Lola Halperin, Ed.D., OTR/L
Associate Professor
Office Location
Occupational Therapy
Ctr for Healthcare Education N116
Lola Halperin, Ed.D., OTR/L, is an associate professor of occupational therapy in the College of Health Professions. Her specialty is psychosocial occupational therapy and she coordinates the mental health curriculum at her school. Halperin has served clients of all ages affected by mental health conditions and other forms of adversity in inpatient, outpatient and community-based facilities in the United States, Canada, and Israel.
Her research interests include occupational therapy for individuals with mental health conditions/history of trauma, as well as curriculum design for graduate occupational therapy education. She is fluent in English, Hebrew, Russian and Lithuanian.
Degrees and Certifications
- Licensed Occupational Therapist (license #003140), State of CT, 2005-present
- Licensed Occupational Therapist (license #01319401), NY State, 2004-present
- Certified by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (certification #1070655), 2004-present
- Basic Life Support (CPR and AED), American Heart Association, August 2025-August 2027
- Responsible Conduct of Research, CITI, July 2025-July 2028
- Biomedical Research Investigators, Basic Refresher Course: Human Subjects Research,
- Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), June 2024-July 2027
- Conflicts of Interest, CITI, June 2025-June 2029
- Internal Review Board (IRB) Member Basic Refresher Course, CITI, April 2024-April 2027
- Social and Behavioral Research - Refresher, CITI, November 2022-November 2025
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy Certification Training, Psychotherapy Networker/PESI, June 2022-present
- Lifestyle Redesign for Chronic Pain and Headache Management, USC Chan Division of
- Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, May 2016-present
- Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), Innovative OT Solutions, November 2011-present
Teaching Responsibilities
- Introduction to Occupational Therapy (OT)
- Mental Health Conditions Across the Life Span
- Problem-Based Learning in Mental Health OT
- Clinical Lab in Mental Health OT
- Topics in Mental Health OT
- Capstone Projects
- OT Students Level 1 and Level 2 Mental Health Fieldwork Supervision
Awards & Fellowships
- 2024 Sacred Heart University College of Health Professions Teaching Excellence Award
- 2024 Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association Award of Merit
- 2020 Sacred Heart University Faculty Service-Learning Award
- 2002 Chaim Sheba Medical Center (Israel) Outstanding Worker Prize
Research Interests & Grants
- Co-PI (Waldman-Levi: PI), $2,500.00. Supporting Families and Children’s Growth and Wellbeing. Katz School Faculty Research Award (Yeshiva University), August 3, 2023-present.
- Co-PI (Waldman- Levi: PI), $7,500.00. The Feasibility of Promoting Health Through Play Opportunities Program in Improving Parent and Child Outcomes for Underserved Families. Yeshiva University Provost’s Office Grant for Faculty Research, June 3, 2022-present.
- PI, $12,500.00. Promoting Play Opportunities in the Classroom. Naclerio Faculty Scholars Program, Sacred Heart University, February 11, 2021-December 2022 (grant #21143).
- PI, $980.00. Treatment of Major Neurocognitive Disorder: An Interprofessional Team-Based Learning Event for OT and PA Students. College of Health Professions and College of Nursing Inter-Professional Education (IPE) Award, Sacred Heart University, 2019.