Christine Kivlen
Assistant Professor (Clinical)
Phone
313-577-1390
Department
Occupational Therapy
Christine Kivlen
Biography
Dr. Christine Kivlen is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator in the Department of Health Care Sciences at Wayne State University. As an occupational therapist with over 12 years of clinical experience, Dr. Kivlen specializes in mental health, human-animal interaction, and interprofessional education. She is the principal investigator of the STELLA Lab (STudent Education Learning aLongside Animals), where she leads innovative research exploring the therapeutic potential of therapy animals in educational and clinical settings.
Dr. Kivlen’s work focuses on reducing stress and anxiety through animal-assisted interventions, advancing accessibility and inclusion in therapy programs, and fostering resilience in diverse populations. She is passionate about bridging clinical practice and research to create scalable, evidence-based interventions that improve quality of life. Dr. Kivlen has been recognized for her dedication to student success and innovative teaching practices, and her research has garnered funding and partnerships that reflect her commitment to impactful scholarship.
Warm, collaborative, and deeply committed to her work, Dr. Kivlen continues to inspire through her leadership in research and education.
Degrees and Certifications
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Therapy, Nova Southeastern University
- Master of Occupational Therapy, Wayne State University
- Bachelor of Health Science, Wayne State University
Licensure
- State of MI OT License: 03/2011 – Present
Positions and Employment
Academic
- Wayne State University, Assistant Professor (Clinical), 10/2018 – Present
- Lenoir Rhyne University, Assistant Professor, 08/2017 – 10/2018
- Ithaca College, Assistant Professor, 08/2015 – 08/2017
- American International College, Instructor & Fieldwork Coordinator, 08/2014 – 08/2015
Awards and Honors
- Wayne State University Online Course Quality Faculty Fellows program, 2023
- WSU Applebaum Health Sciences Division Clinical Award, 3/2023
- WSU Applebaum Faculty Research Award Program funding, 6/2023
- Phi Kappa Phi, 01/2018 – Present
- Schlomer Endowed Scholarship, 4/2011
- President of WSU Occupation Therapy Class, 9/2009 – 12/2011
Professional Memberships
- American Occupational Therapy Association
- Michigan Occupational Therapy Association
- International Society of Anthrozoology (ISAZ)
- Animal Assisted Intervention International (AAII)
- Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP)
- Pi Theta Epsilon, Eta Chapter
- Pi Kappa Phi
Primary Research Interest
The STELLA Lab—STudent Education Learning aLongside Animals—is a multidisciplinary research initiative within Wayne State University’s Department of Health Care Sciences. The lab is committed to advancing research at the intersection of human-animal interaction, mental health, education, and clinical practice. By integrating therapy animals into educational and clinical settings, the STELLA Lab explores their therapeutic potential in fostering well-being, reducing stress, and enhancing engagement.
Our research focuses on:
Animal-Assisted Interventions in Mental Health and Stress Reduction:
- Investigating the clinical and psychological benefits of therapy dog interactions on stress, anxiety, and emotional well-being.
- Developing and evaluating programs, such as "Furry Fridays," to integrate therapy dogs into clinical and university environments for promoting mental health and resilience.
Human-Animal Bond and Educational Outcomes:
- Examining how therapy dogs enhance educational settings by improving focus, reducing stress, and increasing participation in learning activities.
- Evaluating the impact of therapy animals on interprofessional education and teamwork in healthcare and clinical training programs.
Inclusivity and Accessibility in Therapy Programs:
- Identifying barriers to participation in animal-assisted interventions and creating inclusive, accessible programs in clinical and community settings.
- Exploring cultural, social, and environmental factors influencing perceptions of therapy animals and their role in therapeutic and clinical care.
Innovative Methodologies in Data Collection:
- Leveraging advanced technologies, such as heart rate variability monitoring, video analysis, and qualitative methods, to measure clinical and non-clinical outcomes of animal-assisted interventions.
- Applying evidence-based approaches to assess the short- and long-term impacts of therapy programs on diverse populations.
The STELLA Lab is dedicated to fostering collaboration among students, researchers, therapy dog handlers, and clinical professionals. Through rigorous research and community partnerships, the lab seeks to advance the understanding of human-animal interactions and create scalable, evidence-based interventions that enrich clinical practice and improve lives.
For more information about the STELLA Lab or to get involved, please contact Christine Kivlen.
Recent Publications
Articles
- Starkweather, M., Germain, A. E., Kivlen, C.* (In-press). Pawsitive purpose: The impact of autism assistance dogs on the occupations of autistic children. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy
- Kivlen, C., Chargo, A., & DiZazzo-Miller, R. (2023). Animal-assisted intervention on college campuses: Graduate student perspectives regarding the need, benefits, and availability of programming. American Journal of Health Education, 54(5) doi:10.1080/19325037.2023.2232836
- Stewart, B., Saad., Schiller., Abbasi, H., Nigma, E., Kivlen, C.* (2023). A qualitative analysis of community participants’ experiences with a virtual interprofessional team visit (vIPTV) with healthcare students. Journal of Patient Experience. doi:10.1177/23743735231179
- White R, Walczybock A, Mendez, J, Reed, A., Maloney, S., Malik, M., & Kivlen, C.* (2023). Retrospective study of healthcare resources developed for patients by interprofessional teams. Cureus 15(1): e33840. doi:10.7759/cureus.33840
- Kivlen, C., Winston, K., Mills, D., DiZazzo-Miller, R., Davenport, R., & Binfet, J.-T. (2022). Canine-assisted intervention effects on the well-being of health science graduate students: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(6), doi:10.5014/ajot.2022.049508
- Howell, T. J., Nieforth, L., Thomas-Pino, C., Samet, L., Agbonika, S., Cuevas-Pavincich, F., Fry, N. E., et al. (2022). Defining terms used for animals working in support roles for people with support needs. Animals, 12(15), 1975. MDPI AG. Retrieved from doi:10.3390/ani12151975
- Kivlen, C., Quevillon, A., & Pasquarelli, D. (2022). Should dogs have a aeat in the classroom? The effects of canine assisted education on college student Mental health. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 10(1), 1-14. doi:10.15453/2168-6408.1816
Book chapters
- Kivlen, C. & Heffron, J. (2023). Tier 2 Elementary School Case #5: Amena. In occupational therapy groups for addressing mental health challenges in school-aged populations. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Inc.
- Kivlen, C. & Heffron, J. (2023). Group #9: Spreading our wings: Caterpillars to CAN-DO-pillars. In occupational therapy groups for addressing mental health challenges in school-aged populations. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Inc.
- Winkle, M. & Kivlen, C. (2020). Canine online training. In Alternatives to traditional animal assisted interventions: Expanding our Toolkit: E-Book ISBN: 978100522943
- Johnson, C., Maher, S., & DiZazzo-Miller, R. (2016). Sensation, range of motion, strength, and coordination. In R. DiZazzo-Miller & F. D. Pociask (Eds.), Preparing for the occupational therapy national board exam, (pp. 51-64). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers
Presentations
- Kivlen, C. (2022). College students’ perceptions of the impact of pets on their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic [Conference Presentation]. International Society of Anthrozoology Conference.
- Kivlen, C., Binfet, J. T. (2021). Graduate students’ perceptions of a canine-assisted stress-reduction intervention [Conference Presentation]. International Society of Anthrozoology Conference.
- Kivlen, C., Winston, K., Mills, D., DiZazzo-Miller, R., Davenport, R., Binfet, J. T. (2020). The effect of an animal assisted intervention (AAI) on graduate students’ wellbeing: Insights from occupational therapy [Conference Presentation]. International Society of Anthrozoology Conference.
- Kivlen, C. & DiZazzo-Miller, R. (2020). Animal assisted intervention programming on a college campus: Insights from graduate students [Conference Presentation]. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Conference.
- Winchester, E., Shannahan, A., Williamson, E., Wenderlich, E., Samuel, S., Johnson, C., Mendez, J., Malek, M. (2020). Impact of interprofessional exposure [Conference Presentation]. Midwest Interprofessional Practice, Education, and Research Center (MIPERC) Conference
- Allen, N., Kivlen, C., Mendez, J. (2020). Applying an Interprofessional lens to Veteran’s Health Care [Conference Presentation]. Midwest Interprofessional Practice, Education, and Research Center (MIPERC) Conference:
- Reightler, L. & Johnson, C. (2019). The effects of guide dog use on occupational performance: A qualitative study [Conference Presentation]. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Conference.
- Egan, B. E., Friguglietti, S., Johnson, C., Oakes, T., James, L., Sears, C. (2018). Developing a distance cohort: Lessons learned [Conference Presentation]. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Conference
- Johnson, C. (2016). Animal assisted therapy: A practical demonstration [Conference Presentation]. Occupational Therapy Student Conclave Conference
- Johnson, C. (2015). The occupational benefits associated with persons caring for a pet [Conference Presentation]. Society for the Study of Occupation (SSO) Conference
- Johnson, C., Musgrove, H., Walt, M., Ross, E., Bamford, S., Kotoor, J., Cagle, M., Dziurda, P. (2014). Interprofessional approach to early mobility in a medical progressive care unit [Conference Presentation]. Midwest Interprofessional Practice, Education, and Research Center Conference.