Pets and Our Health: Benefits of Pet Relationships and Our Responsibility to Their Brain Health (Brain Week 2026)
From body to brain, our pets benefit us in many ways!
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The relationship between pet caregiving and our health has been frequently studied, and research has demonstrated numerous physiological benefits!
In this talk, we will discuss some of the many physiological benefits we have already identified in our research, including the impact on our brains.
Additionally, we will review our own responsibility to our pets and their brain health, including ways we can help, because after all, brain health is for everyone!
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👋 Meet Dr. Etana Berger, Ph.D, BCBA-D, VSA-CDT
Since 2014, Dr. Berger has been a licensed and board certified behavior analyst providing services to people in a variety of behavior change areas including health and wellness; and working with families whose children have developmental diagnoses. In 2020, she completed her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis, and in 2021 published research on combined therapy interventions for health and behavior.
Dr. Berger has worked in the field of psychology for over a decade, and as a psychology professor at several colleges and universities. Dr. Berger has always been interested in animal behavior. After learning so much from her own two dogs, she decided to study positive reinforcement training strategies at the Victoria Stilwell Academy.
She became a VSA certified dog trainer, and obtained her Fear Free certification. She now runs her own training facility Compassionate Animal Learning LLC providing positive reinforcement training, grant writing for animal related companies, and academic review of animal literature. She currently volunteers her time at IAABC Foundation as Director of Research.