Hello! I’m Dr. Kerri Rodriguez
I’m a human-animal interaction researcher who studies how dogs, including pet dogs, therapy dogs, and service dogs, may impact human health and wellbeing. Explore my website to learn more about my research, publications, outreach & engagement, and teaching.
Need a collaborator, a guest speaker, or just want to chat? Email me at kerri.rodriguez@colostate.edu, or see my social media links below:
About Me:
[Update: I have accepted an assistant professor position at the University of Arizona starting summer 2023 and will be recruiting graduate students and a lab coordinator! Please reach out for more information]
I’m currently a postdoctoral research fellow with the Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC) at the Colorado State University School of Social Work. At HABIC, I am conducting innovative research quantifying therapeutic aspects of the human-animal bond with both pet dogs and certified HABIC therapy dogs. Before joining HABIC, I earned my Ph.D. in Human-Animal Interaction at the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. My dissertation research quantified how service dogs may benefit the lives of their handlers with physical disabilities or mental disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Outside of academia, my hobbies include hiking with my dog (pictured to the left), watching Duke Basketball, and seeing live music. A fun fact about me is that I have hiked the tallest mountain in the lower 48, Mount Whitney!
Kerri Rodriguez 