Laura Deary

College of Health, Human Services and Nursing
Department of Occupational Therapy
Lecturer/Occupational Therapy Analyst/Admissions Support
310-243-2726
ldeary@csudh.edu

EDUCATION

Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA - Associates Degree, Occupational Therapy Assistant

California State University, Northridge - Bachelor of Science Degree, Business Administration/Marketing, Minor in Spanish

BIO

Laura has been an Occupational Therapy Assistant since 1999.  Her primary focus has been working in adult Inpatient Rehabilitation settings at Cedars-Sinai and California Rehabilitation Institute.  Laura also worked in the home care setting for more than 5 years.

Laura has fueled her passion for education by sitting on the Advisory Board for CBD College's OTA program, guest lecturing at OT and OTA programs nationwide, and presenting nationally and internationally at conferences.  One focus of education that is close to Laura's heart is the OT/OTA Collaboration and the importance of this working relationship.  Laura is very proud to have been awarded the 2019 OTAC Award for OT/OTA Partnership alongside Dawn Hironaka, DrOT, OTR/L.

While still working per diem in Inpatient Rehabilitation, Laura began working for California State University Dominguez Hills in 2019.  Laura split her time between the Fieldwork responsibilities and the MSOT/OTD Admissions teams.  Recently, Laura took on the Occupational Therapy Analyst position to work alongside the Program Coordinators and Department Chair to facilitate program efficiencies, event planning, marketing and recruitment, budget monitoring, overseeing scholarships, and provide lead direction to staff and student assistants.

SCHOLARSHIP AGENDA

Laura's desire to blend her business degree and passion/experience as an occupational therapy practitioner became a reality in 2022 by stepping into an administrative faculty position at CSUDH.   

Through the scholarships of integration and application, Laura uses her years of experience as an OTA to reinforce the importance and understanding of the OT/OTA collaborative working relationship in the provision of OT services.  This is being achieved through the collaboration with colleagues (OT instructors) via the creation of reference material made available on Blackboard as well as guest lecturing for the Management and Ethics courses.  One of Laura's professional goals is to play a role to ensure that each CSUDH OT graduate enters the "real world" with a basic understanding of this intraprofessional relationship, the roles of an OTA, and the OT's supervisory role.

LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATIONS/LECTURES

• “Ukraine: the birth of Occupational Therapy.” Co-presented to California State University, Dominguez Hills, students and staff, Integrating Cultures through Occupational Therapy (ICOT), with Dawn Hironaka, DrOT, OTR/L.  Discussed our personal and professional experience of teaching Ukrainian healthcare professionals in 2016 and 2017 regarding the role of Occupational Therapy, as well as the OT/OTA collaboration, in the Rehabilitation setting.  October 2021, November 2022.  Synchronous presentation.
• “Ethical Considerations of an Occupational Therapy Assistant.”  Guest Lecturer for OTR 530:  Ethics.  Instructor: Lora Woo, OTD, OTR/L. Presented real life ethical dilemmas encountered in the workplace that fall under the Principles and Standards of Conduct in the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics.  California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, 2020-2023. Synchronous presentation.
• “My Journey as an OTA Collaborating with OTs in Practice.”  Guest Lecturer for OTR 567:  Administration and Management in Occupational Therapy.  Instructor:  Heather Kitching, OTD, OTR/L.   Discussed personal career history that led to becoming an OTA, professional role as an OTA, and the collaboration with an OT.  California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, 2020-2023.  Asynchronous presentation.
• “Supervising and Being Supervised:  OT Assistants, OT Aides, Fieldwork Educators, Managers and Supervisors – Issues and Roles.”  Returning Guest Lecturer for OT 540: Leadership Capstone.  Presented the OT/OTA relationship emphasizing supervisory regulations as outlined by the California Board of Occupational Therapy.  Panel Speaker with Dr. Jaynee Taguchi-Meyer, OTR/L, Dr. Katie Jordan, OTR/L, and Dr. Shawn Phipps, OTR/L.  University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2016-2019, 2020*, 2021-2023.  *Synchronous presentations
• “The OT and OTA Collaboration.” Guest lecturer for OTA 207:  Professional Transition & Management. Instructor: Erica Colella, OTR/L.  Reviewed the OT/OTA professional relationship, specifically supervisory considerations, as well as professional opportunities for OTAs.  Cayuga Community College, Auburn, NY. October 28, 2021. Synchronous presentation.
• “Occupational Therapy’s Role in Multi-Disciplinary Rehabilitation”, Presented 4-day course with Dawn Hironaka, DrOT OTR/L, Dr. Ryan Kotton, MD, PM&R, and Blake Feldman, Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, educating Ukrainian Nurses/Neurologists/PTs regarding OT’s role in the Rehabilitation process, including upper extremity spasticity/splinting, bowel/bladder management, and visual screening/therapeutic intervention for visual deficits after brain injury. Supported by USAid/UCP Wheels for Humanity, Kiev, Ukraine, April 2017.
• "Occupational Therapy’s Role in Multi-Disciplinary Rehabilitation", Presented 4-day course with Dawn Hironaka, DrOT OTR/L, Dr. Ryan Kotton, MD, PM&R, and Blake Feldman, Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, educating Ukrainian Nurses, Neurologists, and Physical Therapists about OTs role in the Rehabilitation process, including upper extremity spasticity and splinting, and bowel and bladder management. T.E.A.M. Ukraine, (supported by USAid and UCP Wheels for Humanity), Lviv, Ukraine, December 2016.
• Keynote Speaker, CBD College, Summer 2016 Graduation Ceremony (first OTA Cohort Graduating Class), theme: “Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone.”  Arcadia, CA, July 22, 2016
• “My Experience as a COTA,” CBD College, Guest Speaker, Los Angeles, CA, 2015-2017.