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Emilie Mae MacInnis

CURRENT STATUS: Graduate Student at Purdue
PHD DEPARTMENT: Comparative Pathobiology
PURDUE FACULTY ADVISOR: Dr. Leanne Nieforth

Tell us a little bit about yourself – hobbies, interests, a fun fact?

Outside of school, I like to spend time with my husband and three cats, Darjeeling, Ozzy, and Sam. I like to knit, read, play video games, and try new restaurants. Fun fact: I won a year supply of Cap’n Crunch when I was 6. We had so much cereal we have it away as Christmas gifts.

​What was your undergraduate area of study?  

Major in biology, minor in sociology, at a tiny liberal arts school near Austin, TX (Southwestern University). After that I obtained a Masters of Social Work with a focus on human-animal interactions from the University of Denver.

How/where were you first exposed to ideas about animal welfare?

I think my first experience was when my family and I were walking on the beach when I was little kid. We found a pufferfish laying out on a pier, trying to breath. My dad explained that the people who fish off the pier don’t like catching pufferfish because they can’t eat or sell them, so they just leave them out to suffocate. He carefully moved the pufferfish back into the water. We watched the pufferfish swim away and my dad explained to me that it was cruel to leave the fish out to suffer because it was inconvenient to what you were doing, and that we should help if we can help.

​How did you choose your area of study and the professor you work with?

I was drawn to the work Dr. Nieforth is doing with veterans, service dogs, and mental health because it allows me to utilize my experience with social work, non-profits, and research to make a real impact for supportive mental health interventions. I was also very interested in her community engaged, interdisciplinary approach to projects and partnerships, and the biopsychosocial framework that her lab uses to approach human-animal interaction research.  

What type of a job are you interested in after you receive your degree?

I’m interested in being engaged in research, mentorship, and education with whatever role I move into. I would love to stay in academia, but I’m also open to working in a non-profit, or within the veterinary or pet care industry.

​Can you tell us about your current research focus?

I’m currently examining how human and animal microbiomes are influenced by human-animal interactions. I’m also looking at various ways that dogs (companion dogs, service dogs, etc) affect well-being and mental health in humans.

​What is the connection between what you are researching and animal welfare science?

Humans and animals interact in a multitude of ways every day. Understanding how and why humans and animals interact, and what outcomes arise from these interactions, is crucial for supporting positive interactions that improve the lives and health of all involved.

​What two pieces of advice would you give to someone who cares about Animal Welfare and wants to get started in the field or apply to grad school?

1. Connect with people in the field as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to reach out! People in the field are friendly and everyone loves getting a chance to talk about the work that they’re doing
2. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and go for what you want, even if you don’t have a perfect application. I really struggled during my first two years of undergrad and thought I wasn’t cut out for research, and no graduate school would accept my grades. But I kept pushing forward and took a less traditional route instead. I got to do some really cool things and ended up getting into grad school after all!