Shawna Rafferty Townsend

College of Health, Human Services and Nursing
Department of Occupational Therapy
Lecturer and Clinical Instructor
310-243-2726
stownsend@csudh.edu

EDUCATION

BS Occupational Therapy, California State University Dominguez Hills

CERTIFICATION

Graduate Certificate in Low Vision Rehabilitation from University of Alabama at Birmingham
Advanced Practice Approved in Swallowing Assessment, Evaluation or Intervention (SWC)

CLINICAL AFFILIATION

Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, CA

BIO

Shawna began her career working with children with autism, dyspraxia, and developmental delay. Shawna received extensive training in sensory integration completing the OT 610 course at Pediatric Therapy Network (PTN). Shawna has also spent several years in the acute care hospital setting where she was the lead OT for stroke, brain injury, and spinal cord injury at UCLA medical center. Shawna also led a pilot program of OT in the acute setting working with liver transplant patients and the collaboration of an inter-disciplinary team. Shawna later transitioned to the NICU setting where she now devotes most of her learning, including the assessment and intervention of swallowing disorders in the pediatric population. Shawna's other interests include low vision rehabilitation, where she has completed graduate course work in this specialized area. Shawna is in her final semester of her master's degree in occupational therapy. Currently Shawna works in the NICU setting at Miller's children hospital in Long Beach, CA. In her free time, Shawna loves spending time with her husband, 2 1/2 year old daughter and dog Bella. They love to travel, especially to Maui. Shawna is expecting her 2nd daughter in April 2013.

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

OTAC 2009 Annual Conference in Sacramento Session presenter (2 hours) October 23, 2009; Developing OT Intervention in the Acute Care Hospital

California State University Dominguez Hills Spring Symposium Presenter March 6, 2009; Low Vision as an emerging area of practice in Occupational Therapy

AOTA April 2008; Poster Presentation: The Occupational Therapist’s Role in Acute Care Discharge Planning With the Non-Insured, Minority, Brain-Injured Population: A Case Study