Alison Cogan, PhD (cand.), OTR/L, is an occupational therapist and is in process of completing her doctoral degree in occupational science at the University of Southern California (USC). Since completing her master’s degree in occupational therapy, also at USC, Alison’s research has focused on mild traumatic brain injury in military service members. Within this population, she is particularly interested in the return to full participation in daily life after injury. Alison has also been involved in research exploring the prevention of pressure ulcers among adults with spinal cord injury. She teaches a course on qualitative research for evidence-based practice in the entry-level occupational therapy master’s program at USC. In this capacity, she stresses the value of qualitative research for uncovering new perspectives, and particularly patients’ points of view, to her students. Alison also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in exercise physiology, both from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. With an undergraduate foundation in liberal arts, Alison gravitated to learning opportunities that incorporated humanities in her occupational therapy training. Courses at USC with anthropologists Gelya Frank and Cheryl Mattingly were influential in Alison’s thinking about the relationship between the humanities, and particularly narrative, and rehabilitation. In addition to being an avid reader, Alison enjoys running, swimming, and yoga. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two cats.
Alison Cogan, occupational therapist and doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California, explores the benefits of developing skills for understanding and interpreting stories through reading and analyzing published first-person illness narratives.