One of the central themes in the AAHA Working, Assistance, and Therapy Dog Guidelines, the first set of complied guidelines for the care and handling of these amazing canine citizens, is the idea of cooperative care – with the dogs, with their handlers, and with our veterinary teammates. We certainly owe these heroes our compassion, empathy, and gentle handling, but in truth those are skills we can never polish up too much in our work as veterinary professionals.

David Ballard, PsyD, MBA, our guest on this week’s episode of Central Line: The AAHA Podcast , is not just a visionary – he's an expert in what makes organizations psychologically healthy, and he’s helped groups all over the human healthcare ecosystem get there. Thanks to connections that led him to Veterinary Visionaries, he’s turning that expert eye toward veterinary medicine. Check out this excerpt from our conversation.

The new buzzwords in leadership circles today are “psychological safety” and “vulnerability.” If you can create a workplace that honors these twin poles, note leadership gurus, your employees will feel safe enough to innovate.   

Are people more likely to feel empathy for animals, or for humans? The answer is complicated, but it boils down to a question of context.

Researchers at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine used state-of-the-art molecular evolution tools to assess how pressures from natural selection may have influenced the canine coronavirus’ evolution.

A sea change is coming in the American workforce. And increasingly, and especially with younger workers, gender identity is up for grabs.  

Veterinarians are seeing a rise in cases of cannabis poisoning in pets as the legalized use of marijuana for recreational purposes continues to spread.

The Koret Shelter Medicine Program at UC Davis was the first dedicated shelter medicine program at a veterinary school. Now they're offering their Behavior, Training, and Enrichment Bootcamp to animal shelters throughout the country. 

These conversations aren’t just for veterinarians—they’re for veterinary professionals in all roles, from client care to practice owner. There’s valuable information and insights here for every member of the hospital team.

A special place where AAHA members can meet and discuss the issues that matter most to them, find answers, and learn to practice better medicine together.