Dr. Thomas Fisher,PhD, OTR, CCM, FAOTA, has been named the new Dean ofthe Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences at Indiana University South Bend.
Fisher has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education, most recently asProfessor and Chair of Occupational Therapy at the Indiana University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at IUPUI since 2003.
He also held faculty positions at the College of Health Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University and the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky.In addition to his career in academia, Fisher has 18 years of experience as a practicing occupational therapist and director of rehabilitation services.
Fisher earned his PhD in Educational Psychology and Educational Specialist degree in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He received a Master of Science in Education with a concentration in Educational Psychology from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He is also a Certified Case Manager, with a small practice of managing cases of persons with traumatic brain injuries.
Fisher’s professional accolades include induction into the Roster of Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), as well as recognition from the AOTA with the Award of Merit. He was also named one of the100 Most Influential People in the occupational therapy profession.
Fisher replaces Mario Ortiz who left IU South Bend last year to be Dean of the Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University in New York. Fisher will start his responsibilities with the Dwyer School on July 1.
