University of Denver Autumn 2025

 Kevin Morris (left), executive director of IHAC, and research associate Jaci Gandenberger (below) share a moment with their own loyal companions.

When science meets lived experience

The IHAC team is now taking their research a step further: studying service dogs like Montana who are specifically trained for PTSD support. This is funded in part through grants from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute and the Morris Family Animal Foundation (no relation to Kevin Morris). IHAC is in the process of enrolling 50 veterans, none of whom have had a service dog for PTSD before. To aid in recruitment, IHAC is working with 12 service dog organizations, including Freedom Service Dogs. The research team is tracking the veterans before they get their dogs and again at one-month, six-month, and 12-month check-ins, when both the veterans and the dogs will have their blood drawn. Researchers will work with SomaLogic, a Boulder biotech company, to explore the biological changes the veterans experience when interacting with dogs that are linked to symptom reduction. While Williams is not a part of this study, her experience reflects the kind of transformation researchers hope to better understand. “Montana doesn’t take away the anxiety or PTSD, but he helps me better myself in those situations,” she says. The goal is to identify new biomarkers that reflect how individuals respond to PTSD interventions, specifically by tracking protein changes that correlate with symptom reduction. These findings could also uncover potential new drug targets for treatment. “There is really only one class of drug that’s approved for PTSD, antidepressants like Zoloft,” Morris says. “Sometimes veterans are also prescribed sedatives, but neither approach treats the root of the problem.”

“ For me and Montana, we get the opportunity to use my veteran experience and his service dog experience to build awareness about the incredibleness of service dogs. ” Ashleigh Williams

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2025