The Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) is advancing awareness and understanding of the interrelationships among people, other animals and the environment. Keep up with the latest news about IHAC and our work related to human-animal-environment interactions.
What's New at IHAC
April 30
Speaker Event: Drivers of Outcomes in Animal Control Enforcement
Join us virtually or in-person to hear from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection's researchers Liana Moss and Kaleigh O'Reilly!
They will present findings from their portfolio of research that aims to understand current U.S. animal control policies and practices. This portfolio includes qualitative and quantitative studies on how animal control engages with the communities they serve. Highlighting our first-of-its-kind study of over 1 million animal control cases with national representation, this seminar will highlight the inextricable intersection of animal control, access to veterinary care issues, systemic racial bias in differential enforcement, and the urgent need to address these disparities collectively as a field.
Have you been wondering what it would mean to incorporate an animal into your work? Check out our Animals and Human Health certificate program! Throughout three online courses and a final capstone session, you will build up your expertise and skills around human-animal interactions and develop your own plan for how to implement your vision. In our program, you will have the opportunity to tailor your learning to your specific interests.
The Pets for Life as One Health study was the FIRST to explore how access to pet supportive care affects community-wide health within the One Health framework. While the COVID-19 pandemic complicated data collection and analysis across this four-year research study, pre-pandemic findings support the ability of access to care programming, focused on the human-animal bond component of the One Health Triad, to positively affect perceptions of overall community health in an urban setting.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection is excited to announce Mel Choubak (she/her/hers) has joined the adjunct faculty team for the Humane Education Practitioner professional development certificate program. Choubak is a social justice researcher and educator with a decade of experience in anti-oppression practice, community engagement and action.
Employing the healing power of animals to improve human health and wellbeing is a natural fit for the profession of nursing. Nurses have long been at the forefront of providing holistic, innovative, non-pharmacological interventions in health promotion and symptom alleviation, including animal-assisted interventions for patients of all ages.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection’s Post-Master of Social Work Research Fellowship program provides individuals with robust training in social science research with a focus on the Human-Animal-Environment Interaction field. The Research Fellows are integral members of the IHAC Research team, with an emphasis on creating academic products that include funding proposals, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference abstracts, and other publications to formally communicate research findings and build the Fellow’s professional portfolio.
Pamela Wheeler is a licensed mental health practitioner who founded UBU Therapy Farms in Lincoln, Nebraska where children can learn socio-emotional skills and interact with animals in a therapeutic setting.
The Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist (CAIS) Certificate at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) is one of the newest offerings in the IHACPro professional development suite of programs, and it has quickly become very popular! Professor Tedeschi spoke with us about why this program is so beneficial. “It seems to me that the biggest benefit offered to students who participate fully in the CAIS program is the ability to both understand and more accurately communicate with dogs,” stated Tedeschi.
Through our unique education opportunities students and professionals from around the world are learning ethical and effective approaches to human-animal-environment interactions. The Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) offers both graduate and professional development education certificates.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection's research uses innovative approaches to answer seminal questions in the human-animal-environment interactions field. This year, our research team grew with the addition of three full-time staff positions. We produced several reports and publications, including: 10 peer-reviewed publications and 3 other publications, with 6 additional manuscripts submitted or under review.
At the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, we are enthusiastic about this new Ecological Justice concentration at DU as it complements our work exquisitely. We have long promoted that human health and wellbeing will only be realized through creating healthy human relationships with the natural world and with all other species.
Signature Events
Research Seminar Series
Our quarterly seminars feature a wide variety of speakers and topics with an emphasis on social justice issues.
The IHAC and Green Chimneys co-hosted conferences present the latest research, best practices, and future directions of human-animal-environment interactions, and inspires attendees to rethink human relationships with other animals.
