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.
Scholarships for two University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work students to attend the HAI2022: “Animal-Assisted Services - Focus on the Animal” conference on April 29-30, 2022 at Green Chimneys in Brewster, New York.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) is excited to welcome Betty Jean Curran to the adjunct faculty team for the Animals and Human Health (AHH) professional development certificate program. Curran is a Licensed Master Social Worker, educator, and writer with a passion for program design and evaluation.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection is pleased to welcome Maureen Huang to the adjunct faculty team for the Animals and Human Health certificate program. Huang is the founder of Pawsibility, a private practice in Singapore that specializes in animal-assisted therapy. She often works alongside her canine co-therapists to bring insights that change the way people think, behave and feel.
The Humane Education Practitioner Certificate was developed to help professionals learn about humane education and design a high-quality humane education program and interventions. IHAC is interested in humane education because it is a systems approach to creating a more just, compassionate, and sustainable world for the health and well-being of people, animals, and the natural environment.
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection is excited to announce Heather Pugh has joined the adjunct faculty team for the Animals and Human Health professional development certificate program. Pugh is the first occupational therapist to join the teaching team, and she brings over 20 years of experience of including animals in her occupational therapy work.
Mara-Daria Cojocaru spent her first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom thinking of new ways to combine her academic and creative work to be of relevance outside of her usual circles. She refers to her new work as animal-assisted philosophy. Cojocaru sought out the Animals and Human Health (AHH) professional development certificate to learn more about our complex relationships with animals and how animal-assisted interventions can be successful.
