Hi! I’m Sarah.
I study and implement service dog partnerships to improve health, functioning, and quality of life for people with disabilities. I’m a scholar-practitioner-advocate in human-animal wellness with over 15 years of experience spanning research, advocacy, and program leadership.
I serve as a Research Scientist with the Center for Human-Animal Wellness Research at the University of Arizona. In this role, my work focuses on translational service dog science: designing rigorous studies that are feasible for service dog organizations, meaningful for service dog partners, and informative for clinicians and policymakers. We use randomized trials, community-based implementation models, and mixed-methods approaches to holistically evaluate the service dog intervention across real-world clinical and community contexts.
Alongside my research, I am also an Assistance Dogs International-certified service dog instructor and former Department Head of Training & Client Services at Canine Companions. I remain actively engaged in practice as a volunteer puppy raiser and through leading classes for adults incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Complex in Tucson, where they are raising future service dogs.
My career, bridging research and practice, shapes how I approach every project: grounded in science, informed by experience, and focused on meaningful real-world impact.
This work is deeply meaningful to me, and I’m always excited to connect with others who share my passion. Let’s talk.
