BY YASMINE GRIMBLE MCG ’16

WHEN THE USC DIVISION OF BIOKINESIOLOGY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY CLASS OF 2026 GATHERS for Commencement on May 15 at 4:30 p.m. in Bovard Auditorium, graduates will hear from a speaker with a unique perspective on physical rehabilitation. Robin Scholefield has spent nearly 30 years supporting USC student-athletes, coaches and staff as a licensed clinical psychologist, clinical professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and co-executive director of the USC Athletics Performance Science Institute. With a career that spans Olympic competition, collegiate athletics, psychology and multidisciplinary care, she brings a unique perspective to this year’s ceremony.
 

1. As a former Olympian she learned early that mindset matters.

 
At the ripe age of just 13 years old, Scholefield was an elite athlete herself, competing at the 1976 Olympics in Montréal, Canada, where she won a bronze medal for swimming the 4×100-meter medley relay. Looking back, she traces her interest in psychology to what she observed in the pool: plenty of talented athletes worked hard, but not everyone responded the same way under pressure. “Even then, I was fascinated by the mental side of performance, I saw how powerful mindset could be, and I started to wonder how those same tools could help people far beyond sports.”

2. Her career in psychology was anything but straightforward.

 
After a collegiate swimming career at USC, Scholefield worked on Wall Street and was even admitted to business school. She said a gut feeling made her defer enrollment and follow an opportunity in East Africa. Scholefield spent a year volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya, where she found herself drawn to supporting young people who had faced loss and trauma. The experience led her to take psychology classes, eventually guiding her to graduate school and, ultimately, back to USC. “It wasn’t a straight line,” she says. “But every stop along the way helped me better understand what kind of work felt meaningful to me.”

3. She’s helped shape sports psychology at USC for nearly three decades.

When she entered the field almost 30 years ago, she knew firsthand that mental health conversations in collegiate sports were uncommon, but she used her clinical training focused on multicultural and community psychology to guide. “I applied that biopsychosocial lens to the athletic world,” she says. That perspective helped her develop a more integrated model of care for USC athletes, teams and coaches — helping them navigate mental health challenges while also building resilience. “Psychology offers a lot, not just in helping people overcome challenges, but also in helping them grow and empower themselves.”

4. She believes the best care happens when clinicians work together and see the whole person.

Scholefield is experienced in working in truly multidisciplinary settings alongside physical therapists, athletic trainers, biokinesiologists and other health professionals. She’s seen how much stronger care can be when providers share insight and work toward the same goal. “The best outcomes happen when people communicate, trust each other and remember they’re caring for a person, not just managing an injury,” she says. That approach is especially important in rehabilitation, where physical and emotional recovery often happen at the same time.

5. Her message to graduates is rooted in relationships, dignity and service.

For Scholefield, the most meaningful connection is that physical therapists — like psychologists — often meet people in vulnerable moments and help them move forward. She hopes graduates embrace that responsibility with empathy and intention. “The relationship is everything. If someone feels respected, heard and supported, they’re much more likely to trust the process and stay engaged in their recovery.” She also hopes graduates remember to care for themselves along the way. “You’re entering a profession built on service,” she says. “That’s a privilege, but it also means you have to care for your own well-being if you want to keep showing up for others.”

Robin Scholefield will be the featured speaker at the Division’s satellite Commencement ceremony, taking place Friday, May 15 at 4:30 p.m. at Bovard Auditorium. For more information, please visit the ceremony page.