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
Upcoming Animals and Human Health certificate cohort!
We are currently accepting applications for our popular Animals and Human Health certificate program. The program starts June 3, and will run until January 2025, with breaks in between each course. All of our programs are designed for working professionals. Coursework is completed online, with feedback and guidance from an experienced instructor, currently working in the field of human-animal interactions and interventions.
You will develop practical skills and expertise in human-animal interactions (HAI), and come away from our program with the skills to create and implement a high-quality HAI program, tailored to your profession and setting. Come join us for the next cohort!
Our amazing research team has a new publication out! It is titled, "Measuring social and emotional functioning as a facet of positive youth development among children and adolescents in special education and mental health treatment."
This study features exciting results from a two-year study at Green Chimneys that evaluated the social and emotional functioning of children and adolescents diagnosed with mental health issues. The implications of this study have valuable insights for educators, clinicians, and parents when it comes to planning treatment for diverse youth.
Save the date! IHAC will be partnering with Green Chimneys for the hai2025 conference, dates April 25 to April 26, 2025 in Brewster, New York.
There will be phenomenal speakers, poster presentations, opportunity for hands-on learning with animals, and plenty of time for networking and collaboration. Green Chimneys' farm setting is a "living classroom" and an excellent place to learn best practices and exchange ideas with other professionals in the human-animal-environment interactions field!
Research at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) uses innovative approaches to answer seminal questions in the human-animal-environment interactions field. From animal welfare to nature-based therapeutic interventions, and a lot in between, IHAC’s unique research informs practitioners, communities, and the field at large.
For Dr. Vicki Kirsch, the Equine-Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) Certificate program was life changing. With a hybrid model featuring online courses and three, in-person workshops, Kirsch had found a program that offered a deeper learning experience.
Darlene Brace, Behavioral Health Director in an integrated medical and dental clinic, is a graduate of both the Animals and Human Health (AHH) and Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist (CAIS) certificates. In both of these programs, Brace learned valuable skills and knowledge that she has been able to take into her personal practice.
To further advance the field of human-animal-environment interactions (HAEI), IHAC is proud to support the Human-Animal-Environment Interaction in Social Work certificate at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work. Sarah Pellizzari, an MSW graduate who earned the certificate (at the time known as the Animal-Assisted Social Work Certificate) in 2012, integrates pieces of her learning into her work today.
Jeanne Floerke, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in work with children with medical illnesses, earned the Equine-Assisted Mental Health Practitioner (EAMH) Certificate in 2022. In her practice, Floerke offers inpatient, pediatric consultation for medical teams and outpatient treatment for children and adults.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection is excited to announce Kim Korona (she/her/hers) has joined the adjunct faculty team for the Humane Education Practitioner professional development certificate program. Korona brings an exceptional understanding and experience in humane education to our team, having worked in this field for almost 20 years.
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.
Dimensions of Humane Communities Online Lecture Series
With human behavior at the center of the most pressing issues facing humanity, other animals and the environment, the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) aims to reflect, explore and discuss how human change mechanisms at the individual, community and organizational levels are needed to create sustainable improvements for all. IHAC’s Dimensions of Humane Communities webinar series features natural and social science-informed education, research and advocacy efforts that work toward a more compassionate and humane world, one community at a time.This online lecture series will feature events with experts in each of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection’s three core areas: Therapeutic Human-Animal Interactions, Animals & Communities, and Conservation Social Work.
Why Access to Pet Resources is a Social Justice Issue
Amanda Arrington, Senior Director of the groundbreaking Pets for Life (PFL) program at the Humane Society of the United States, discusses how pet ownership crosses all geographic, racial, ethnic and socio-economic boundaries, but access to information and services does not. Institutional bias and systemic inequity can have a negative impact on pets and there is a great need to understand and deepen the connection between animal welfare and social, racial, and economic justice. Recorded Wednesday May 6, 2020.
View anytime! Discounts still apply and upon registration, you will receive a link to view this important event.
Sarah Schmidt, the founder and president of The Big Fix Uganda’s Comfort Dog Project and Meg Daley Olmert, Director of Research for the Warrior Canine Connection will present the first One Health animal assisted therapy model fighting cruelty and despair in Northern Uganda. The Big Fix Uganda—a non-profit , based in Port Townsend, WA--operates the only veterinarian hospital in Northern Uganda. Recorded Wednesday May 20, 2020.
View anytime! Discounts still apply and upon registration, you will receive a link to view this important event.
The Missed Opportunities of Shying Away from Public Policy Engagement
Vince Wong serves as Director of Collective Impact for the Michelson Found Animals Foundation talks about how public policy engagement is a long, drawn-out process that we tend to shy away for myriad reasons – time, resources, attention, anxiety, exhaustion, fear, inexperience – just to name a few. But to effect long-term and sustainable change, you need multiple stakeholders – corporate, nonprofit, community, philanthropy, and yes even government – from diverse areas to all come together on collective action that actually makes a difference. Recorded on Wednesday June 3, 2020.
View anytime! Discounts still apply and upon registration, you will receive a link to view this important event.
Traditional Stories of the Relationship between the Arikara (Sahnish) and the Animal World
The Arikara, or more accurately “Sahnish,” are a northern Great Plains tribe currently living on the Ft. Berthold Indian Reservation in central North Dakota, USA. In this session, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird (Arikara) will share a series of short teaching stories of the relationship between the Arikara people and the animal world. The stories are intended to nurture participant’s understanding of the important connection between humans and animals and how renewing this tradition can help restore this relationship.
View anytime! Discounts still apply and upon registration, you will receive a link to view this important event.
Educating Human Children about Animal and Other Alterity: A critical foundation for moving toward a plant-based and more compassionate society
Maneesha Deckha, professor and Lansdowne Chair in Law at the University of Victoria, argues that any advocacy or policy agenda directed at transitioning to plant-based societies should include education that combats the anthropocentric, gendered and colonial cultural messaging human children typically receive. Deckha will discuss how this cultural messaging can be delivered through a critical iteration of humane education focused on cultivating empathy and disrupting the Othering/dominating messages children receive and internalize about animals, the earth’s “resources” and human Others. Recorded Wednesday July 1, 2020.
The need for humane education has never been greater
Dr. Sarah Bexell, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work and Director of Humane Education at IHAC, believes that humane education is needed now more than ever before. In this session, Dr. Bexell will talk about humane education as a comprehensive and needed methodology that equips learners with the tools to think critically to identify impactful solutions to the interconnected global challenges of violations of human rights and well-being, the protection of other species, and mass environmental degradation. Recorded Wednesday July 15, 2020.
View Anytime! Discounts still apply and upon registration, you will receive a link to view this important event.
This conference highlights the latest research, best practices and future directions of human-animal-environment interactions and inspires attendees to rethink human relationships with other animals.
This public lecture series features natural and social science-informed education, research and advocacy work to create a more compassionate and humane world, one community at a time.