CENSHARE director Dr. Pam Schreiner draws from decades of experience as a cardiovascular epidemiologist and methodologist to build upon the strong foundation that already existed for CENSHARE when she became director in 2013.  Her goal for CENSHARE, a center housed within the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, is to conduct research to improve our understanding of the human-animal bond.

CENSHARE’s mission is to study and quantify the connections between animal and human health, both from the human and from the animal perspective. While CENSHARE originally focused on human-animal interactions for service and therapy animals, CENSHARE now is expanding its role as a resource for investigators needing help with high quality research design and applied statistical methodology across both biological and behavioral disciplines.

CENSHARE was initiated in 1981 by Dr. RK Anderson, a public health veterinarian, and Ruth Foster, an expert in animal training. CENSHARE has a strong tradition of advocating for the health advantages of our interactions with animals in our lives, including those in our environment.

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