Faculty & Staff Profiles

Lisa Fanelli, OTD, MBA, OTR/L

Clinical Associate Professor
Coordinator, B.S. in Health Sciences

Department of Population Health and Leadership
School of Health Sciences

For the Media

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Lisa Fanelli

Education

  • OTD, Quinnipiac University
  • MBA, University of Bridgeport
  • B.S. OT, Quinnipiac University

About Lisa

Lisa Fanelli is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the B.S. Health Sciences Program. Dr. Fanelli is a Credentialed Leader in Academia, a Leadership Fellow, a Senior Universal Design for Learning Teaching Fellow, a Dementia Friend Champion, and an Age-Inclusive Champion who has led prior institutional teams to receive the international designation of Age-Friendly Universities.

Lisa values the impact that community-based experiential learning has on student success as evidenced by her vast experience as Director of Clinical Education at Quinnipiac University, Program Director of Health Sciences to PA and PharmD at the University of Saint Joseph, and Program Director of Health Sciences at Goodwin University. She has been an occupational therapist since 1996 working with adults and older adults specializing in physical and neurorehabilitation services.

Lisa enjoys presenting regionally, nationally, and internationally on research focused on Universal Design for Learning, Clinical Education, Rehabilitation, and Dementia Care. Lisa cherishes time cooking and laughing with her two sons and close Italian family.

Selected Presentations/Posters

  • Fanelli, L. (2025). Engaging Clinical Educators in Universal Design for Learning. Short Course. Association of Caribbean Occupational Therapy Conference. Anguilla.
  • Fanelli, L., & Morin, K. (2024). Applying a UDL and OER Framework in an Accessible Course Design. Short Course. Saskatchewan Polytechnic UDL Conference. Saskatchewan, Canada.
  • Fanelli, L., (2023). Becoming an Age Friendly University – A Path for Two Universities. Short Course. Goodwin University DEIB in Action Conference. East Hartford, CT.
  • Fanelli, L., & Morin, K. (2023). Thinking outside the book: The process of integrating UDL principles into a newly designed OER course. Short Course at SoTL Commons Conference, Savannah, GA.
  • Fanelli, L. (2022). Instructing clinical educators in Universal Design for Learning: A pilot study. Poster session presented at the University of Bridgeport Faculty Research Day, Bridgeport, CT.
  • Fanelli, L., & Consolini, C. (2021). Exploring a coaching model as a means of engaging clinical educators in Universal Design for Learning. Short course presented virtually at the Atiner Annual International Conference on Health & Medical Sciences, Athens, GR.
  • Van Oss, T., Fanelli, L., & Nadeau, B. (2019). Exploring innovative and creative tools for a comprehensive assessment for persons with CVA. Short course presented at the Annual Association of Caribbean Occupational Therapists Conference, Bridgetown, Barbados.
  • Laverdure, P., Fanelli, L., Mason, J., Smith, L., Stotz, N., VanCamp, A., & Varland, J. (2019). 2018 ACOTE Standards: Ensuring adherence. Presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association Academic Leadership Council, Las Vegas, NV.
  • Bondoc, S., Nadeau, B., Fanelli, L. & Aptaker, D. (2018). Addressing occupational needs of underserved populations and expanding areas of practice through academic fieldwork partnerships. Poster session presented at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Fanelli, L., Hewitt, P., & Aptaker, D. (2018). Performance evaluation of the academic fieldwork coordinator: A formal assessment for sites, students, and department chair. Poster session presented at the AOTA Academic Leadership Council and Education Summitt, Louisville, KY.
  • Fanelli, L., & Nadeau, B. (2017). The Influence of Role Emerging Fieldwork on the Perceptions of Occupational Therapy. Poster session presented at AOTA Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Piersol, C., Fortinsky, R., Nadeau, B., Fanelli, L., & Gitlin, L. (2017). Translating the Care of Persons with Dementia in Their Environments (COPE) Intervention: Study Characteristics, Treatment Principles, and Case Stories. Presented at AOTA Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Selected Publications

  • Fanelli, L. (2025). Creating an Age-Inclusive Campus: The Path of Goodwin’s Age-Friendly University Designation. Goodwin University ENews.
  • Fanelli, L. (2024). Purposeful Transparency: A UDL Journey to add Purpose and Connection to a Leadership in Healthcare Course. Goodwin University ENews.
  • Fallon, K., Giuliano, K., Maud, M., Sinko, J., & Fanelli, L. (2022). Memory boxes improve wayfinding. OT Practice, (27)2, 20-23. https://www.aota.org/publications/ot-practice/ot-practice issues/2022/wayfinding-memory-boxes
  • Fanelli, L., & Nadeau, B. (2021). Marketing the profession: The influence of non-traditional psychosocial fieldwork on perceptions of occupational therapy. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health. http://doi:10.1080/0164212X.2021.1994096
  • LaRocco, D., & Fanelli, L. (2021). Universal design for learning for clinical educators: Design thinking in clinical settings. In F. Fovet (Ed.), Handbook of research on applying universal design for learning across disciplines (pp. 389-411). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-7106-4
  • Fanelli, L., & Glennon, T. (2020). Meeting the needs of students with English as a second language: A discussion for best practice in higher education. AOTA Education SIS Quarterly Practice Connections.
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