About me
Dr. Schiwal earned her Ph.D. from the Human Development and Family Studies Department at Utah State University (2019), with an emphasis in Adult Development and Aging. She earned her Bachelors in Psychology and Gerontology from the University of Montana (2014).
In addition to being the family member of a sister with and intellectual disability, she has worked in the disability field for 15 years. Dr. Schiwal started out as a direct support professional in a residential group home, worked as a student research assistant at a UCEDD, while also working in hospice and homecare for older adults. Dr. Schiwal now works as a researcher at the Institute for Disability, Research, Policy, and Practice at Utah State University. Her primary focus is applied research, program evaluation, and service improvement for rural and underserved populations.
Dr. Schiwal has been working with the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council to assess the level and quality of training and education about healthy relationships and people with disabilities in Utah for the past 3 years.
