Maggie O'Haire, Ph.D.

About Dr. O'Haire

Dr. Maggie O’Haire is an internationally recognized Fulbright Scholar.  She is the Associate Dean for Research and Professor for the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned her BA in Psychology from Vassar College, and her PhD in Psychology from The University of Queensland, Australia. Her research program focuses on the unique and pervasive ways that humans interact with animals. From household pets to highly trained service animals, her findings have been instrumental in demonstrating the impact of human-animal interactions.

Dr. O’Haire has co-authored more than 250 national and international presentations, with 18 prestigious research awards. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications on the human-animal bond with more than 4,300 citations. To study human-animal interaction rigorously, she has obtained over $17 million in research grants. In this field, she has mentored more than 90 graduate and undergraduate research students with distinction. Her research mentees have received >30 national and international awards. She also has a media reach of over 5 billion people through social media and news outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, NPR, New York Times, and CNN. She has been awarded as a University of Arizona Woman of Impact.

Education

• Ph.D. Psychology
  • University of Queensland, Australia
• B.A. Psychology
  • Vassar College, New York, United States

Professional Interests

• Research
  • Human-Animal Interaction
  • Human-Animal Bond
  • Animal-Assisted Intervention
  • Service Animals
  • Dogs
  • Psychology