Research Forum 2026 Agenda

Here are the planned sessions for ASPCA Research Forum 2026. Find full presenter bios below the schedule.

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM EDT

Welcome to Research Forum
Dr. Bailey Eagan, Senior Director, Research & Data Science

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

Undersocialized Kittens Can Succeed: Post-Adoption Outcomes and Practical Tools for Shelter Socialization
Presenter: Jacklyn Ellis, Director, Behavior, Toronto Humane Society

Undersocialized kittens are often considered adoption candidates only if they enter care before a designated age threshold, yet little empirical evidence exists supporting this decision. Recent research from Toronto Humane Society found that undersocialized kittens experienced positive post-adoption outcomes and high adopter satisfaction regardless of whether they entered care before or after 12 weeks of age. Although undersocial kittens remained more fearful of strangers than control kittens, there was no evidence that undersocial kittens were less successful in forming positive relationships with their caregivers. 

One possible contributor to these findings is the structured socialization program used while kittens awaited adoption. Using methodical desensitization and counterconditioning, trained volunteers work step by step toward a simple but meaningful goal: helping each kitten feel comfortable being touched and eventually enjoy petting. A highlight of the program is the use of simple, standardized behavioural rating scales that support consistent monitoring of welfare and behavioural progress. These tools help shelter teams assess response to interventions and adapt care plans when progress is not occurring as expected.

1:05 PM – 1:50 PM EDT

Is 15 Minutes Enough? Quantifying the Time Needed for Daily Tasks in Animal Shelters
Presenter: Allison Andrukonis, Assistant Professor of Companion and Working Animal Biology, University of Wisconsin

The amount of time required to provide daily care for animals is an important factor in determining the number of animals an animal shelter can effectively care for. However, very little is known about the specific animal care tasks conducted daily and the time required to complete them. This presentation will discuss the animal care tasks that animal shelters across the United States report performing each day and share preliminary findings on the time required to complete these tasks. We will also examine the relationship between employees’ perceptions of having sufficient time to complete their work and their intentions to leave their positions. 

1:55 PM – 2:40 PM EDT

Insights into Shelter Dog Outcomes Using Behavioral and Biological Stress Markers
Presenter: Dr. Lauren Powell, Assistant Professor of Animal Welfare and Behavior, University of Pennsylvania

2:55 PM – 3:40 PM EDT

Data Collection in Shelters
Presenters: Samantha Hill, Director, Data Strategy and Partnerships, Shelter Animals Count, a program of the ASPCA; Jessica Reed, Director Maddie's Shelter & Community Medicine Program, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Shelter data are more than operational records. They can help organizations understand animal needs, assess programs, direct limited resources, communicate with communities, and recognize the people doing the work. This session presents findings from a national descriptive study of data practices among 258 shelters and examines both the progress the field has made and the obstacles that continue to limit effective data use.

Presenters will discuss the gap between recording information and using it to set goals, improve programs, guide budgets, strengthen partnerships, and communicate impact. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for building consistent data practices, identifying a manageable set of meaningful measures, and sharing results in ways that support decision-making, transparency, and recognition of staff and volunteer contributions.

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

Kennel Viewing and Length of Stay
Presenter: Dr. Michael Mavrovouniotis, Volunteer Data Scientist, Social Compassion in Legislation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Orange County Animal Care used an appointment-based adoption system that restricted visitor access to dog kennels. It gradually restored kennel viewing in 2023-2025. This re-opening created a natural experiment. 

Viewing access is a form of marketing. What if such opportunities need to be rationed? A mathematical model shows that, by default, the slower-to-adopt categories should get priority for marketing. Without a researcher doing a custom study, how would a shelter know that some program or policy is affecting adoption rates and length of stay (LOS)?  And how could it pin it down by magnitude and sub-population?

Some shelters find LOS too hard to compute. But even in shelters that compute LOS, the traditional calculations are misleading.  They count only animals that leave but ignore long residents remaining in care.  The traditional calculation hides problems as they build up, then makes things look worse when shelters try to solve them.

There are statistical methods that solve this problem.  We put them together into the mLOS tool that runs on simple exports of shelter data and produce a thorough view of LOS.  A simple run of this tool on Orange County data shows that kennel viewing reduced LOS.  

Unlike traditional calculations, this tool correctly factors out unrelated events that would muddle the picture.  

4:35 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Closing Remarks