About Us

The Vision Behind Heart & Science

Our Foundation

Built at the Intersection of Scholarship & Lived Experience

Heart & Science was founded to create structured, inclusive spaces for education and community-engaged research focused on grief and the human–animal bond. The Center emerges from years of scholarship, teaching, and lived experience at the intersection of cultural identity, loss, and connection.

By centering historically overlooked grief narratives and diverse forms of attachment, Heart & Science works to expand how loss is recognized, understood, and supported across communities.

Our Approach

Education Grounded in Research

Education & Dialogue

Heart & Science creates inclusive learning spaces where grief, culture, and the human–animal bond are explored with depth and care. Through workshops, writing, and facilitated conversations, the Center translates scholarship into accessible and meaningful engagement.

Research & Inquiry

Grounded in culturally responsive and community-engaged scholarship, Heart & Science advances critical inquiry into grief and connection. Research informs programming, shapes dialogue, and strengthens the integrity of the Center’s work.

Founder

Meet the Founder

Dr. Michele Whitney is a scholar, educator, and researcher whose work centers grief, cultural identity, and the human–animal bond. With a background in human services and advanced research, her scholarship explores historically overlooked grief experiences and the ways individuals and communities make meaning of loss.

Heart & Science emerged from her commitment to building inclusive spaces where research, lived experience, and the human–animal bond intersect. Through teaching, writing, and community engagement, she works to expand how grief and connection are understood, studied, and supported across diverse communities.