Assistant Professor
Favorite occupations: Napping, listening, walking, writing, gardening, dancing, singing, reading, parenting, spending time with friends and family.
Bio
Born and raised in Yakima, Lizzie swore up and down that she would leave Yakima and never come back. After time abroad as a Rotary Exchange Student to Bolivia and a Boren Scholar to Rwanda, she realized that maybe the grass on the other side isn’t always greener. Lizzie worked as a mental health worker and case manager at Comprehensive Healthcare for three years and got her start at PNWU in 2019 as a Research Development Facilitator. After serving as PNWU’s Interim Director of the Office of Scholarly Activity, Lizzie joined the School of Occupational Therapy in June 2025 and teaches Foundations of Inquiry I and II. Lizzie holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Washington’s School of Public Health with a focus on community-oriented public health practice.
Clinical Interests
Health promotion/disease prevention, quality improvement, program evaluation, behavioral health, community-based programming.
Research Areas
Population and rural health, primary care quality improvement, clinical case reports, immigration status and quality of life, cultural paradigms of mental health