Member of the Graduate Faculty | Associate Dean, Research - College of Veterinary Medicine | Professor, Veterinary Medicine | Professor, Psychology
Dr. Marguerite Maggie) O’Haire is an internationally recognized Fulbright Scholar. She is a Professor of Human-Animal Interaction and the Associate Dean for Research in the UArizona College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned her BA in Psychology from Vassar College in New York and her PhD in Psychology from The University of Queensland in Australia. Her research program focuses on scientifically evaluating the unique and pervasive ways that humans interact with animals. From research with household pets to highly trained service animals, her findings have been instrumental in evaluating the effects of human-animal interactions. She has received funding from three different National Institutes of Health NIH) institutes/centers NICHD, NCCIH, NCATS) to fund her human-animal interaction science. Check out an interview with Dr. O’Haire and NIH Medline Plus and her "Meet the Anthrozoologist" Interview to see her advice on becoming a human-animal interaction researcher. Dr. O’Haire’s research topics have included classroom-based, animal-assisted intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder and the effects of service dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD) and their families. In addition to her peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters, her work has also been highlighted in over 2,000 media stories around the globe, including NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Dr. O’Haire has won the International Society for Anthrozoology ISAZ) Early Career Award and the Young Alumnae Achievement Award from Vassar College for her exceptional professional achievements. At the University of Arizona, she currently enjoys mentoring students at all levels in her productive human-animal interaction research group. You can follow the research team ohairelab on Facebook and Twitter.