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Linzi Williamson, PhD
Dr. Linzi Williamson is currently completing a three-year funded Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Patient Oriented Research Transition to Leadership Fellowship with Dr. Colleen Dell. The overall project aims to understand the role of stigma for Veterans with PTSD and determining methods for better supporting the integration of service dogs into their lives.
You can learn more about this project, watch her webinar, and read more about Linzi’s experiences with research on canine-assisted interventions and love of dogs in her Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) interview.
Linzi currently resides in Ontario with her partner, Jeremy, and dog, Steve. She is a novice therapy & service dog trainer and foster, animal welfare advocate, sentimental greeting card writer, commonly sought-after speech writer, Cards Against Humanity empath, amateur origami artist, semi-hardcore gamer, yoga and meditation enthusiast, and avid non-fiction reader.
Photo Credit: Bronwyn Edwards
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
Williamson, L., Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Cruz, M., & De Groot, P. (2021). Strengthening Zooeyia: Understanding the Human-Animal Bond between Veterans Living with Comorbid Substance Use and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and their Service Dogs. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 10(2), 20-47.
Williamson, L. E., Dell, C. A., Osgood, N., Chalmers, D., Lohnes, C., Carleton, R. N., & Asmundson, G. (in review). Examining changes in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and substance use among a sample of Canadian veterans working with service dogs: An exploratory longitudinal study. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health.
Dell, C., Williamson, L., McKenzie, H., Carey, B., Cruz, M., Gibson, M., & Pavelich, A. (2021). Transitioning a therapy dog program online during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned. Animals, 11(3), 914. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030914
Gibson, M., Williamson, L., Henwood, G., & Dell, C. (2021). Perceptions and Use of Alcohol and Medical Cannabis among Canadian Military Veterans Living with PTSD. Journal of Veterans Studies, 7(1), 59-70. http://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v7i1.200
Selected Conference Presentations
2021 Williamson, L., Dell, C., Carey, B., Pavelich, A., McKenzie, H., Gibson, M., & Cruz, M. (June 22). Online therapy dog programming: What’s in it for the dog? International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) Conference, Virtual Platform.
2021 Dell, C., Williamson, L., McKenzie, H., Carey, B., Cruz, M., Gibson, M., & Fletcher-Hildebrand, S. (May 31-June 4). Online therapy dog programming: Ethical considerations. Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference, Virtual Platform.
2021 Fletcher-Hildebrand, S., & Williamson, L. (May 10-13). “PAWS Your Evaluation Efforts”: Creating and refining an online campus-based therapy dog program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Evaluation Society, Virtual Platform.
2021 Williamson, L. (May 10-13). Causality vs contribution; How should we evaluate a service dog organization serving Canadian veterans with PTSD? Canadian Evaluation Society, Virtual Platform.
2020 Carey, B. (presenter), Dell, C., Williamson, L., Pavelich, A., McKenzie, H., Gibson, M., & Cruz, M. (December 9-10). “Transitioning a Therapy Dog Program Online during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned.” Virtual Solutions for Substance Use Care Conference. University of British Columbia.
2020 Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Williamson, L., & Gibson, M. (November 24). The Impact of Service Dogs on Veterans’ PTSD Symptoms and Substance Use: Project Update. Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, Conservative Party of Canada Members of Parliament.
2020 Gibson, M, Williamson, L., Dell, C., Chalmers, D., & DeGroot, P. (November 16-18). Insight into Social Influences on Veterans’ Use of Medical Cannabis to Manage their PTSD Symptoms. SK Health Research Showcase. Saskatoon: SK.
2020 Dell, C., & Williamson, L. (November 12-17). Examining changes in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and substance use among a sample of Canadian Veterans working with service dogs: An exploratory longitudinal study. NCAM Research Symposium.
2019 Williamson, L., Chalmers, D., Osgoode, N., Lohnes, C., Lapointe, M., & Dell, C. (November 21). A pilot test of the effect of psychiatric service dogs on PTSD symptoms and problematic substance use among a sample of Canadian veterans. Saskatchewan Health Authority Research Showcase
2019 Dell, C., Williamson, L., Gauthier, S., Mills, S., & Goodfellow, H. (May 5). “Who Let the Dogs In!” From Teaching to Research Publication: The Fundamentals of doing SoTL. Saskatoon, Canada.
2018 Williamson, L. (November 13-15). A Dog Lover’s Dream: Participatory Research with a Service Dog Program for Veterans. Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Summit, Ottawa, Ontario.
Selected Posters
2021 Williamson, L. Dell, C., Osgoode, N., Chalmers, D., Lohnes, C., LaPointe, M., Carleton, N., & Asmundson, G. (June 22-24). Examining changes in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and substance use among a sample of Canadian veterans working with service dogs: An exploratory longitudinal study. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Forum.
2020 Sultana, S., Mela, M., Dell, C., Williamson, L., Swampy, S., Camacho Soto, J., Ramsum, T., McKenzie, H., Jewell, L., Cruz, M., Chalmers, D., & Akca, D. (November 16-18). Catalyzing Patient-Oriented Research among Forensic Psychiatric Patients. SK Health Research Showcase. Saskatoon: SK.
2019 Ahmed, A., Husband, A., Dell, C. A., & Williamson, L. (November 23-27). PTSD-diagnosed veterans combatting problematic substance use with psychiatric service dogs: What community pharmacists should know. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, Ottawa, Ontario
2019 Chalmers, D., Dell, C. A., Williamson, L., Carey, B., Husband, A., & Rogers, N. (November 23-27). Researchers learning about veterans’ experiences with opioid addiction by training a service dog: A patient-oriented approach. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, Ottawa, Ontario.
2019 Cruz, M., Gibson, M., Williamson, L., Chalmers, D., Osgoode, N., & Dell, C. (October 18-19). The Impact of Service Dogs in the Lives of Veterans Who Problematically Use Opioids. Animal-Human Relationship: Ways of Knowing and Understanding, University of Saskatchewan.
Linzi's Dog Steve
Linzi and her partner Jeremy were fortunate enough to adopt Steve “Lux” Irwin through Paws Republic Boarding, Training, & Grooming Centre in May 2020. Steve is an Australian Cattle Dog, aka Blue Heeler, born September 1, 2019, and originally trained to be a service dog. He will continue with his training and, in time, determine if service or therapy work is the right path for him. You can follow Steve’s adventures on Instagram, learn about him through a digital story, or read some blog articles where he is prominently featured.
To read more about Dr. Williamson's other stigma- and health-related research projects,
visit her webpage.
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