Dorothy L. Schmalz

Dorothy L. Schmalz, MS, PhD

Academic Office Information

d.schmalz@health.utah.edu

Research Interests

  • Fruits

Dorothy “Dart” Schmalz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation at the University of Utah. Dr. Schmalz holds a B.A. from The College of Wooster in History with a concentration in environmental sciences, an M.S. from Penn State in Leisure Studies with a concentration in services marketing, and a Ph.D. from Penn State in Leisure Studies with a minor in health and sport psychology. Upon completing her Ph.D. in 2004, Dr. Schmalz held a position as a Research Associate in the Childhood Obesity Research Lab at Penn State. Prior to coming to the University of Utah, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Clemson University.

Dr. Schmalz’s research focuses on the influence of prejudice, discrimination, and stigma on the adoption of and engagement in health behaviors. She is also interested in research exploring social media use on emotional health, the interdisciplinary perspectives between leisure, public health, and positive psychology, and building partnerships between clinical healthcare and leisure services to better serve communities.

Research Statement

I use a variety of methods to assess the psycho-social dimensions of recreation on health and wellbeing. Projects are collaborative efforts with parks and recreation professionals, physicians, and psychologists, with an aim of better establishing recreation and leisure for preventative health. I also have expertise in prejudice, discrimination, and the role of social stigma on behavior, adding a critical and social justice lens to my research. Additional interests include food as a cultural phenomenon, and the role of leisure in subjective wellbeing, and interdisciplinary perspectives between leisure and social psychology, positive psychology, and medicine.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Parr M G (03/05/2019). Leisure studies in the 21st century: Challenges and opportunities in our collective identity. J Leis Res.
  2. Schmalz D L (02/28/2019). Post-tenure pathways: Individualized careers in higher education.
  3. Harris B S (02/26/2019). Arms together, hearts apart: An exploration of intimate segregation on Chicago’s 606 Trail.
  4. Mainieri T (02/20/2019). Embarking on a rhetorical exploration: Accommodating science (or not) in leisure research.
  5. Schmalz D L (02/07/2019). The cycle of food socialization: Leisure as resistance.
  6. Colistra C (12/17/2018). Factors that contribute to relationship building in a community center. J Leis Res.
  7. Blomquist K K (07/25/2018). Evaluation of a family-based pediatric weight management program: Predictors of treatment success in a tertiary clinic. 3.
  8. Payne L (01/15/2018). The re-emergence and revitalized focus of JLR. J Leis Res, 49, 1-7.
  9. Schmalz D L (01/15/2018). Leisure and positive psychology: Complementary Science for health and well-being. 13, 1-3.

Book Chapter

  1. Agate S T (03/15/2018). Helping families play: Development of a framework for family recreation programming. In Innovative Leisure Practices: Cases as Conduits between Theory and Practice (pp. 5-21). Innovative Leisure Practices: Cases as Conduits between Theory and Practice.