Dr. Sandra Barker
Director, Centerfor Human-Animal InterAction,
Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Sandra Barker is Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She currently serves as Associate Director for five inpatient psychiatry programs and Director of the VCU Center for Human-Animal Interaction, a Center she established in the School of Medicine. She has incorporated evidence of the health benefits of interacting with companion animals into her teaching of psychiatry residents and doctoral psychology interns and incorporates animal-assisted therapy (AAT) into her clinical work. Dr. Barker is also an Adjunct Professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Dr. Barker has been actively involved in research on human-companion animal interaction, and has published numerous articles and given talks around the world on the subject. She has received numerous awards including the 2002 Friends of Veterinary Medicine Award from the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, the 2001 Community Achievement Award from the American Kennel Club, and the 2001 Distinguished Alumni Award from Florida State University.


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