Human-Animal Wellness Research
Bridging service dog science and real-world practice
I study service dog partnerships as a health intervention, contributing to research that improves outcomes for people with disabilities and their families.
About my work
Scholar, practitioner, & advocate
I'm a Research Scientist with the Center for Human-Animal Wellness Research at the University of Arizona, where I contribute to a program of translational research on service dog partnerships.
Our work is designed to be feasible for service dog organizations, meaningful for service dog partners, and informative for clinicians and policymakers — helping close the gap between rigorous science and real-world practice.
Selected contributions
Service Dogs · Veterans
Meta-analysis: 41 studies, 1,765 veterans
Service dog placement associated with a large, clinically meaningful reduction in PTSD symptom severity.
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Clinical outcomes · PTSD
66% lower odds of PTSD diagnosis
Published in JAMA Network Open. Lower PTSD symptom severity, depression, and anxiety; better psychosocial functioning across nearly every outcome assessed.
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Service Dogs · Autism
Impact extends beyond the individual
Service dogs reduce stigma and build resilience — not just for the autistic youth, but for their whole family.
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"Sarah is passionate about refining the service dog intervention to be as effective as possible, deeply committed to dismantling societal barriers to access and belonging, and dedicated to promoting a culture of inclusion."
— Citation for the 2024 APA Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology
Background
Before returning to academia, I spent over a decade at Canine Companions, ultimately as National Director of Training & Client Services, where I trained more than 100 dogs toward service dog partnership and oversaw 2,000+ placements. I remain actively engaged in practice as a volunteer puppy raiser and through leading service dog training classes at the Federal Correctional Complex in Tucson.