison
CCB 208
408.924.3095
Alison.George@sjsu.edu

Golembeski, Yvonne
CCB 220
408.924.3087
Yvonne.Golembeski@sjsu.edu

Gorth, Renee
CCB 104
408.924.3048
Reisee.Gorth@sjsu.edu

Haworth, Christine
CCB 220
408.924.2911
Christine.Haworth@sjsu.edu

Kaye, Melisa
CCB 113
408.924.3073
Melisa.Kaye@sjsu.edu

Khatri, Hiral
CCB 220
408.924.5811
Hiral.Khatri@sjsu.edu

Koketsu, Jean
CCB 220
408.924.3119
Jean.Koketsu@sjsu.edu

Krumanaker, Kristen
CCB 111
408.924.7405
Kristen.Krumanaker@sjsu.edu

Le, Lea
CCB 104
408.924.3083
Lea.Le@sjsu.edu

Long, Katrina
CCB 111
408.924.3139
Katrina.Long@sjsu.edu

McLaughlin, Rochelle
CCB 104
408.924.3089
Rochelle.Mclaughlin@sjsu.edu

Sarah McPeak
CCB 111
408.924.7046
Sarah.Mcpeak@sjsu.edu

Nguyen, Uyen
CCB 104
408.924.3074
Uyen.p.nguyen03@sjsu.edu

Pickett, Karen
CCB 220
408.924.3201
Karen.Pickett@sjsu.edu

Schultz-Krohn, Winifred
CCB 206
408.924.3081
Winifred.Schultz-Krohn@sjsu.edu

Smith, Gigi
CCB 204
408.924.3072
Gigi.Smith@sjsu.edu

Teaford, Graham
CCB 104
408.924.3335
Graham.Teaford@sjsu.edu

Tipton-Burton, Michelle
CCB 220
408.924.3696
Michelle.Tipton-Burton@sjsu.edu

Wise, Kathryn
CCB 111
408.924.7435
Kathryn.Wise@sjsu.edu

Read Faculty Emeritus/Emerita Bios

Burton, Gordon
Gordon.Burton@sjsu.edu

Cara, Elizabeth
Elizabeth.Cara@sjsu.edu

Glogoski, Carolyn
Carolyn.Glogoski@sjsu.edu

Killingsworth, Amy
Amy.Killingsworth@sjsu.edu

Llorens, Lela A. W.

MacRae, Anne

Pedretti, Lorraine

Pendleton, Heidi McHugh
Heidi.Pendleton@sjsu.edu

Richardson, Pamela
Pamela.Richardson@sjsu.edu

Schultz-Krohn, Winifred
Winifred.Schultz-Krohn@sjsu.edu

Schwartz, Kathleen Barker
Kathleen.Schwartz@sjsu.edu

Serrett, Karen Diasio

Southam, Marti
Marti.Southam@sjsu.edu

Fanfa-Sullivan, Catherine
CCB 205
408.924.3079
Catherine.FanfaSullivan@sjsu.edu

Sara Villarreal
CCB 203
408.924.3071
Sara.Villarreal@sjsu.edu

Ocampo, Vicky
CCB 212
408.924.3086
Vicky.Ocampo@sjsu.edu