Angela Fournier, PhD, LP, is a licensed psychologist and professor of psychology at Bemidji State University, where she directs the Humanimal Interaction Laboratory. For more than two decades she has studied how people and animals interact, with a focus on measuring and understanding animal-assisted services.

Angela is also an equine-assisted practitioner and has collaborated for many years with Eagle Vista Ranch & Wellness Center to provide services, teach students, and conduct research in real-world programs. Her work bridges science and practice, helping practitioners gather meaningful data about what happens in their sessions so they can improve their programs and communicate their impact with confidence.

She believes the powerful stories practitioners witness every day are the starting point for discovery—and that combining those stories with thoughtful data collection can strengthen both practice and science.