Lisa is an Assistant Professor at Sam Houston State University in Texas. Born and raised in New Zealand, Lisa moved to Hawaii on a collegiate Division I scholarship for water polo. After playing for the New Zealand Senior Women’s Water Polo national team for a number of years, she retired from sport and pursued her graduate degrees.
She received her M.A. degree in Communicology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, followed by a Ph.D. in Human Communication from Arizona State University.
Lisa is interested in understanding how communication in close personal relationships influences our psychological, physical, and relational health. Her recent work has focused on examining the health effects of specific forms of affection, such as cuddling and hugging.
She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to interpersonal communication, research methods, and quantitative statistics. Lisa’s teaching pedagogy is embodied in both in-person and online classes.
On a personal note, Lisa loves to travel and is no stranger to embarking on new and exciting adventures. Some recent countries she has visited with her husband include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Lisa and her husband live in Houston, Texas and have two fur-babies at home.
In her spare time, Lisa enjoys yoga, crossfit, reading, baking, board games, wine tasting, and trying new restaurants.
Lisa J. van Raalte, Ph.D. 