Dr. Heidi Nelson joined SCU in March 2024 as the inaugural Dean of College of Health Professions. Previously, she served as an Associate Dean for Graduate and Experiential Learning at a private, liberal arts institution where she doubled the number of graduate program offerings. Prior to that work, she was the founding Director of Clinical Education for a new Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She has a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, a board-certified specialization in pediatric physical therapy, and a Doctor of Science degree in rehabilitation sciences, with a specialization in pediatric sciences. Her research is in areas of social emotional development in toddlers with chronic medical conditions and post-traumatic stress disorder in parents of children with medical conditions. 

Prior to joining SCU as the Program Director of the Phoenix OTD program, Dr. Briggs was Associate Professor, AFWC and Program Director of the OTD program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT. Dr. Briggs served as the AFWC and assistant to the founding Program Director prior to her appointment as the Program Director.  Dr. Briggs graduated from the University of Mary with her master’s degree in occupational therapy and then went on to receive her PhD in occupational therapy from Texas Woman's University. Clinically, Dr. Briggs has continued to work for PRN in home health and is currently providing telehealth services and supervision of an OTA in a small rural Critical Care Access Hospital in Eastern Montana. She is an active committee member for the Academic Education Special Interest Section with the American Occupational Therapy Association, volunteered with NBCOT, and has served as the secretary, and Vice President of the Montana Occupational Therapy Association. 

Dr. Briggs teaches content including anatomy and physiology, neuroscience, theory, assistive technology, adults' intervention courses, teaching practicum, research, fieldwork, and capstone. Dr. Briggs' research interests include addressing the needs of adults with acquired brain injury in rural areas, health promotion and prevention for older adults in rural areas. 

Dr. Sellmann has been an Occupational Therapist for 30 years. She graduated from Texas Woman's University with her Bachelor of OT in 1994, then received her Master of Science in Sports & Exercise Science from West Texas A&M University in 2002. She received her post-professional Doctorate of OT from Bay Path University in 2019. Her clinical experience ranges from adult brain injury, orthopedic upper extremity rehab, to geriatrics. She has been an educator in Occupational Therapy for over twelve years as both faculty and program director. 
She has presented at the Texas Occupational Therapy Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association Education Summit, and annual AOTA conference. 

Dr. Johnson has worked in healthcare for 36 years. She graduated from Central Michigan University in 1987 with her Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Parks Administration with a therapeutic recreation concentration. She worked in mental health settings until 1996 when she received her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Rush University. Her clinical experience spans mental health, school-based practice and geriatrics. She has worked as an operational and clinical consultant and leader in post-acute rehabilitation for the past 20 years. During this time, she held lead instructor and adjunct faculty roles for multiple universities where she taught entry-level and post-professional occupational therapy courses for the past 13 years. In 2019, she received her post-professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy degree from Bay Path University with an emphasis in higher education. She has been a juried and invited presenter for numerous organizations over her career with clinical training expertise in numerous topics. She has been actively involved in professional organizations including the National Academies of Practice (NAP), the Affiliated Association of State Presidents (ASAP/AOTA), the National Association of Rehabilitation Agencies (NARA) and holds the position of president for the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association (MiOTA). 

Dr. Eileen Wang has served as an occupational therapy practitioner for over 15 years working with interdisciplinary rehab teams in various sub-acute and post-acute rehab facilities, acute rehab hospital, and in-home/community-based rehab program providing occupational therapy (OT) services to adults and older adults with physical disabilities. Her clinical emphasis is in neurorehabilitation where she has completed advanced training to be a certified stroke rehabilitation specialist (CSRS) and a Neuro-Integrative Functional Rehabilitation and Habilitation (NEURO-IFRAH) trained therapist.

Dr. Wang also serves as a mentor and fieldwork educator to students and colleagues of occupational therapy. She is dedicated to continued education in adult neuro rehabilitation and engagement in scholarship to facilitate student learning, strength the profession and establish community partnerships.

In her spare time, she enjoys hosting gatherings with friends and spending quality time with family.

Douglene Jackson, PhD, OTR/L, LMT, ATP, CYT, FAOTA is an occupational therapist (OT) with over 25 years of experience in the rehabilitation field, primarily with individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities across the lifespan in schools, hospitals, clinics, and community-based settings. She holds a PhD in Special Education in Early Childhood, a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, a Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Services with a concentration in counseling, a Diploma in Massage Therapy, and various professional certifications, including assistive technology, telehealth, and sensory integration, yoga, qigong, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Jackson received the American Occupational Therapy Association 2022 Award of Merit and was simultaneously recognized to the Roster of Fellows.

Dr. Jackson is the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Arizona program, joining SCUHS in October 2023. She is an experienced educator and researcher, with experience teaching pediatrics, assistive technology, research, and cultural awareness courses interprofessionally. Dr. Jackson has also written grants and awarded funding, with her research interests including health and educational disparities, early childhood, telehealth, and assistive technology. She has served in leadership roles with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), Florida Occupational Therapy Association, South Florida Black Occupational Therapy Caucus, and Autism Society, as well as volunteered with other boards and community organizations. Currently, she is the AOTA Alternate Delegate to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the secretary of the AOTF.

Dr. Rene' Wren joined the Southern California University of Health Sciences faculty team as curriculum coordinator and core faculty in the Occupational Therapy program - Arizona campus in October 2023. Prior to joining the university, she was a faculty member at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences instructiing capstone, geriatric, foundational, and clinical lab courses. She has also taught at Texas Women's University and University of Texas. Additionally, Dr. Wren has worked as a consultant for University of Texas at Tyler to assist in the development of the MOT bridge program and Brightwood College in Dallas with the initial ACOTE accreditation of the OTA program.

Prior to entering the field of academia in 2015, Dr. Wren worked as an occupational therapist primarily in the skilled nursing facility and home health settings as a clinician for 23 years. She is American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Board Certified in Gerontology and has worked extensively with the older adult population. She is a certified LSVT-BIG clinician working with patients with Parkinson's disease and other neurological conditions that affect movement and function. Dr. Wren has been an active member in the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the Texas Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA).

Dr. Wren's education includes:
Doctor of Education (EdD), University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, St. Augustine, Florida.
Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD), Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bachelor of Science, (BS), Occupational Therapy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Allied Health Professions, Shreveport, Louisiana.

Dr. Wren's primary research interest is in the area of life review psychosocial interventions. This line of research has included investigating the underlying principles of life review interventions regarding design and how implementation of life review interventions affect issues such as student ageism and older adults daily occupations.