Colleen Dell

Colleen Anne Dell is a Professor & Research Chair in One Health and Wellness at the University of Saskatchewan in the Department of Sociology and School of Public Health. She is also a Senior Research Associate with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. She is the founder and co-director of the www.PAWSitiveConnectionsLab.com. Grounded in a community-based participatory approach, her research focuses on healing from addictions and mental health, with specific attention to Indigenous populations and animal-assisted interventions. She works alongside community and academic partners, including canines, in studies examining how the human-animal bond can mutually enrich wellness among individuals, animals and communities. These projects include federal prisoners, university students, seniors, addictions treatment clients, war veterans, and youth. Colleen has worked extensively at the community and national levels, including with the Elizabeth Fry Society, Correctional Service Canada, and the Senate of Canada. Underlying Colleen’s work is a belief in bringing together different ways of knowing. Her commitment to facilitating understanding is recognized in the production of a variety of unique knowledge mobilization products from her funded studies, including music videos and paintings. She has also trained two service dogs to try to better understand her research field. You can follow her canine co-researchers on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AnnaBelleSubiesAdventures/ and her scholarly work at www.colleendell.com.