LISA MEERTS-BRANDSMA

Lisa Meerts-Brandsma, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Utah. Her research examines how outdoor recreation and experiential education programs can better support positive youth development and overall well-being among youth. To do this, she leverages implementation science to understand how recreation professionals design, adapt, and deliver programs given their unique priorities and resources, with an emphasis on improving program quality and broadening participation to reach underserved communities. Her work is collaborative and community-engaged, aiming to support practitioners in identifying and sharing practices that help them achieve their programmatic goals, engage more youth, and expand the impact of outdoor and experiential programs.