Caroline Ritter joined the AWFC Board in 2020. She grew up in Germany where she completed her degree in veterinary medicine. Her passion for research led her to divert from the traditional path of a veterinarian and pursue a PhD at the University of Calgary, where she began investigating strategies for policy and practice that can aid with animal welfare issues. Here, she focused her attention on the people that make decisions on behalf of the animals. Specifically, her aim was to improve dairy farm management through a better understanding of how producers make decisions regarding animal health and welfare, and how they can be supported in this process.
After her PhD, Caroline joined the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia as a Banting postdoctoral fellow. While she continued focus on the social science behind animal owners’ decision-making, her work expanded to include considerations for how the influence of the public might affect the treatment of animals.
Caroline recently accepted a faculty position at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, where she looks forward to regular collaboration with the Animal Welfare Center, in between exploring the many isolated island beaches and learning how to sail.