Tania Santiago Perez

Tania Santiago Perez is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Rehabilitation and Recreational Therapy Program within the School of Education and Human Development and a Faculty Fellow in Academic Planning and Accountability. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), Water Safety Instructor (WSI), Adapted Aquatics Instructor (AAI), and Open Water Scuba Diver (PADI and NAUI).

Her teaching emphasizes experiential and service-learning approaches that promote hands-on engagement and community impact, particularly in supporting individuals with disabilities. Her research focuses on the influence of adapted sports on health and quality-of-life outcomes, with a primary emphasis on aquatic sports and recreational activities. Her current projects examine the impact of adapted scuba diving and swimming on health and quality of life outcomes. She is also interested in the development of social identity and the role of personality within adapted sports contexts.

Dr. Santiago Perez is passionate about expanding access to the social, physical, and psycho-emotional benefits of leisure and recreation for all individuals. Her professional experience as a recreational therapist spans private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

She has received national recognition, including the 2025 Best Manuscript Award from the Therapeutic Recreation Journal. At Florida International University, she has been honored with numerous awards, including the Rewarding Excellence in Teaching Incentive (RETI) in 2023, the CASE Engagement Award in 2017, CASE Service Awards in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023, and the Top Scholar Award for Teaching and Mentorship in 2019.