McCormick is a professor and chair of the department of recreation, park and tourism studies in the School of Public Health.
He was presented with the Distinguished Fellow Award at the association’s annual conference in Oklahoma City, according to a University press release.
The American Therapeutic Recreation Association is a member-driven group that supports the profession of recreational therapy, according to their website.
The association tries to be the leading professional membership association that represents recreational therapists, consumers and stakeholders.
The ATRA’s annual conference was Sept. 13 through Sept. 16, and it featured a gala for the organization’s 30th anniversary.
The Distinguished Fellow Award is the highest level of recognition given by the ATRA. It identifies outstanding accomplishments in the recreational therapy field, according to the University.
“Dr. McCormick is such a great asset to the school and to Indiana University,” said Mohammad Torabi, dean and chancellor’s professor at the IU School of Public Health. “His selection as a recipient of this prestigious award is highly fitting given his dedication to innovation in teaching and learning at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.”
McCormick’s research is focused on how people with severe mental illnesses function socially and the community, according to the University.
His research looks at elements of both social and community functions such as daily physical activity, mood and social context.
McCormick also looks at recreation and support networks and their influence on a person’s overall mental health, according to the University.
McCormick is a 2010 Fulbright Scholar. The Fulbright Scholar program awards about 8,000 grants each year to both US and foreign students, scholars, teachers and professionals, according to the Fulbright Scholar Program’s website.
During his time as a Fulbright Scholar, McCormick conducted research at the University of Kragujevac in Serbia.
He is also the associate editor of the Journal of Leisure Research, a publication that devotes itself to the understanding of the leisure studies field, and past president of the ATRA.
He has also been recognized for his work in the past by the School of Public Health when he was given the Physical Education and Recreation Teaching Excellence Recognition Award.
Recreation Therapists of Indiana also awarded McCormick the David R. Austin Member of the Year Award, and the ATRA awarded him the American Therapeutic Recreation Association Presidential Award, according to the University.
Kathrine Schulze
