Michaelann Gabriele, OTD, OTR/L
Director

Michaelann Gabriele, OTD, OTR/L received a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Before pursuing her Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Doctorate at the University of Southern California, she spent 4 years teaching English to children in Italy near her husband’s hometown. In practice, Michaelann has specialized in the areas of sensory integration and autism in clinic and school-based settings. She is certified in the administration of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests and is an active member of the Occupational Therapy Association of California’s Autism Committee. Additionally, she has developed expertise in clinical documentation through her doctoral work and as a faculty member of the USC Mrs. TH Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. With a background in clinical research through Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Michaelann has supported many research projects on child development and therapeutic interventions through participant recruitment, data collection, and data analysis. Michaelann and her husband are raising their two daughters in a bicultural/bilingual home. To relax, she likes hiking with her family, cooking and trying delicious foods, travelling, attempting to boulder, and an occasional good book.

AnjaLi Carrasco Koester, OTD, OTR/L
Director

AnjaLi Carrasco Koester, OTD, OTR/L received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She first became passionate about meaningful activities for children when working in a pediatric residential home. After working there for a few years in San Francisco, she earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. Then she moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue her Occupational Therapy Doctorate from the University of Southern California while specializing in sensory integration in children with hearing loss and/or cochlear implants. AnjaLi is motivated to disseminate information to parents of and practitioners who work with children with hearing loss and sensory integration difficulties. AnjaLi has consulted for families, professionals, and organizations in Los Angeles area as well as internationally. She is happy to work on field testing, pilot testing, and normative data collection for Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI), which is developing an internationally applicable assessment for children aged 3 to 12 years. AnjaLi is proud to be a member of the Collaborative for Leadership in Ayres Sensory Integration (CLASI), which is developing a curriculum for a Certificate in Ayres Sensory Integration. In her spare time, AnjaLi enjoys attempting hikes rated “very easy” with her husband and son, creating fusion Indian/Mexican food, and sewing.