As the Vice President of Research & Operations for the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), Lindsey Braun oversees the HABRI research grant program, which has funded more than $3 million in high-quality research projects at research universities across the globe.
John-Tyler Binfet is a professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, and the founder and director of the Building Academic Retention through K9s (B.A.R.K.) program. Established in 2012, B.A.R.K. oversees 65+ dog-handler teams participating in on-campus and community programming and studies to assess the effects of therapy dogs on students’ mental health and […]
Dr Rachel Yerbury (Phd) is a registered psychologist and a lecturer and researcher in the School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Australia. Her research area focuses on the connection between humans with Nature / animate worlds and how this impacts reciprocal flourishing within human and other-than -human worlds.
Heather Dye is an associate professor with East Tennessee State University. She completed my Veterinarian Social Work (VSW) certification from University of Tennessee in 2022. She is the executive director of Partner with Paws, a non-profit dedicated to improve human needs that arise in the relationship between humans and animals using interdisciplinary education, clinical, and […]
Suzanne Rogers is co-Director of Human Behaviour Change for Life, a social enterprise company that helps people and organisations to apply the science of human behaviour change to issues affecting animals, people and the planet. Jody Gordon is an animal welfare consultant and sole director of The Animal Welfare Consultancy. He is also director of […]
Dr. Jenna Hershberger is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who is currently in private practice at Dr. Jenna Therapy, PLLC, in Fargo, ND. Dr. Jenna obtained her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Mary and a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision from North Dakota State University. […]
Linzi Williamson (PhD, CE) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Health Studies and Co-Director of the Pawsitive Connections Lab at the University of Saskatchewan. She currently holds funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) to conduct patient-oriented research with […]
Colleen Anne Dell, PhD, is a Research Chair in One Health and Wellness at the University of Saskatchewan, and Professor in the Department of Sociology & School of Public Health. She is the founder and co-director of the PAWSitive Connections Lab. The Lab just released the ‘Animal Awareness for the Substance Use and Allied Workforce’ […]
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen PhD, PFHEA, FAPS, FHERDSA, FANZAHPE School of Psychology | Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide Professor Anna Chur-Hansen is a Health Psychologist, working at the University of Adelaide School of Psychology, where she teaches and researches into food and eating; sex and relationships; physical pain; and death and […]
Freya Green is a researcher and program coordinator for the Building Academic Retention through K9s (B.A.R.K.) program at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. Freya’s primary research focus is to understand the impact of canine-assisted interventions on the well-being of university students and law-enforcement personnel.
Annalyse Ellis is a psychology PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, where her research focuses on human-companion animal relationships and pet owner well-being.
Jeanette is a registered social worker with a Masters of Social Work who lives in Prince George BC (Canada). She is passionate about finding ways to incorporate animals and nature into social work practice. In her spare time she enjoys spending as much time with her family, dogs, volunteering in her community, and being outside […]
Harry Eckman is Co-founder and CEO of Change For Animal Foundation and has spent more than 25 years working around the world on campaigns and projects including companion animal welfare and human behaviour change.
Emily Shoesmith is a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, UK. Emily’s research primarily focuses on the development and evaluation of complex interventions in vulnerable populations (including dementia care), and she works on the Human-Animal Interaction and Mental Health research theme at York.
Dr. Dana Spett, DSW, an accomplished professional with a deep commitment to equine-assisted services, nature, and social work is the Founder and Executive Director of Pony Power Therapies, a nonprofit community-based center in New Jersey. Dana has dedicated herself to creating an inclusive and transformative environment guided by nature. Recognizing the power of nature to […]
Alexandria Pavelich is an interdisciplinary doctoral student at the University of Saskatchewan, in Canada, where her research focuses on animal-assisted intervention for the context of recovery journeys, with a specific focus on suicide prevention and chronic pain management. Her most recent study examines the implications service dogs have for suicide intervention among Canadian military Veterans. […]
Dr. Katherine Compitus is a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU Silver School of Social Work as well as Chair of the Practice Curriculum Area and Director of the School’s Veterinary Social Work post-masters program. Her research focuses on trauma studies, specifically within the human-animal bond. Dr. Compitus is the author of the Zooeyia blog on […]
Michelle Guthrie Yarwood received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (Area: Social Psychology) from Texas Tech University in 2013. Currently, Michelle is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology at Penn State University – University Park. Michelle’s teaching and research focuses on romantic and human-animal relationships (love styles in particular), as well as human […]
Emily is a PhD student at Texas Tech University where she is currently studying ways to improve cat welfare through scent enrichment. She received her master’s degree in Animal Science at Texas Tech University during which she researched the potential well-being effects for student veterans and shelter dogs after a 30-mintue interaction. After graduation she […]
Janette is a researcher at the University of South Australia whose research focuses on the intersections of human health and animal lives in particular pet animals. She has had a varied career starting out as a Social Worker in community aged care, then policy and planning work and then academia. People and pets has been […]
Dr. Patricia Pendry is a Professor of Human Development and Graduate faculty member in the Prevention Science Program at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. She conducts clinical trials to determine the effects of interacting with animals on adolescents’ and college students’ stress, mental health and academic success.
Radhika Makecha is an associate professor of Animal Studies and Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University whose work currently focuses on using animal cognition as an educational tool.
Karen Manville is a senior lecturer at the UAL, and visiting researcher at Middlesex University in London. Her research focuses on the benefits of canine assisted intervention on mental health, and she lives with her dog Elvis (aka Fathead).
John-Tyler Binfet is an associate professor in the Okanagan School of Education at the University of British Columbia where he is the Director of Graduate Programs and the Director of UBC’s long-running canine therapy program titled Building Academic Retention through K9s (B.A.R.K.).
Freya Green is the program coordinator and researcher for the Building Academic Retention through K9s (B.A.R.K.) program at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. Freya’s primary research focus is to understand the impact of canine-assisted interventions on university student and law-enforcement personnel well-being