Alex Schiwal

Alex holds a Ph.D. from the Human Development and Family Studies Department at Utah State University (2019), with an emphasis in Adult Development & Aging. She earned her Bachelor's in Psychology and Gerontology from the University of Montana (2014). She has been working in the disability field since 2012, in both direct service and research roles. Her research has been focused on the geographic distribution of resources for various populations, particularly rural, aging, and disability populations, barriers to access, and ways to increase access to resources to improve health and quality of life.

Currently, Dr. Schiwal's work is focused around three primary topics: physical accessibility, disability & healthy relationships, and disability & health. She is also interested in work related to disability justice, emergency preparedness, climate-related impacts to at-risk populations, mental health across the lifespan, and end-of-life issues. 

Dr. Schiwal is the Managing Editor of the Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. She is also a member of the Tailored Research, Evaluation, and Continuous Improvement (TRECI) team, supporting multiple evaluation projects with internal and external partners. Dr. Schiwal serves as the lead for the Disability & Healthy Relationships ECHO project in collaboration with the Utah Developmental Disabilties Council, in addition to the Accessibility & Health Project, in collaboration with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Dr. Schiwal also serves on the board of Birdability.

Alex also has lived experience as a person with multiple chronic health conditions and is the sibling of someone with a disability. She is a lifelong resident of both Montana and Utah and travels between the two states frequently for work, and for opportunities to camp, hike, go bird-watching, kayaking, and to visit family & friends.