Rebecca A JohnsonRebecca A. Johnson has been at University of Missouri since 1999 as the Millsap Professor for Gerontological Nursing and Public Policy. She holds a joint appointment at the College of Veterinary Medicine as the Director of the Research Center for Humn Animal Interaction (ReCHAI, www.rechai.missouri.edu). She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the highest honor in the nursing profession. In 2010 she was elected President of the International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organizations. The many studies she has conducted show the benefits to humans and pets when they interact. Her research on the health benefits of dog-walking is a major program at the Center. She also teaches undergraduate and graduate students and mentors doctoral students' dissertation research. Author of over 40 publications, she is called upon nationally and internationally to speak about human-animal interaction. Her immediate family includes her husband Gary, her Maine Coon cat Bentleigh, and dogs Madison (English Setter) and MacKenzie (Gordon Setter). Read More Read Less