Annalise Doyle, Recreational Therapist

In the spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D) unit at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, recreation has become a visible source of energy and connection. That’s largely due to the efforts of Annalise Doyle, who since becoming the unit’s recreational therapist in April 2022, has expanded activities for veterans, from gardening to adaptive fishing. 

“If it wasn’t for Annalise encouraging me, I would have never found that light, that fire, to do anything,” said Johelmy Figueroa, an Army veteran diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019.

I lost who I was. Rec therapy gave me meaning and purpose.

For Doyle, the greatest reward is seeing veterans like Figueroa take that first step, try something new and begin to rebuild a sense of identity.

Doyle grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and was drawn to sports from an early age. “What sport didn’t I play?” she recalls. Volleyball and softball became her focus in high school, but what stayed with her wasn’t the competition, it was the confidence and sense of identity sports gave her.

At the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, Doyle majored in psychology and Spanish before joining the Peace Corps. For two years in Peru, she worked with at-risk youth, developing programs that fostered life skills and resilience. Near the end of her service, when she told a friend she wished she could keep doing that kind of work, her friend offered a suggestion: recreation therapy.

Doyle returned home and enrolled in a master’s program in therapeutic recreation. During her studies, two experiences shaped her path toward working with veterans with spinal cord injuries. The first was volunteering at a bike clinic, where she remembers being struck by the range of adaptations that made cycling accessible to people with disabilities. That’s when the idea took root — that she could help others build the confidence and sense of identity sports had given her.

Later, during an internship at the SCI/D center at the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee, she discovered how much she enjoyed working with veterans. Their sense of humor and banter — what she calls “giving everyone the business” — reminded her of home. 

On the internship’s final day, a patient who had declined every activity she suggested asked her to play a round of pool. That moment offered a powerful lesson that continues to guide her approach: persistence pays off. 

When Doyle arrived at the Albuquerque VA, she began building the program with the resources at hand. She got creative, too. Spotting several empty planter beds in the courtyard, she launched a garden club. Veterans now meet twice a week from March through October to plant, tend and harvest vegetables and herbs later used in group cooking classes.

Doyle also started adaptive fishing after repeatedly hearing veterans say, “I used to love to fish!” To help start the program, her father, a veteran, and uncles donated more than a dozen fishing poles. More recently, Doyle added excursions to a nearby performing arts theater where veterans can see Broadway shows.

Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed. One longtime nurse in the SCI/D unit said Doyle’s efforts to expand recreational opportunities has “dramatically boosted morale” among inpatients. Doyle admits that one of the hardest parts of her job is knowing how much recreation therapy can help veterans, but not being able to make them participate.

That’s why she takes time to uncover what each veteran values — competition, nature, social connection, independence — and tries to find an activity that clicks. One indicator of her success is the increase in veterans from New Mexico participating in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games — from one in 2023 to six in 2025. This year, nine veterans have signed up.

“It’s about finding the right carrot,” she says. “I’m not here to force you, but I will help you do the things you want, if it’s possible.”

Feature photo: Annalise Doyle, left, and Johelmy Figueroa.