Devan McNeill

Dr. Devan Mark Joseph McNeill (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Therapeutic Recreation program within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Dr. McNeill’s professional experience is grounded in recreation therapy, with extensive practice in mental health, acute care, community-based services, and complex continuing care settings across Ontario and Nova Scotia. His clinical experience includes working with individuals living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, psychosis, anxiety disorders, addictions, concurrent disorders, dementia, physical disabilities, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other chronic health conditions. Dr. McNeill’s research program focuses on therapeutic recreation, mental health, and person-centred approaches to care, with particular emphasis on professional practice, organizational structures, mental health service delivery, social inclusion, and advancing recreation therapy within health and human service systems.

Education:

• PhD Population Studies in Health, University of Lethbridge '26
• MA Recreation and Leisure Studies in Therapeutic Recreation, University of Waterloo 
• Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies in Therapeutic Recreation, Brock University

Professional Experience:

Dr. McNeill has over four years of experience in the field of Recreation Therapy. His professional experience is entirely within the field of recreation therapy. He has over 3 years of experience providing recreation therapy services in acute, community, and day-program mental health settings across 2 facilities in Ontario, Canada, including forensic mental health and community-based case management. In these roles, he worked with individuals living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, psychosis, anxiety disorders, addictions, dual diagnoses, and concurrent disorders. 

In addition, Dr. McNeill has approximately 1.5 years of experience in acute general care and community health settings in hospitals in Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia. His practice also included complex and transitional care, supporting individuals as they moved between care settings. Across these settings, he worked with diverse populations, including individuals living with eating disorders, dementia, physical disabilities, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), amputation, stroke/cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Recently, Devan won the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association’s Professional of the Year Award in 2025. Dr. McNeill is a Fellow Distinguished in Recreational Therapy by the National Academy of Recreational Therapists. Devan has also been a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) since 2009,and he is a professional member of the Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association and the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association.

Research Focus & Grants: 

Dr. McNeill’s current research program focuses on therapeutic recreation, mental health, and person-centred approaches to care. His research examines the role of recreation therapy professionals in the delivery of person-centred and recovery-oriented services within mental health settings, with particular attention to organizational structures and professional practice. Additional areas of inquiry include:

• Social inclusion and belonging 
• Community participation among individuals living with serious mental illness
• The advancement of therapeutic recreation education 
• Practice within health and human service systems

Dr. McNeill actively disseminates research findings through conference presentations, community partnerships, and teaching activities. He engages in knowledge mobilization through community service-learning initiatives and professional outreach activities. For example, he has delivered webinars in collaboration with provincial therapeutic recreation associations to share research findings and promote evidence-informed practice.

Dr. McNeill's recent grant is listed below:

(2026) “Key collaborators’ perspectives on the supporting factors and barriers to research literacy and knowledge mobilization in therapeutic recreation education and practice in Canada” – Funded by the National Council of Therapeutic Recreation Certification, Role: Principal Investigator, $5,000.00.

Teaching Experience: 

Dr. McNeill has over 12 years of post-secondary teaching experience and extensive involvement in community service-learning initiatives. His teaching practice emphasizes experiential and applied learning, engaging both college and university students in a variety of educational experiences. These initiatives have included coordinating field

trips with health care providers in the Lethbridge, Alberta, and Sydney, Nova Scotia regions; facilitating disability simulation laboratory experiences at the University of Lethbridge; and coordinating student internships, supporting students in securing placements across North America.

Courses taught:

Dr. McNeill currently teaches TREC 4100: Research Literacy. Over the past 12 years, he has taught numerous courses in the Therapeutic Recreation program and in the Health Sciences program. Previously teaching responsibilities include:

• TREC 3000
• TREC 3100
• TREC 3200
• TREC 3400
• TREC 3500
• TREC 3700
• TREC 4000
• TREC 4550
• HLSC 1170

Currently, Dr. McNeill is open to supervising graduate students in the following areas: Recreation therapy, mental health, schizophrenia, disabilities, person-centred care, and qualitative research.

Research Contributions:

Dr. McNeill’s scholarly contributions include research examining person-centered care in mental health settings, professional practice in recreation therapy, and social inclusion among individuals living with serious mental illness. His work has contributed to the growing body of knowledge supporting recovery-oriented and person-centered approaches in therapeutic recreation practice. Recent projects and publications have explored the experiences of recreation therapy professionals within mental health service delivery, as well as issues related to belonging, community participation, and professional education in therapeutic recreation. A list of Dr. Devan McNeill's recent publications can be found below:

• McNeill, D. M. J., & Arai, S. M. (2022). A Narrative exploration of sense of belonging of persons living with schizophrenia in the community. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 41(1), 90-101.
• McNeill, D. M. J. (2025). The provision of person-centred care in mental health care settings through recreation therapy professionals (Doctoral dissertation, Lethbridge, Alta.: University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences).
• Caspar, S., Davis, E., McNeill, D. M. J., & Kellett, P. (2019). Intergenerational programs: Breaking down ageist barriers and improving youth experiences. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 53(2), 149-164