About Us

The CHAIRE initiative

was inspired by the Department of Animal Sciences’ departmental academic review, which determined our job as a department is to obtain and communicate data-based answers to questions involving traditiona l topics like efficiency and quality as well as the ethics, challenges, and opportunities that may be embedded in those questions and other queries. Whether the context is the animal industry, conservation of animals, animal companionship, or other animal roles, those seeking answers deserve information based on facts, an idea embedded in the department’s motto: “Advancing knowledge for the betterment of animals and humans”.

Remaining true to this goal, the center’s three foci are:

  • welfare & behavior (human & non-human)
  • conservation
  • companionship/zooeyia (positive health benefits on people of interacting with animals)

CHAIRE has gathered internal and external experts in each of these focus areas to lead innovative research, as well as develop educational and outreach programs. CHAIRE will continue to recruit leading experts in diverse disciplines to assure comprehensive examination in these focus areas. The center’s partners will bring world-wide recognition to The Ohio State University through their publications and conference presentations, both nationally and internationally, supporting the university’s strategic goal of continual recognition as a top comprehensive research university.

We envision CHAIRE

as a leading authority in developing guidelines to improve human-animal interactions and promote positive welfare for all. CHAIRE’s mission aligns with the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Science’s (CFAES’s) first signature area to improve food security, production, and human health, specifically through the lens of human-animal interactions, as well as the broader university’s mission to advance the well-being of people of Ohio and the global community through the creation and dissemination of knowledge.

The center will foster new interdisciplinary activities and compliment efforts already underway in current academic units and industry partners. While CHAIRE is housed within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The College of Veterinary Medicine, The College of Social Work, The College of Nursing, and The College of Public Health are vital partners in the CHAIRE intitiative.