Jennifer Taylor

Jennifer Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she also serves as the Director of the Health Science Interprofessional Research Center. She is a key figure in advancing evidence-based practice and interprofessional collaboration in allied health education.

Her research focuses on therapeutic recreation, with an emphasis on evidence-based curriculum development and the integration of facility dogs into clinical training. She leads the innovative Dr. Wags Facility Service Dog Program, which prepares students to work with clients who use service animals.

Her recent scholarly work centers on creating accessible, open-source educational resources for recreational therapy practitioners. The publication RT Open Eagles highlights efforts to bridge academic training with real-world practice through student-generated, evidence-based content.

• Research grant ($5,000) from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification for the Dr. Wags program

Jennifer Taylor actively mentors students and collaborates with faculty and practitioners on interdisciplinary projects. She has secured external funding to support research in recreational therapy and has presented her work nationally on topics including facility dog programs and evidence-based pedagogy. She is involved in curriculum redesign and clinical education innovation.

She leads the Health Science Interprofessional Research Center and the Dr. Wags Facility Service Dog Program, both of which foster collaboration across health disciplines and enhance student readiness for professional practice.