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Expert Commentary Featured on Mint

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Almost 70% of cats and dogs are homeless in India, new report finds: A new report found that over 60 million homeless pets in India are living on the streets, while 8.8 million are in shelters.

Over the years, several studies have shown how pets have a positive influence on humans.

Amin. A. (2024, February 13). Almost 70% of cats and dogs are homeless in India, new report finds: A new report found that over 60 million homeless pets in India are living on the streets, while 8.8 million are in shelters. Mint Lounge. https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/ideas/cats-dogs-homeless-india-pets-animals-111707364703177.html

The cover for the journal of Anthrozoös. An abstract depiction of what appears to be a human being nuzzled by an antelope.

Journal Publication in Anthrozoös

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Do workplace fish tanks influence employee wellbeing and cognitive performance? An embedded mixed-methods study.

"Ornamental fishes carry a much lower risk than other companion animals and may be a suitable alternative in situations where other animals would introduce too great a risk (e.g., allergy, accidental injury). The aim of this study was to investigate whether watching an aquarium during the working day influenced employee wellbeing through the reduction of stress and improvements in stress-related outcomes."

Clements, H., Valentin, S., Jenkins, N., Rankin, J., Gee, N. R., Snellgrove, D., & Sloman, K. A. (2024). Do workplace fish tanks influence employee wellbeing and cognitive performance? An embedded mixed-methods study. Anthrozoös, 37(3), 459–478. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2024.2303227

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Expert Commentary Featured on National Geographic

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Do pets really make people happier and healthier?

"Having a non-judgmental confidant can serve to buffer the effects of stress on both physical and psychological health outcomes," explains Nancy Gee, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Austin, D. (2023, September 19). Do pets really make people happier and healthier? National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/benefits-pet-dog-ownership-mental-health

The logo for the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics.

Journal Publication in the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics

Saturday, September 9, 2023

"Dogs on Call": A community-engaged human subjects training with hospital based therapy dog teams.

As community-engaged research (CER) methods evolve, Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) must adapt policies to facilitate CER research. This paper describes a novel collaboration between hospital-based therapy dog volunteer teams (CERs), academic faculty, and an IRB.

Townsend, L., Towsley, N., & Gee, N.R. (2023, September 3). "Dogs on Call": A community-engaged human subjects training with hospital based therapy dog teams. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 18(5), 363-371. https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646231191962

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Journal Publication in Scientific Reports

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Pet ownership and maintenance of cognitive function in community-residing older adults: Evidence from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA).

Pet ownership has been associated with reduced deterioration in physical health as older adults age; little research focused on deterioration in cognitive function. We examine the relationship of pet, dog, cat ownership, and dog walking to changes in cognitive function among 637 generally healthy community-dwelling older adults (185 pet owners) aged 50–100 years (M = 68.3, SD = 9.6) within the BLSA.

Friedmann, E., Gee, N. R., Simonsick, E. M., Kitner-Triolo, M. H., Resnick, B., Adesanya, I., Koodaly, L., & Gurlu, M. (2023). Pet ownership and maintenance of cognitive function in communityresiding older adults: Evidence from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Scientific Reports, 13(1), 14738. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41813-y