We started the Work & Wellness Research Institute to do honest, careful research on how animal-assisted therapy affects wellbeing at work. We build and test standardized tools, run studies using recognized methods, and share what we find — so employers, clinicians, and researchers can make decisions based on real evidence instead of a gut feeling.
Dawn McGrath chairs the Board of the Work & Wellness Research Institute, providing governance, strategic direction, and fiduciary oversight. Drawing on a professional background in marketing and organizational leadership, she guides the Institute's development as a durable research institution and works to ensure its studies are conducted with transparency, independence, and accountability to the communities and funders it serves.
A co-founder of the Institute, Brian McGrath has volunteered with community animal-assisted therapy programs since the age of twelve, progressing from hands-on therapy-animal visits to organizing outreach events and fundraising initiatives. As Executive Director, he leads WWRI's operations, partnerships, and program delivery, bringing years of direct field experience to the design and implementation of the Institute's workplace studies.
Kelly McGrath, co-founder and Director of Research & Data, has likewise been active in animal-assisted therapy since the age of twelve — an experience that shaped her focus on how its effects can be observed and measured. She leads the Institute's research design and data management: developing its survey instruments around the validated PSS-10, overseeing data collection, and upholding standards of methodological rigor, reproducibility, and ethical data stewardship.
