The Institute for Human-Animal Connection

The Institute for Human-Animal Connection is celebrating 20 years! This week we are highlighting Sarah Bexell, one of IHAC's brilliant affiliated faculty.

Sarah has had a wonderful history with IHAC that we hope continues for many more years; see the post for some insight into her time with us. 🌿

Thank you for joining us yesterday at our spring quarter research seminar! It was a fantastic event to close out this academic year with. 🐾

Shoutout to our amazing guest speakers from Seattle Veterinary Outreach, The Inner Pup, PetSmart Charities, and our sponsor CBR YouthConnect. Stay tuned to our social media accounts for announcements about fall quarter’s research seminar!

The Institute for Human-Animal Connection's Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist certificate program has a brand new curriculum launching this year!

📚 Greater emphasis on clinical interactions
📚 Deep dives into specific case examples
📚 Practical field work assignments
📚 New cutting-edge sources

Join us this August in our flexible, online program designed for human service professionals ready to ethically incorporate dogs into their practice with skill and confidence. Learn more and apply now: https://socialwork.du.edu/humananimalconnection/education-certificates/canine-assisted-intervention-specialist-certificate

Keep your eyes peeled for a scholarship announcement coming in the first week of June, open to students that have applied and been accepted into the CAIS program!

The University of Denver hosted the Buckley Regional Military Affairs Council, a part of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, in late April. IHAC's Jaci Gandenberger shared an overview with on the research that we are conducting with veterans experiencing PTSD and their service dogs.

Dr. Katy Barrs of the Graduate School of Professional Psychology - University of Denver also presented on the military-affiliated work being done through the Sturm Center. Thank you for having us! 🐾

Reminder -- our spring quarter research seminar is taking place next week on May 20! Join us in-person or virtually to hear from this group of incredible speakers from Seattle Veterinary Outreach, The Inner Pup, PetSmart Charities, and IHAC's very own Ximena Salgado-Santamaria.

Learn more about the talk and our speakers + RSVP: https://cglink.me/2fC/r2277298

The Institute for Human-Animal Connection is celebrating 20 years! This week we are shining the spotlight on our Assistant Director, Maggie Lantzy. Check out the post for some insights on her 13-year history with IHAC.

Learn more about IHACPro on our website: https://socialwork.du.edu/humananimalconnection/education-about-human-animal-interactions

As we celebrate 20 incredible years at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, we will be shining a spotlight on our brilliant staff members throughout the rest of the year. 🎉

Today we are featuring Dr. Kevin Morris, IHAC's Executive Director. Check out the post for some insights on his time with IHAC.

Interested in checking out the publication Dr. Morris mentioned? You can read more about that research here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28960091/

The Institute for Human-Animal Connection's Nina Ekholm Fry has received a Fulbright award! She will serve as a Fulbright Specialist in Iceland on the topic of humans, horses, and mental health.

Fulbright awards are selected by a presidentially-appointed board and recognizes demonstrated leadership and expertise. Congratulations Nina! 🐴

Retired General and University of Denver Board of Trustees member George Casey recently visited IHAC with Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver Dean McCoy to hear more about our research focused on psychiatric service dogs for veterans with PTSD.

Our innovative study is combining veterans’ clinical data, their dogs’ behavioral data, and deep proteomics data to begin understanding how the dogs affect PTSD symptoms and how acting in service affects the health and wellbeing of the dogs themselves. We were so excited to share the findings of our pilot study of the first ten veterans and their dogs that demonstrate that the approach will provide unique insights into this important human-animal interaction.

Thank you for visiting! 🐾