Professional Background
Lisa Mische Lawson, PhD, CTRS, joined the department in 2006. She is the program director for the therapeutic science doctoral degree program and has taught and mentored students in the graduate-level occupational therapy degree programs in addition to therapeutic science.
As a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, she focuses on the benefits of recreation participation for individuals with disability or chronic illness. In 2012, she received the School of Health Professions Stata Norton Award for teaching excellence and in 2016 received the University of Kansas Medical Center's Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Alumna Award.
Mische Lawson was added to the Fulbright Specialist Roster for expertise in inclusive and adaptive recreation in 2018. In 2019 she completed a Fulbright Specialist project promoting research at Ala-Too International University in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
In 2019, the American Therapeutic Recreation Association recognized Mische Lawson’s contributions with its Scholarly Achievement Award, the highest award for scholarly work to the profession.
Academic Background
Mische Lawson earned a bachelor's degree in parks and recreation with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., in 1993. During her undergraduate program, she studied international tourism and recreation program development at Christlijke Hogeschool Noord-Nederland-Netherlands.
She completed a master's degree in education in therapeutic recreation at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., in 1996. Later, Mische Lawson earned her doctorate in therapeutic science from the University of Kansas.
- BS, Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Univ. of Missouri
- MS, Temple Univ.
- PhD, Doctor of Therapeutic Science, Univ. of Kansas-Medical Ctr.
