Kanako Iwanaga, Ph.D., CRC, LPC
Associate Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Counseling
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Kanako Iwanaga, Ph.D., CRC, LPC, is an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at the College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She earned her Ph.D. in rehabilitation counselor education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and previously served at Northern Illinois University before joining VCU. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and nine book chapters. Her work centers on evidence-based rehabilitation counseling practices, demand-side employment, positive psychology, health promotion, transition support, and the validation of psychological and vocational assessment instruments for individuals with disabilities from diverse backgrounds.
Timothy Tansey, Ph.D.
Professor and Principal Investigator
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Tansey received his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is a professor in the Rehabilitation Counselor Education program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Tansey has over 20 years of experience as a rehabilitation counselor, educator, or rehabilitation researcher. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles in the areas of applying novel technology in vocational rehabilitation and rehabilitation counselor education, evidence-based practices in vocational rehabilitation, self-regulation, and self-determination. Dr. Tansey has extensive experience in adapting technology and utilizing social media for knowledge translation and dissemination activities. Dr. Tansey is the principal investigator on the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment, a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. He is currently the principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or co-investigator on several other federally-funded research or national technical assistance center grants from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Social Security Administration and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research). These current projects seek to ascertain evidence-based practices in the vocational rehabilitation of youth with disabilities, identify employer practices in the recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of persons with disabilities, and provide technical assistance to state vocational rehabilitation toward increasing competitive, integrated employment of persons with disabilities living in areas of extreme poverty. Dr. Tansey has developed doctoral-level training focused on online and hybrid pedagogy as well as established numerous online, hybrid, and technology-enhanced courses. He serves as the co-editor of the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin and on the editorial boards for numerous other journals.
