Derrick Stowell, PhD, of Knoxville, TN, has been named the 2022  recipient of the American Horticultural Society’s (AHS) Horticultural Therapy Award.

ALEXANDRIA, VA, USA, March 16, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Derrick Stowell, PhD, the Education and Horticulture Therapy Director at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN, has been named the 2022  recipient of the American Horticultural Society’s (AHS) Horticultural Therapy Award, which recognizes significant contributions to that field.

Stowell is the education and horticulture therapy director at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. Since taking over the UT Gardens’ Horticultural Therapy Program in 2012, Stowell has worked with more than 3,600 individuals. The program serves people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and needs, including individuals with autism, mental health diagnoses, intellectual disabilities, and dementia.

“Derrick is a professionally registered horticultural therapist and a certified therapeutic recreation specialist,” says Leigh Starling, president of the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA). “His knowledge and skill of integrating horticulture as a therapeutic modality into his work with individuals with differing abilities touches lives on a daily basis.”

Stowell has published several articles in professional journals, including a recent study that describes a pilot horticultural therapy program he developed to help veterans with mental health issues. This study will be used to help other public gardens replicate the program and improve the lives of veterans in their communities. “No such data currently exists,” says Susan Hamilton, former director and professor at the UT Gardens, “so Derrick’s work will be quite a contribution to the field of horticulture therapy.”

Stowell’s accomplishments earned him the AHTA’s Rhea McCandliss Professional Service Award in 2016. He has served on the AHTA national board of directors (2015–2018) and has been a featured speaker at the organization’s national conferences.

For more information on this year’s recipients, please visit our 2022 Award Winners. Photographs of the award winners and additional information about the awards program are available upon request by contacting Katherine Somerville at ksomerville@ahsgardening.org or calling (703) 768-5700, ext. 121.

Founded in 1922, the American Horticultural Society is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to modeling, educating about, and advocating for earth-friendly and sustainable gardening practices. Our mission is to share with all Americans the critical role of plants, gardens, and green spaces in creating healthy, livable communities and a sustainable planet. Visit www.ahsgardening.org today.

Katherine Somerville
American Horticultural Society
+1 703-768-5700 ext. 121
email us here

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