LAURA POLESHUCK, PhD, OTD, OTR/L

Formal Education

● Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education, Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
● Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, MA
● Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT), Sargent College of Allied Health Professions, Boston University, Boston, MA
● Bachelor of Science, double major in Clinical Psychology and Child Studies, Tufts University, Medford, MA, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Credentials

● Fear Free® Certified Animal Trainer Initial certification November 2025
● Temperament Test (ATT) Evaluator, American Kennel Club (AKC) Initial certification December 2024, evaluator number 116834
● Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program Team Evaluator Initial certification May 2024
● AKC Approved Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, American Kennel Club (AKC) Initial certification December 2023, evaluator number 109197
● Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed (CPDT-KA) Initial certification October 2023
● Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS), the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals, initial certification August 2022
● Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Associate Level Certification, 2018
● Occupational Therapist, Licensed, initial certification 1998 The University of the State of New York Education Department Office of the Professions
● Occupational Therapist, Registered, initial certification 1998 National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.

Positions Held

● Founder and Executive Director, Tilly’s Place August 2025-present
● Co-creator and director of the Inter-Professional Animal-assisted Wellness (IPAW) Collaborative, Nazareth University, December 2020-May 2025
● Associate Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy, August 2020 - May 2025 Assistant Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy, August 2014 - May 2020 Nazareth University, Rochester, New York
● Occupational Therapist, March 2011 - May, 2014 Hill Haven Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Webster, New York
● Occupational and Physical Therapy Department Supervisor, Nov. 2004 - December 2006 Clinical Associates of the Finger Lakes, pediatric clinic and itinerant services, Victor, New York
● Occupational Therapist, September 2001 - October 2004 Clinical Associates of the Finger Lakes, pediatric clinic and itinerant services, Victor, New York
● Occupational Therapist, January 1998 - August 2001 Mary Cariola Children's Center, Rochester, New York

Service

● Humane Education Advisory Committee, Humane Society of Greater Rochester Lollypop Farm, May 2024 - Present
● Manuscript submission reviewer, Anthrozoös: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Interactions Between People and Other Animals, July 2022 - Present
● Subject matter expert, item writer, and Beta tester for the Association for Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP) Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (AAI-S) certification exam, 2021
● Nazareth University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) August 2021 - May 2025
● International Society for Anthrozoology ISAZ 2021 conference abstract reviewer
● Reviewer for the 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Annual Conference & Expo
● Nazareth College Undergraduate Academic Standing Committee January 2019 - May 2025
● Manuscript submission reviewer, American Journal of Occupational Therapy September 2016 - Present

Publications

● Poleshuck, L., Griffin, O., & Winiecki, C. (2024). Student perceptions of campus-integrated therapy dogs: Best practices and impact on well-being and campus belonging. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 7(1).
● Poleshuck, L. & Reed, M. (2023). The InterProfessional Animal-assisted Wellness (IPAW) Collaborative. In Kogan, L. (Ed.), Animal assisted interventions – Recognizing and mitigating potential welfare challenges (pp.145-154). CABI.
● Poleshuck, L. (2021). Interprofessional Faculty Members’ Knowledge of Occupational Therapy (PhD dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo). ● Poleshuck, L., Eckhardt, S., Peck, S., Salce, C., & Valenti, S. (2020). Perceived stress in undergraduate OT students. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(4_Supplement_1), 7411505213p1-7411505213p1.

Presentations

● Evaluating Therapy and Facility Dogs in Professional Contexts: A New Standard for Animal-Assisted Interventions, American Psychological Association Human Animal Interaction Section online presentation, March 2025
● Creation of the Interprofessional Animal-assisted Wellness (IPAW) Collaborative, a campus-integrated therapy dog program: Student feedback and recommendations for implementation, New York State College Health Association (NYSCHA)/New England College Health Association (NECHA) Combined Annual Conference, October 2023
● Animal-Assisted Interventions in Occupational Therapy Mini Conference, How I Got Started in the Field, Association for Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP), December 2022
● College student perceptions of campus-integrated therapy dogs: A mixed-methods study. Presentation and question and answer session, International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) Annual Conference, June 2022
● Interactions with a future guide dog: A pilot study with first year college students Presentation and question and answer session, ISAZ Annual Conference, June 2021

Internal Grants at Nazareth University

● Summer Opportunities for Activities in Research and Scholarship (SOARS) Topic: Creation of a Dog Care and Training Course for Transition-Age Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), 2024
● Scholarship and Innovation Faculty Fellowship Topic: IPAW Collaborative grant writing project, Nazareth College, summer 2022
● Enhanced Student Employment funding for IPAW Collaborative Support Staff, Nazareth University Center for Life’s Work, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025

Professional Society and Organization Memberships

● Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP), since 2022
● International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), since 2019

Continuing Education

●Association for Professional Dog Trainers International Conference, November 2025
● TraumaInSight training course (principles of trauma-informed care for youth populations) National Alliance on Mental Illness, July 2025
● Theory & Practice in Animal-Assisted Interventions Conference Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals, September 2023
● Green Zone Training: Military Awareness on a College Campus November 2022, Nazareth College - Dillon Smith
● Course: Foundational Skills for Fieldwork Educators: Giving Effective Feedback August 2022, occupationaltherapy.com
● Course: Fieldwork Education: Cultural Considerations for the Clinical Educator August 2022, occupationaltherapy.com
● Course: LGBTQ Cultural Competence: Improving Care to the LGBTQ Community August 2022, occupationaltherapy.com
● International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) Annual Conference June 2022
● Centers for the Human Animal Bond Conference: Research, teaching, and services regarding animal-assisted interventions, November 2021
● ISAZ Conference: University-Based Animal-Assisted Interventions: Theory and Research; Animal-Assisted Interventions: Methodology and Measurement, June 2021