Community Research Partnerships
Shelter Medicine partners with regional sheltering organizations, national welfare organizations, campus-wide outreach initiatives, schools, foundations, and community organizations, as well as clinical services and researchers right here at Penn Vet. Here are four testimonials from individuals who have been actively engaged in this vitally important program.
Anna Shirosky, V’22: Through her research as a third-year Penn Vet student and Rosenthal Fellow with Penn Vet’s Shelter Medicine Program, Anna Shirosky is helping shelters better prepare for the specific management and husbandry needs of exotic companion animal species.
Dr. Lauren Powell: Using her hands-on experience in Australia as a foundation for her research project, Dr. Lauren Powell – a Watershed Initiative post-doctoral researcher with Penn Vet’s Shelter Medicine Program – is developing an application-based tool to assess the quality of life for cats and dogs housed in a shelter, ultimately identifying opportunities to make their shelter experiences as positive as possible.
Dr. Kim Perley: By researching the viability of outpatient care compared to traditional, in-hospital services, Dr. Kim Perley – a former summer researcher with Penn Vet’s Shelter Medicine Program – hopes to make critical parvovirus treatments more accessible to broader pet populations, helping to save more animal lives.
Dr. Charlotte Burns: As a former Rosenthal Fellow with Penn Vet’s Shelter Medicine Program, Dr. Charlotte Burns (V’19) used her research to explore how to improve quality of life for cats housed in shelters, providing concrete, evidence-based solutions to give back to the shelter community.