Rhonda Nelson portrait
  • Program Director, Recreational Therapy
  • Assistant Professor, Occupational & Recreational Therapies

Professional Service

  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education. Role: Team Lead. Site Visitor. 04/2023 - 04/2023
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education. Role: Team Lead. Site Visitor. 02/2023 - 02/2023
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education. Past Chair. 07/2022 - present
  • American Therapeutic Recreation Association. Role: Abstract Reviewer. Research Institute. 05/2022 - 06/2022
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE). Chair. 07/2019 - 07/2022
  • Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Commissioner. 07/2019 - 07/2022
  • American Therapeutic Recreation Association. Associate Editor: Annual in Therapeutic Recreation. 01/01/2019 - 12/31/2019
  • American Therapeutic Recreation Association. Role: Associate Editor. Annual in Therapeutic Recreation. 05/01/2018 - 12/31/2018
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE). Role: Educator Representative. Board of Directors. 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE). Treasurer. 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018
  • American Therapeutic Recreation Association. Role: Member. Higher Education Committee. 09/2016 - 08/2017
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE). Treasurer. 08/2016 - 07/2019
  • Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE). Board of Directors: Educator Representative . 07/2016 - 07/2022

Internal Service

  • Recreational Therapy Scholarships Committee. Chair, 01/2022 - 12/2022. Department service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Advisory Committee. Chair, 01/01/2022 - 12/31/2022. Department service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Director. 01/01/2022 - 12/31/2022. Department service.
  • Interprofessional Education (IPE) Committee. Member, 01/01/2022 - 12/31/2022. College service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Advisory Committee. Chair, 01/2021 - 12/2021. Department service.
  • Interprofessional Education (IPE) Committee. Member, 01/2021 - 12/2021. College service.
  • Recreational Therapy Research and Training Lab . Director, 01/2021 - 12/2021. Department service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Director. 01/2021 - 12/2021. Department service.
  • Recreational Therapy Scholarship Committee,. Member, 08/2019 - present. Department service.
  • Directors of Graduate Studies. Member, Recreational Therapy, 08/2019 - present. University service.
  • Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Judge. 04/2019 - 04/2022. University service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Advisory Committee. Member, 01/2019 - 12/2019. Department service.
  • Research Committee. Member, 01/2019 - 12/2019. College service.
  • Recreational Therapy Research and Training Lab. Director, 01/2019 - 12/2019. Department service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Director (interim coverage). 01/2019 - 05/2019. Department service.
  • Undergraduate Research Symposium. Poster Judge, 04/01/2018 - 04/30/2018. University service.
  • Center for Medical Innovation. Bench to Bedside Competition Judge, 04/01/2018 - 04/30/2018. University service.
  • Recreational Therapy Program Advisory Committee. Member, 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018. Department service.
  • College of Health Research Committee. Member, 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018. College service.
  • Recreational Therapy Research and Training Lab. Director, 01/01/2018 - 12/31/2018. Department service.

Community Partnership

  • Club U Junior Varsity Camp, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Exploring Health through Recreational Therapy. Program Developer and Facilitator. 07/2022 - 07/2022

Honors & Awards

  • Best Research to Practice Poster, Second Place. American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 09/2022
  • Faculty Fellow Award. University of Utah, 08/2021
  • Best Practice Poster. American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 09/2019
  • Best Research to Practice Poster. American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 09/2019
  • Scholarly Achievement Award. American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 09/2018
  • Best Research Poster. American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 09/2018
  • Fellow. The National Academy of Recreational Therapists, 09/2018
  • Outstanding Member Award. Utah Recreation Therapy Association , 03/30/2018