Personnel

Director

Keith C. Russell, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Outdoor Education and Youth Development Leadership at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. He is also the Director of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Cooperative (OBHRC). His research emphasis includes program evaluation, the study of human-nature relationships, the therapeutic values of natural environments, and international protected area management. He teaches courses in statistics, research methods, philosophy and theory of adventure education, and wilderness leadership for personal growth and therapy. He has been a wilderness educator for more than fifteen years in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and New Zealand.

Research Associate

Nevin Harper, Ph.D. has been a member of the OBHRC research team since 2004.

Graduate Research Assistants

Geneviève Marchand

Joe Popelka

Mike Walsh

Peer Review Committee

The peer review committee reviews all proposals and publications. Committee members are:

• Rob Cooley, Ph.D., Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions, Albany, Oregon
• Thomas J. Doherty, Psy.D., Clinician and Supervisor, Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy, Portland, Oregon
• H. Lee Gillis, Ph.D., Professor, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Georgia
• Alan Ewert, Ph.D., Professor, Patricia and Joel Meier Outdoor Leadership Chair, Department of Recreation and Park Administration, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
• Michael Gass, Ph.D., Professor, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
• Gil Hallows, Chairman, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council, Loa, Utah
• Mike Merchant, Chief Operating Officer, Anasazi Foundation, Mesa, Arizona
• Sandy Newes, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Development and Research, Phoenix Outdoor, Ashville, North Carolina

OBHRC Handout [PDF]