Elizabeth Ching

Elizabeth Ching serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Samuel Merritt University, teaching core courses including Integrative Seminar, Psychosocial Dysfunction, Health Promotion and Wellness, and Capstone Project Development. Her clinical expertise centers on mental health and brain injury interventions, with a career-long commitment to serving underserved populations through occupational therapy practice and education.

She earned her occupational therapy credentials in 1985, began teaching in 1995, and holds a Master's in Education (2001) and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (2017). Her scholarly work integrates mental health, interprofessional education, multicultural competence, and health equity frameworks to address systemic disparities affecting vulnerable communities.

Her 2019 publications demonstrate consistent focus on health equity through community-engaged scholarship: mentoring underserved youth in health sciences, developing culturally responsive curricula, and implementing interprofessional models to eliminate disparities. These works collectively advance occupational therapy's role in social justice and community-based rehabilitation.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Interprofessional Collaboration Award from AOTA's Centennial Conference (2017)
• Strommen Dillashaw Award from SMU for exemplary student development commitment (2014)
• CFOT North Coast Medical Scholarship for post-professional study (2017)
• Rocky Mountain University Core Values Scholarship (2016)

With a decade as academic fieldwork coordinator and service on the Psychiatric Occupational Therapy Action Coalition Steering Committee, she has mentored generations of occupational therapists. Her community engagement spans FACES for the future, Oakland schools, Bay Area Community Services, and LifeLong East Bay Recovery Project, where she develops programs addressing health inequities through collaborative partnerships.

She directs community-based initiatives including the Health Science Mentoring Program for underserved high school students and partners with Contra Costa Interfaith Housing and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center on recovery-focused community health projects.