The College of Public Health is proud to welcome two internationally renowned professors to its Recreational Therapy faculty beginning Fall 2017.

Professor Bryan McCormick comes to Temple from the School of Public Health at Indiana University-Bloomington, where he was a professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies as well as a two-time winner of the Teaching Excellence Recognition Award. Widely recognized as one of the top research leaders in his field, he has been recognized as a Distinguished Fellow by the American Therapeutic Recreation Association and as a Fellow of the National Academy of Recreation Therapy and Academy of Leisure Sciences, among many other honors.

His research focuses on the social and community functioning of people with severe mental illnesses, seeking to identify the role of everyday experience in wellbeing. He has published extensively and has been awarded a distinguished Fulbright Scholarship in 2010 and again in 2017.

“I’m most excited about working with the investigators in the Temple Collaborative for Community Inclusion and with faculty from across the College of Public Health,” McCormick says. “The breadth of disciplines and depth of inquiry at CPH provides great opportunities to reimagine public health through a broad multidisciplinary approach. I’ve also been impressed by the passion and innovation of Temple’s faculty, and I believe Temple has been a leader in preparing the next generation of professionals. I am pleased to play a part in the future of the department.”

Joining the department as a Professor of Instruction in Rehabilitation Sciences, Alexis McKenney is widely recognized as one of the top scholars, practitioners, instructors, and leaders in Therapeutic Recreation. The seasoned administrator has received numerous awards for her leadership in the field, and as the coordinator of the Recreational Therapy program and chair of the department of leadership and professional studies at Florida International University, she developed an online degree program as well as initiatives that contributed to considerable program growth.

McKenney is a co-author of the textbook Facilitation Techniques in Therapeutic Recreation, which is used by numerous TR programs around the country, including Temple’s. She also serves as an associate editor for the American Therapeutic Recreation Association Annual, a reviewer for the Therapeutic Recreation Journal, and an editorial board member for the American Journal of Therapeutic Recreation.

“I am honored to be joining the College of Public Health at Temple University,” McKenney said. “I am particularly excited to be joining the Therapeutic Recreation and Occupational Therapy programs’ faculty, who are known for their cutting-edge research, teaching, and community engagement and outreach. Many things drew me to Temple; however, the potential for collaborative opportunities in the department and in the community sit at the top of the list. I look forward to joining the highly respected and forward-thinking faculty members in Therapeutic Recreation in further solidifying the program’s national and international reputation as a top-tier educational program.”

In welcoming remarks, Dean Laura Siminoff said: “The Therapeutic Recreation Department of the College of Public Health has been recognized by the field’s national accreditation board as one of the best programs of its kind in the country. As a relatively new health care discipline, it is exciting that we can be a major contributor to this emerging field. Drs. McCormick and McKenney are leaders in Therapeutic Recreation, and I am thrilled to welcome them to the faculty,” said Dean Laura Siminoff. “Their expertise solidifies our standing and will help the department continue to grow and excel.”