Faculty180 - Vita and Individual Profile Data Sheet

Heather Thomas, Ph.D., OTR/L, DipACLM, FAOTA

Fall 1980 - Fall 2120

Professor I

[email protected]

Current Position

Position: Program Director, Doctor of Occupational Therapy - CA
Position: OTD CA Core Faculty

Biography

Dr. Heather Thomas is the Program Director and professor for the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy program at Southern California University of Health Sciences. She has been working in occupational therapy education for over 28 years, serving in a variety of roles including program director, curriculum coordinator and academic faculty. She has a long history of presenting at international, national, and state conferences. Dr. Thomas provided OT services and education in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010 and co-developed a rehab technician certificate program at a university in Haiti. She has served in a variety of leadership positions within the California and Oregon state OT associations, Los Angeles OT Leadership Forum, Los Angeles City Council, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Rebuilding Together, Rogue Valley. She is the author of the top selling activity analysis textbook Occupational and Activity Analysis which is used across the world.  Her practice background includes working in acute rehabilitation and acute settings, with those who have sustained traumatic and progressive neurological disorders. Dr. Thomas obtained her bachelor’s degree in human services, master’s degree in occupational therapy, and Ph.D. in health care management.

Degrees

2011

Ph.D., Health Care Management, Touro University International, Cypress, California, United StatesDissertation: The Influence of Personal and Physical Contexts on Occupational Therapists’ Intervention Choices for Addressing Contractures

Professional Licensures (Healthcare)

OT, California, United States, 3610, Active, 2004, November 2024

OT, Oregon, United States, 1029258, Active, 2021, May 2023

Certifications (Healthcare)

American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine, 0000879, 2022-12-29, 2029-09-29, Yes, Florida, United States

Work Experience

2020 - 2022

Program Director, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, Oregon, United States

2020 - 2020

Professor, University of St. Augustine, San Marcos, California, United States

2017 - 2020

Professor & Curriculum Coordinator, West Coast University, Los Angeles, California, United States

2016 - 2017

Program Director, American Career College, Anaheim, California, United States

2013 - 2016

Associate Professor/Curriculum Development Coordinator, West Coast University, Los Angeles, California, United States

2009 - 2020

Occupational Therapist, Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, Pomona, California, United States

2007 - 2008

Director of Occupational Therapy, Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, Pomona, California, United States

2004 - 2013

Assistant & Associate Professor, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, United States

2000 - 2001

Program Director, Assistive Technology Center, Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, Pomona, California, United States

1998 - 2000

Occupational Therapist, Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, Pomona, California, United States

Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions

Book

Completed/Published

Thomas, H. Occupational and Activity Analysis, 3rd Edition; Slack: Thorofare, NJ, 2023.
Thomas, H. Occupational and Activity Analysis 3rd Edition; SLACK, Inc: Thorofare, NJ, 2022.
Thomas, H. Occupation-Based Activity Analysis; SLACK, Inc: Thorofare, NJ, 2015.
Thomas, H. Occupation-Based Activity Analysis; SLACK Incorporated: Thorofare, NJ, 2011.

Chapter

Completed/Published

Thomas, H. Working with the Occupational Therapy Assistant. In The occupational therapy manager; AOTA press: Bethesda, MD, 2019.
Thomas, H. Using the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework in Mental Health. In Psychosocial Occupational Therapy; Elsevier: New York, NY, 2020.

Journal Article

Completed/Published

Thomas, H.; Sheth, M. Managing Sleep Deprivation in Older Adults: A Role for Occupational Therapy. OT Practice 2019, March, CE1–CE9.
Thomas, H. Sexual Function after Stroke: A Case Report on Rehabilitation Intervention with a Geriatric Survivor. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation 2016, 32 (3), 204–209.
Thomas, H.; Javaherian, H. OT Education SIS and the AOTA Centennial Vision. AOTA Education Special Interest Section 2008, 1, 3.
Thomas, H. How Can You Contribute to Future Clients’ Lives? OTAC Newsletter 2007, 32 (1), 2.
Thomas, H.; Whitney, R. Staying Current with Your Practice in the Fast Current of Changing Practice: CBOT, OTAC, NBCOT and PDU’s. OTAC Newsletter 2007, 32 (3), 2.

Poster Presentation

Completed/Published

Thomas, H. Preventing Burnout and Cultivating Leadership Using the OT Practice Framework. World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress, 2022.

Presentation

Completed/Published

Thomas, H.; Salvati, B. Occupational Therapy and Lifestyle Medicine: A Perfect Fit for Health Promotion. Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon Annual Conference, 2023.
Thomas, H.
Thomas, H. Use of the OT Practice Framework and the WFOT Occupational Narratives Project to Teach Occupational Analysis . World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress, 2022.
Thomas, H.
Thomas, H.
Thomas, H.; Bianco, K.; Hickey, C.; Deoghare, H.; Zarrinkhameh, L.
Thomas, H.; Kokesh, S.; Mele, J. . American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, 2021.
Thomas, H. . Occupational Therapy Association of California Annual Conference, 2020.
Thomas, H.; Kokesh, S.; Mele, J.
Thomas, H.

Grants

Completed

AAA Carfit Grant, Funded by AAA (January 2, 2018) ($500.00), Completed, Fall 2016, PI Heather Thomas

California Foundation of Occupational Therapy Research Award, Funded by California Foundation of Occupational Therapy (October 4, 2022) ($500.00), Completed, Fall 2010, PI Heather Thomas

Withdrawn

Establishment of Protocols for Incorporation of Lifestyle Medicine into Occupational Therapy Fieldwork and Capstone Projects, Funded by Ardmore Institute (October 11, 2022) ($99,839.00), Withdrawn, Fall 2022, PI Heather Thomas

Honors and Awards

Fall 2022 - Ongoing

Teacher of the Year, 2018, West Coast University

AOTA Service Commendation, 2017, American Occupational Therapy Association

Award of Excellence, 2016, Occupational Therapy Association of California

Outstanding Service Award, 2015, West Coast University

Professional Membership

Fall 2021 - Ongoing

Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon, September 2021

Summer 1996 - Ongoing

American Occupational Therapy Association, December 1996

Fall 1998 - Fall 2020

Occupational Therapy Association of California , October 1998, October 2020

Fall 2007 - Ongoing

World Federation of Occupational Therapists, February 2007