Meet the Team

Hello! I’m Lisa, a Bay Area native living in Orinda with my husband and two children.

I received my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at San Jose State University in 2007 and have over 14 years of clinical pediatric experience. I am currently a feeding specialist and developmental therapist at Alta Bates Medical Center, working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Outpatient Clinic.

I specialize in supporting children and their families with feeding difficulties. I work with babies and children with medically complex conditions, swallow impairments, oral aversions, tube fed infants and children, and extreme picky eating.

I have extensive post-graduate training in assessment and treatment of infant and pediatric feeding impairments including the SOS Approach to Feeding, Feed the Peds, Myofunctional Therapy, Feeding and Swallowing Disorders of Infancy, and the Get Permission Approach to Feeding. I have an Advanced Practice Certification through the California Board of Occupational Therapy in Swallowing Assessment, Evaluation or Intervention (SWC).

I have worked with hundreds of wonderful children and their families to turn stressful mealtimes into joyful opportunities to explore and learn about foods and build positive feeding foundations for life.

I have been providing pediatric occupational therapy services for the last 20 years, working in a variety of settings including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, outpatient clinics, interdisciplinary feeding teams, inpatient hospitals, and schools. For the last 12 years, my scope of practice has been primarily pediatric feeding therapy with children ages 0-12. My feeding practice includes working with medically fragile babies, children with developmental, motor or behavioral difficulties, babies and children with gastrointestinal and nutritional concerns, as well as typically developing kids with limited diets.

I earned my undergraduate degrees from University of California, San Diego with a degree in Developmental Psychology and a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University. I have an Advanced Practice Certification through the California Board of Occupational Therapy in Swallowing Assessment, Evaluation or Intervention (SWC)

I have specialized feeding training and continuing education in Feeding and Swallowing Disorders in Infancy, SOS Approach to Feeding, Beckman Oral Motor Protocol, Functional Assessment of Tethered Oral Tissue (TOT), and the Get Permission Approach to Feeding. I partner closely with pediatricians, developmental pediatricians, gastrointestinal medical specialists, nutritionists, ear nose and throat specialists, pediatric dentists and psychologists to ensure a kid-centered, individualized and multidisciplinary approach.

A Bay Area native, I currently live in San Francisco with my husband, two daughters, 2 cats, and an adopted pet parakeet (it’s a literal zoo!). In my free time, I enjoy hiking, boogie boarding, paddleboarding, yoga and baking.