Meet Our Instructors:

Maureen A. MacNamara, PhD, MSSW

Dr. MacNamara earned her MSW from Columbia University, and her PhD at the University of Denver. Dr. MacNamara has 30 years’ experience designing goal-directed human-animal activities that result in measurable client change and developing and delivering staff training to support these programs. As Vice-President for Programs for Delta Society (Pet Partners), Dr. MacNamara developed internationally recognized standards, and volunteer and professional training for animal-assisted interventions (AAI). She served as a consultant and founding instructor for the Veterinary Social Work Certificate from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and has published chapters and articles on human-animal relationships and AAI. She is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Appalachian State University; her research interests include the influence of climate change on rural sustainable development; and community and organizational factors influencing the place and consequence of human-animal relationships. She is a member of the Special Commission to Advance Macro Social Work Practice.

 

 

 

Jeannine Moga, MA, MSW, LCSW

Jeannine is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in the application and integration of human-animal relationships in social work practice.  She has founded two veterinary social work programs (Veterinary Social Services at the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical Center, and Family & Community Services at NC State University’s Veterinary Hospital) and works with veterinary, animal welfare, and social services professionals across the country to address the intersections of human and animal health and well-being.  Her interests include occupational well-being; grief, loss, and life transitions; the ethics of animal-assisted interventions; and clinical bioethics/moral distress in veterinary practice.  She is a Business Partner for Mental Health & Wellbeing for Banfield Pet Hospital, the Chief Happiness Officer for VETgirl, and teaching faculty at NC State University’s School of Social Work.  She also serves as the Director of Ethics and Standards of Practice for the International Association of Veterinary Social Work.