Students

Our educational goal is to advance understanding of the benefits of human-animal interaction. We achieve this by mentoring students and sharing scientific insights from the field.

Undergraduate Independent Study

While we would love to accommodate more undergraduate independent students, our limited space and resources often require us to decline these requests. If you are passionate about human-animal interaction and have a research topic in mind, please contact us at chai@vcuhealth.org to inquire about availability.

Elective Rotation

The majority of CHAI’s students are medical students who are curious to learn about how animal-assisted interactions can support their patients. Dr. Nancy Gee serves as the preceptor for an elective rotation available to fourth-year medical students through the Center for Human-Animal Interaction (MEDI-43056). During this rotation, students will spend approximately half of their time supporting Dogs on Call teams during their hospital rounds and assisting with CHAI’s daily operations and events. The remaining time will be dedicated to working on a research project under Dr. Gee’s guidance, to be submitted at the end of the rotation.

Dissertation Committees and Other Student Opportunities

CHAI faculty are available to serve on dissertation committees when expertise in human-animal interaction is required. Due to the significant time commitment involved, we regret that we may not be able to accommodate all requests. To inquire about availability, please contact chai@vcuhealth.org.