Stephanie is a third-year doctoral student in the Occupational Science program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and worked at a pediatric outpatient clinic where she established a successful animal assisted therapy program. Her primary research interest is the partnership of service dogs with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In particular, exploring the impact of service dogs on community participation, safety, and child engagement. She is also interested in the benefits of animal assisted therapy in rehabilitation settings. In her free time, she enjoys riding and competing her horses as well as working with her two golden retrievers, one of whom is in training to be a therapy dog.