EDUCATION
Post-Doctorate University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2006
Ph.D University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2005
MEd University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2000
SPECIALIZATION
Psychological and Medical Anthropology: Development of children with intellectual/developmental disabilities and illness and children of trauma (poverty, abuse, neglect), child development in global contexts, children's moral emotions, reasoning, judgement and response, culture, childhood illness and disability, ethics in scientific research methods.
Early Childhood Anthrozoology: Biocentrism and child development, The LINK - children of domestic violence and animal abuse, One Health/human-animal medicine, , bioethics and animal-assisted interventions in educational and health settings, children and wild animals, wild-life conservation education and experiences in childhood
Brinda Jegatheesan is Associate Professor in Educational Psychology. She specializes in psychological and medical anthropology that are directly or immediately relevant to education/special education and early childhood anthrozoology. The population she works with are young vulnerable children (trauma, autism and other intellectual disabilities). Much of her research involves visual methods, critical ethnography, and narrative inquiry. Dr. Jegatheesan is Vice President Development for the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) and serves on the board for the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), and the editorial board for the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation (HABRI). She is the Co-Editor of the Science section of the journal People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice (PAIJ). She is a Fellow at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver. Dr. Jegatheesan is Affiliate Professor in Anthrozoology, department of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the Open Universiteit Nederland, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
RESEARCH SITES: The Netherlands, Spain, USA, India, Singapore, Japan,
HONORS & AWARDS
President's Award 2014 for Outstanding Service to the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nominated for College of Education Outstanding Advisor Award- 2011
Nominated for Marsha L. Landolt Graduate Mentor Award, University of Washington award - 2010
Fellow, Institute for Human-Animal Center (IHAC), University of Denver
Fellow, Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2004
Affiliate Professor, Anthrozoology, department of Psychological and Educational Sciences at the Open Universiteit Nederland, The Netherlands
PUBLISHED/BROADCAST MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Jegatheesan, Brinda. 'Yolo facility dogs helps crime victims reclaim their voice.' Interview. The Sacramento Bee. September 5, 2015. Print. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article34325334.html
Jegatheesan, Brinda. 'How dogs are helping children in the classroom.' Interviewed by Kathleen Dunn. Wisconsin Public Radio. The Kathleen Dunn Show, August 25, 2015. Radio. http://www.wpr.org/shows/how-dogs-are-helping-children-classroom
Jegatheesan, Brinda. 'Human-Animal Relationship and Developmental Benefits: Interaction with pets helps children have a healthier body and mind.' Interview. The China Times. Taipei, Taiwan. December 10, 2013. Print
Jegatheesan, Brinda. 'Children and animals: Developmental and socialization benefits. Interview. Taiwan PetPets. Taipei, Taiwan, December 9, 2013. Print
Jegatheesan, Brinda. "'Animals helping vulnerable and abused children.' Interview. Japan Shimbun (Japan Newspaper). Tokyo, Japan, December 6, 2013. Print
Jegatheesan, Brinda. " 'How loving animals can benefit your health: Animals may be key to alleviating stress and living a happier and healthier life.' Interview. VegNews. October 30, 2013. http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=6275&catId=5 Print
Jegatheesan, Brinda. 'Teacher’s Pets – Involving animals to teach students confidence, compassion and other lessons they can’t get from textbooks.' Interview. Washingtonian Magazine. July 2013. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/work-education/teachers-pets-animals-in-the-classroom/ Print
Jegatheesan, Brinda. 'Cultural Intelligence: What’s your child’s global IQ?' Interview. Parent Map. May 2013. Print.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Jegatheesan, B., Sheehey, P., Ornelles, C., & Elliott, E (2017). Teaching indigenous students with developmental disabilities: Embedding cultural practices of dance, movement, and music in pedagogy. Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts, 7 (1), 1-13.
Brinda Jegatheesan (2015). Influence of cultural and religious factors on attitudes towards animals. In A.H. Fine (Eds.). Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice: Amsterdam: Elsevier
Jegatheesan, B (under review). Stigma, social exclusion and healthcare in Vietnamese American families of children with severe disabilities
Jegatheesan, B (under review) From mainstream to the margins: The ethnicity- religion-healthcare connection for a Muslim American family with a child with severe autism
Sheehey, P., & Jegatheesan, B (2014). Ka Malama Na'auao Keiki Oiwa ma o ka Ike Ku'una a Nohona Hawai'i: Nurturing the learning of native children with special needs through Hawaiian traditional values and practices. In P. McCardle & V. Berninger. (Eds). Narrowing the achievement gap for Native American students: Paying the educational debt. New York: Routledge
Strong, Z., & Jegatheesan, B (2014). School culture matters: Empowering and enabling Native American students in public schools. In P. McCardle & V. Berninger. (Eds). Narrowing the achievement gap for Native American students: Paying the educational debt. New York: Routledge.
Jegatheesan, B., & Witz, K (2014). Waheeda remembering her cat Izzy: A study in the consciousness of a child. Qualitative Inquiry
Jegatheesan, B., & Witz, K. (2013). An Ethnographic Study on Religion, Spirituality and Maternal Influence on Sibling Relationships in a Muslim Family with a Child with Autism. Review of Disability Studies
Jegatheesan, B (2012). Using an adaptive methodology to study human-animal interactions in cultural context. Anthrozoos, 25, 107-121
Sage, K., & Jegatheesan, B (2012). Play interactions between children with autism and their siblings in a European American and an Asian American family. Child Studies in Diverse Contexts, 2 (1), 11-27
Park, H., & Jegatheesan, B (2012). Helping our Children with Homework: Homework as an activity of anxiety for bilingual Korean American mothers. Child Studies in Diverse Contexts, 3 (2).
Jegatheesan, B (2011). Multilingualism and autism: Perspectives of South Asian Muslim immigrant parents on raising a child with a communicative disorder in multilingual contexts. Bilingual Research Journal, 34, 185-200
Jegatheesan, B., Sheehey, P., & Ornelles, C (2011). Teaching for transformation: Preparing teacher candidates to work with Asian American and Pacific Islander students with disabilities and their families. Teacher Education Division, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Monograph, Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions for Culturally Competent and Inter-Culturally Sensitive Leaders in Education.
Jegatheesan, B (2010). Cross Cultural Issues in Parent-Professional Interactions: A Qualitative Study of Perceptions of Asian American Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities 34 (3)
Jegatheesan, B., Miller, P., & Fowler, S (2010). Autism from a Religious Perspective: A Study of Parental Beliefs in South Asian Muslim Immigrant Families. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Jegatheesan, B., Fowler, S., & Miller, P (2010). From Symptom Recognition to Services: How South Asian Muslim Immigrant Families Navigate Autism. Disability and Society
Sage, K., & Jegatheesan, B (2010). Parents socializing sibling relationships in European American and Asian American families of children with autism in the United States. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 2 (3), 193-213
Sage, K., & Jegatheesan, B (2010).Perceptions of siblings with autism and relationships with them: European American and Asian American siblings draw and tell. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability
Meadan, H., & Jegatheesan, B. (2010). Pets and Young Children: Supporting Early Development. Young Children
Jegatheesan, B (Invited, 2009). Muslim Children with Autism Learn to Pray. In Shweder, R.A., Bidell, T., Dailey, A., Dixon, S., Miller, P.J., & Modell, J (Eds.). The Child: An Encyclopedic Companion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Stake, Robert & Jegatheesan, Brinda (2008). Access, a zone of comprehension, and intrusion. In Advances in Program Evaluation, Vol 12
Jegatheesan, B (2009). The Give and Take in the Human-Animal Bond: Three Tales of Spirit Healing. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Healing
Jegatheesan, B., & Meadan, H (2006). Pets in the Classroom: Promoting and Enhancing the Socio-Emotional Wellness of Young Children. Young Exceptional Children Monograph, 8, 1-12.
Jegatheesan, B (2005). I See the Stars: An Autoethnographer Speaks on Fieldwork and Flashbacks. Qualitative Inquiry, 11 (5), 667-688
White Papers
Jegatheesan, B., Beetz, A., Ormerod, E., Johnson, R., Fine, A.H., Yamazaki, K., Dudzik., Garcia, R., Winkle, M., & Choi, G (2014). Definitions for animal-assisted intervention and guidelines for wellness of animals involved. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) White Paper
Books
Jegatheesan, B (2008). Access, A Zone of Comprehension, and Intrusion. In Advances in Program Evaluation Series, Emerald Group Publishing: U.K
This volume of Advances in Program Evaluation examines the nature and seriousness of fieldworkers' problems of failure to gain access, achieve comprehension, and avoid intrusion. To do all three, fieldworkers need understanding and respect of the people from whom they seek data as well as be consciously and critically aware of staging field relationships knotted with tensions of estrangement, involvement, familiarity and distance. In the nine chapters of this volume, the authors speak of access to human subjects data, dealing with methods and concerns about intrusion. Attention is given to past and current practices of personalistic studies, particularly in education, and the need for improved protection of participants.
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
INVITED TALKS
Jegatheesan, Brinda (October, 2015, Invited Speaker). Courthouse facility dogs working with abused and at-risk minority children: Understanding the cultural context of healing. International Courthouse Dogs Conference, Seattle, Washington, USA
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2015, Plenary Speaker). HAI beyond boundaries and across societies:Developing a roadmap towards the future. Copenhagen, Denmark
Jegatheesan, Brinda (April 2015, Invited Speaker). Children and Animals: Why culture matters in the relationship. Green Chimneys Human-Animal Interaction Conference 'Growing Together: Kids, Animals and Sowing the Seeds of Resiliency'. New York, USA
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2013, Keynote Speaker). Should children experience wild animals in zoos, circuses, sea-world and other similar settings? Ignoring the ethics of captivity and coercion on children's moral development no more. Taipei, Taiwan
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2013, Keynote Speaker). Role of companion animals in child development and socialization across cultures. Tokyo, Japan.
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2010, Keynote Speaker). The importance of culture in human-animal interactions. International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) conference, Stockholm, Sweden
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Jegatheesan, Brinda & Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers (2017). The LINK between Child Abuse and Animal Abuse: A Challenge for Veterinarians and Strategies for Collaborative Partnerships for Preventative, Protective and Healing Interventions. International Society for Anthroozoology (ISAZ), California, USA.
Ormerod, Elizabeth & Jegatheesan, Brinda (2017). Pets and Older People: Addressing Challenges to Companion Animals in Housing to Avoid Painful Separation and Trauma. International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), California, USA
Jegatheesan, Brinda., & Ormerod, Elizabeth (2016). Human-Animal Bond, Culture, and Clinical Veterinary Care: The Role of Veterinarians in Encountering Negative Effects on Animal Welfare caused by Traditional Beliefs and Behaviors. IAHAIO Conference, Paris, France
Jegatheesan, Brinda., & Ormerod, Elizabeth (2016). The Lives of Animals Participating in Animal-Assisted Interventions: The Needs for Ethical Conduct for the Welfare of School Animals. International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), Barcelona, Spain.
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2016). Wonder, Love and then Trauma during a Science Project in an Elementary Classroom: What Happened to Schools as Moral Communities? International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Illinois, USA
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2014). Learning through participation in the care of the family pet: Children's roles and responsibilities across cultures. International Society for Anthrozoology conference (ISAZ), Vienna, Austria
Jegatheesan, B., & Bujorbarua, P (2014). Using performance ethnography, dance and movement to document children's views and moral reasoning about animals. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Illnois, USA
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2014). Portraiture as connecting auto-ethnography to the wider world. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Illinois, USA
Jegatheesan, Brinda (2013). Muslim American children's views on animal wellness and ethics. International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO), Chicago, USA
APPLIED RESEARCH WORKSHOPS
Jegatheesan, B., (USA) Enders-Slegers, M.J., (Netherlands) Arkow, P., (USA) & Boyden, P. (UK) (2016). Examining the Relationship between Animal Abuse and Child Abuse. International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) Conference, Paris, France
Jegatheesan, B., (USA) Tedeschi, P., (USA) Ormerod, E., (UK) Beetz, A (Germany) (2014). Ethics in Animal-Assisted Interventions. International Society for Anthrozooly Conference (ISAZ), Vienna, Austria
RESEARCH STUDIES
Jegatheesan, B., Strong, Z., & Bujorbarua, P (2014). Community based participatory educational intervention for preservice teachers working with Native American children and families.
Jegatheesan, B & Park, H (2014). Cultural values, acculturation and intergenerational value discrepancies in child-animal interactions: Recent trends among Asian American families in the United States.
Jegatheesan, B ( 2008) When having Autism Means Loss of Family Languages: Children with Autism in Multilingual Immigrant Families in the Pacific Northwest.
Jegatheesan, B & Warmouth, J (2008-current). Humane Education and Vulnerable Children
Jegatheesan, B (2008-2011). The Impact of Culture on the Human-Animal Bond: A Cross Cultural Study with Young Children.
Jegatheesan, B (2010). Native Language Loss and Preservation among First Nations Children, British Columbia.
Jegatheesan, B & Park, H (PI, 2010). Emotion Socialization and Multilingualism
Jegatheesan, B (2007). Beliefs and Experiences of Disability in Asian and European American Children who have Siblings with Autism: Pictorial and Narrative Representation
Jegatheesan, B (2007). Diagnosis and Post-Diagnosis Period: Needs and Supports Reported by Asian Immigrant Families of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities.
Jegatheesan, B (2003-2005). Ways of Being at Home and Community: Language Socialization of Children with Autism in Multilingual South Asian Immigrant Families