Welcome to Kinesiology
Rebecca Gray
Rebecca comes to the UW Madison after working for 20 years in healthcare administration. She has a Bachelor’ Degree in Healthcare Management as well as a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management. Rebecca looks forward to using her vast background in her new role as the Program Administrator in the department. She jumped right in when she started and helped to put on the Occupational Therapy Summit of Scholars conference hosted by UW Madison.
In her spare time Rebecca, enjoys spending time with her husband, John, and her four kids. Rebecca also runs a home bakery business where she makes cakes, cupcakes, bars, pastries, pies, and many other treats. She loves to travel and among her favorite places she has been include the south of France, Belize, Turks & Caicos, New Your City, and of course Door County!
Dr. Patrick Hills-Meyer
Dr. Hills-Meyer is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, a Licensed Athletic Trainer, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Patrick received his Doctor of Education in Health Professions from A.T. Still University, where his research focused on culturally competent health care practices. Patrick also has a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from Western Michigan University and his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science/Athletic Training from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Patrick taught undergraduate Human Anatomy in the Kinesiology department for the last five years and has begun serving as the Clinical Education Coordinator for the Master of Science in Athletic Training. He brings a unique clinical skill set to his teaching with a background and experience in sports medicine to give students a hands-on perspective on functional anatomy and clinical correlations.
When not working, Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife, Gina, and son, Colton. He loves the outdoors, backpacking, hammock camping, cycling, and strength training. He is also a huge movie fan, enjoying cult/slapstick comedies, epic action/adventure movies, superhero movies, and science fiction. If you want to talk about music, Patrick loves classic rock, 80’s, 90’s, and golden-era hip-hop.
Dr. Michael Norris
Dr. Norris comes to UW-Madison from Syracuse, Chicago State, and Iowa State Universities respectively. He has an earned doctorate in Adapted Physical Education/Physical Education from the Ohio State University where his dissertation focused on Physical Activity/Education for all populations specifically African American families of preschool children. He currently serves on the Board of Directors in New York State Association of Health Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, Central North Zone Section as Higher Education President/Future Professional Preparation President and is the former Higher Education President of NYSAHPERD serving from 2019-2021. His experience and service in the Syracuse community has seen service as Health and Safety & Aquatic Instructor – teaching Lifeguarding, Swimming Lessons, and CPR/First Aid/AED to campus and local community.
He has expertise in Curriculum Development, Assessment, and Pedagogy of Teaching (APE/HPE) of programs by serving on the NYS Curriculum Writing Team by helping to revise the State PE Standards (2018-2021). Michael appreciates the opportunity to come to Madison as he looks forward to facilitating instruction to students through a variety of learning strategies, helping to develop and enhance programs – specifically Adapted Physical Education and Health minor, and provide support in other areas and programs in the Kinesiology Department. If one were to ask former students, staff, faculty about Dr. Norris, they would say, “He gets in the community, gets involved, and gets to know people!”
He is an avid swimmer and cyclist and appreciates the bike friendly community and the many trails in the area. As an undergrad, he was an Outdoor Recreation major and learned and experienced many outdoor activities he participates in to date. Those include camping, kayaking, canoeing and winter activities like cross country skiing. Other activities he enjoys are swimming, woodworking, and being an avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan…now Badgers fan too!
Dr. Caitlin Rhoten
Caitlin is the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator & Clinical Assistant Professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Occupational Therapy Program. Caitlin earned an OTD from Thomas Jefferson University and her Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her doctoral capstone project was related to understanding the experiences of OT students of color enrolled in entry-level OT programs and retention efforts.
Previously, Caitlin worked as a school-based occupational therapist within the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). Caitlin is the co-founder and vice-chair of Diverse-OT, a non-profit organization that aims to advance the OT profession’s cultural climate by increasing student knowledge of culturally responsive practice and works to support underrepresented students of color. Caitlin’s professional interests include occupational justice, retention, health equity, and culturally relevant care.
Favorite Occupations: Traveling, spending time outdoors, and going to brunch with friends
Dr. Dan Schaefer
Dan received his PhD from the University Wisconsin – Madison and joined the academic instructional staff in the Fall of 2022. Prior to UW, Dan graduated with a BS in exercise and sport science from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse and went on to pursue his MS in sport sciences at Florida State University. During his graduate work, he was hired by the Florida State Athletics Department and eventually became the Director of Strength and Conditioning. As director, his mission was to integrate science and technology to improve sport performance and the student-athlete experience. His passion for coaching turned into a love for teaching through his many teaching assistant opportunities at UW. Dan tries to find unique ways to translate his background in coaching elite athletes to the classroom to promote an inclusive and exciting learning environment.
Eric Walsh
Professor Walsh is a teaching faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology and has been exploring his passion for the human body in clinical, academic, and industry settings for the past decade. He received his B.S. degree in exercise science with a minor in sociological gerontology from Illinois State University. The experiences afforded to him during these years inspired him and galvanized his love for human biology. As such, Professor Walsh received his M.S. in Biology from Illinois State University where his coursework emphasized the cellular and molecular mechanisms of human life. During this time Professor Walsh completed his thesis “Reconsidering Undergraduate Anatomy & Physiology Curriculum” where he created and tested the efficacy of novel ways to approach anatomy and physiology education for undergraduate students. In his personal life Professor Walsh loves to rock climb, backpack, hike, do astronomy, and hone his identification of flora, fauna, and fungi.