Leah Stein Duker

Leah Stein Duker, PhD, OTR/L, is an Assistant Professor in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California. She holds academic affiliations within the university’s health sciences sector, focusing on interdisciplinary healthcare solutions. Her work bridges occupational therapy, dentistry, and pediatrics to address sensory-related challenges in healthcare environments.

• Received her BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University (2004).
• Completed her MA in Occupational Therapy (2006) and PhD in Occupational Science (2013) at USC.
• Completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Efficacy and Effectiveness Trials (2015) at USC.

Dr. Duker’s research focuses on adapting healthcare environments to reduce stress and improve care outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities, and other developmental disabilities. Her work spans dental care, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and oncology, emphasizing sensory adaptations, psychophysiological monitoring, and healthcare disparities. She investigates interventions such as sensory-modified environments, wearable sensors, and telehealth strategies to enhance patient experiences and reduce anxiety.

Her recent studies include evaluating sensory-adapted dental environments for autistic children (JAMA Network Open, 2023), analyzing pediatricians’ roles in Latino autistic children’s healthcare (Autism, 2023), and exploring wearable sensors for parental stress in NICUs (Early Human Development, 2023). She also examines telehealth utilization in oncology (OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 2023) and barriers to oral health for African American caregivers of autistic children (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022).

• Recipient of the A. Jean Ayres Award (2021) for research in sensory processing.
• Led NIH-funded studies on sensory adaptations and healthcare environments.

Dr. Duker collaborates across disciplines to design interventions addressing sensory challenges, including multisensory environments for dementia care (Healing Spaces project) and noise-attenuating headphones for sensory hypersensitivity (Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 2019). She emphasizes caregiver and provider strategies to improve healthcare access and reduce disparities, particularly for marginalized populations.