Maureen Johnson — PHD, MS, OT/L, BCPR, C/NDT, CHSE-A — OT Faculty Profile, USAHS
Maureen Johnson, PHD, MS, OT/L, BCPR, C/NDT, CHSE-A, is an Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) at the San Marcos, California campus. Maureen’s career has focused on adult neurological rehabilitation with clients who have spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or who have suffered a stroke.
More recently, in addition to teaching and treating clients, Maureen’s focus has moved to what comes after therapy ends: how people spend their days. That question led Maureen to adaptive sports, specifically surfing, working with athletes on the beach to get them back to doing something they love.
Maureen has been a critical part of the creation of classifications for the Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour, allowing athletes to compete against others with similar diagnoses and disabilities. Maureen brings faculty, staff, and students into these community events, specifically the USAHS sponsored US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships, which is held annually in Oceanside, California.
Transcript
Maureen Johnson — PHD, MS, OT_L, BCPR, C_NDT, CHSE-A — OT Faculty Profile, USAHS
[00:00:00] Maureen Johnson (OT Faculty): In occupational therapy, I spent most of my career working in the adult neuro population with rehabilitation. So I work with clients who have spinal cord injuries, who have had strokes, who have had brain injuries, who have MS or maybe Parkinson’s disease. I work across that spectrum, and recently I have really gotten into the next level. So after all the therapy is over, how are people spending their day and their time? And so a lot of my focus has been on sports and adapted sports, specifically surfing. And so I get to work with them out at the beach and having them getting back into their joy and love of surfing, no matter their situation. [00:00:44] Meeting people from around the world who have similar impairments, and now they’re surfing and competing at the Paralympic level, that, that is pretty good. That feel, that feels pretty good. That’s been a lot of hard work. It’s been at least a five-year journey, and I’m just seeing it really beginning to take shape globally and that’s pretty cool ’cause it’s an occupational therapist doing it. [00:01:08] Hands-on practical learning, but in the community. And we bring faculty, we bring our staff, and we bring the students of different professions to come and be a part of it, and that shows the community how we’re invested in them as well.
Enrollment Services – The Journey to Clinical Excellence, USAHS Occupational Therapy Programs
Students and staff discuss the enrollment process and student services.
Center for Innovative Clinical Practice (CICP)—University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
Students and faculty discuss learning in state-of-the-art simulation facilities.
Testimonial – Kaylee Saenz, Post-Professional OT Student
Hear from a student in the USAHS PPOTD program.