Christine Kivlen

Christine Kivlen is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Doctoral Capstone Coordinator in the Department of Health Care Sciences at Wayne State University, specializing in mental health, human-animal interaction, and interprofessional education with over 12 years of clinical occupational therapy experience. She leads the STELLA Lab (STudent Education Learning aLongside Animals), pioneering research on therapy animals' therapeutic potential in educational and clinical settings.

Dr. Kivlen earned her academic credentials from:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Therapy, Nova Southeastern University
• Master of Occupational Therapy, Wayne State University
• Bachelor of Health Science, Wayne State University

Her research centers on animal-assisted interventions for stress reduction, accessibility in therapy programs, and resilience building across diverse populations. Through the STELLA Lab, she investigates therapy animals' impact on mental health and educational outcomes using methodologies like heart rate variability monitoring and qualitative analysis, with emphasis on inclusive program design and interprofessional collaboration.

Analysis of her 2022-2025 publications reveals concentrated focus on therapy dog efficacy in higher education settings for graduate student stress reduction, autism support interventions, and interprofessional healthcare education. Her work consistently bridges occupational therapy practice with animal-assisted methodologies, prioritizing evidence-based scalability and accessibility across clinical and academic environments.

Dr. Kivlen's scientific recognition includes:

• Wayne State University Online Course Quality Faculty Fellows program (2023)
• WSU Applebaum Health Sciences Division Clinical Award (March 2023)
• WSU Applebaum Faculty Research Award Program funding (June 2023)
• Schlomer Endowed Scholarship (April 2011)

In advising roles, she mentors doctoral candidates as Capstone Coordinator while securing research funding through the Applebaum Faculty Research Award. Her STELLA Lab fosters collaborations with therapy dog handlers, clinical professionals, and community partners to develop evidence-based interventions. Current projects include 'Furry Fridays' stress-reduction programming and accessibility studies for inclusive animal-assisted interventions.