Animals in Our Lives: Human-Animal Interaction in Family, Community, and Therapeutic Settings

Layla Esposito, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Esposito holds a doctoral degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a child psychologist and is currently a project officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In this role, she oversees a portfolio of grants in human-animal interaction (HAI). Her other research interests include socioemotional development and childhood obesity. Lisa S. Freund, Ph.D., Associate Branch Chief for Neurobiological Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Freund is a developmental neuropsychologist who is known for her neuroimaging studies with children from different clinical populations and was a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)-supported scientist for several years. She came to the NICHD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she was Associate Professor of Psychiatry. Within the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the NICHD, Dr. Freund is responsible for a multifaceted research and training program to promote investigations, both basic and applied, to gain a deeper understanding of the linkages among genes, the developing brain, and behavior. Dr. Freund is an avid equestrian and has been involved with equine-assisted therapy in her private practice. Temple Grandin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1171. Temple Grandin is Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She is also a person with autism. She is the author of Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation, and Animals Make Us Human. James A. Griffin, Ph.D., Deputy Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Director, Early Learning and School Readiness Program, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Griffin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and a doctoral degree with honors in child clinical psychology from the University of Rochester. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Griffin's career has focused on research and evaluation efforts related to service systems and early intervention programs designed to enhance the development and school readiness of children from at-risk and disadvantaged backgrounds. Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., M.P.H., Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. McCardle has been a classroom teacher and has served as faculty at various universities and as a speech-language pathologist in hospitals and medical centers.In addition to her duties as Branch Chief, she directs the Language, Bilingualism and Biliteracy Program and developed various branch programs in literacy. She is a co-editor of several volumes and has served as guest editor of thematic journal issues on reading, bilingualism, and English language learner research. She is committed to the importance of ongoing research on child health, development, and learning and to ensuring that important research results are shared with the practice community