Kanako Iwanaga, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program. She earned her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselor Education from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Northern Illinois University before joining VCU. Dr. Iwanaga is a certified rehabilitation counselor and a
licensed professional counselor in Wisconsin. She has extensive professional experience, including roles as a rehabilitation counselor for the Japanese government, a researcher at the
National Institute of Vocational Rehabilitation, and a lecturer at Polytechnic University in Tokyo. She has published over one hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and nine book
chapters. Her research focuses on evidence-based rehabilitation counseling practices, demand-side employment, positive psychology, health promotion, and the validation of psychological and vocational assessment instruments for people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Iwanaga serves as the Associate Editor for the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin and reviews for rehabilitation counseling-related journals. She has received the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) Doctoral Student of the Year Award, the NCRE Best Doctoral
Dissertation of the Year Award, the NCRE New Career in Rehabilitation Education Award, three American Rehabilitation Counseling Association Research Awards, and five NCRE William Downey Student Poster Awards.