Focus Areas
Advancing Inclusive Conversations on Grief and Connection
01
Grief, Culture, and Identity
Exploring how cultural context, lived experience, and identity shape experiences of loss. This focus area centers historically overlooked grief narratives and expands how mourning and meaning-making are understood across diverse communities.
02
The Human–Animal Bond and Loss
Examining the emotional, social, and cultural significance of relationships with companion animals. This area advances scholarship and dialogue on pet loss, attachment, and the bonds that shape human experience.
03
Inclusive Education and Community Engagement
Translating research into accessible learning spaces through workshops, writing, and facilitated conversations. This focus area bridges scholarship and lived experience to foster meaningful, inclusive dialogue.
Scholarship & Engagement
Foundational Scholarship
Heart & Science is grounded in doctoral research examining culturally responsive grief experiences and the human–animal bond. The Center’s direction emerges from this work and continues to evolve through writing and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Ongoing Writing & Research
Manuscripts and reflective scholarship exploring disenfranchised grief, identity, and attachment across communities.
Educational & Community Engagement
Conference presentations, workshops, and facilitated dialogue bridging research and lived experience.