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About CENTAUR


Mission

CENTAUR's mission is to provide:

  • Educational opportunities for Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) veterinary medical students and Virginia Tech students
  • Service and outreach to the community
  • A basis for collaborative research programs for the study of the animal-human interface to discover new knowledge about the benefits people and animals derive from one another
  • Education and awareness of the health and safety of human-animal interactions

History

CENTAUR was originally founded in 2004 through a philanthropic gift from the Metcalfe Foundation n of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and organized under the direction of Dr. Marie Suthers-McCabe until she departed the faculty of VMRCVM in 2006. The Center continued without formal governance and a renewed interest led to the creation of a training program in human-animal bond studies in 2009.

In November 2011, CENTAUR came under the direction of Dr. Bess Pierce, associate professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. The center has a growing team of core faculty members and research partners supporting its mission, and an advisory committee representing a collaborative team of experts in various fields.