Via his 2015 charity, John Geller emphasizes the interconnectedness of public health. The Street Dog Coalition treats pets belonging to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. Geller is finishing her Executive Public Health Practice MPH after 20 years of emergency veterinary medicine practice. His involvement with the coalition is an example of his practical experience (APEx).
In Colorado, where Geller resides, the Street Dog Coalition started as a once-weekly pop-up clinic. Today, it has teams in almost 50 locations, each with volunteers who run street clinics. Everything is provided without charge. 4,350 animals received medical attention last year alone, and 3,000 pet owners also received assistance. Grants and significant collaborations, such as Merck Animal Health's, enable Geller to provide veterinary care for animals in ways that would not be feasible otherwise.
What Geller learns in his work is that delivering things like free rabies shots, heartworm medicine, and pet food is a means to create trust with the animals' owners, and the coalition grew from providing care to pets to providing care to people—care at both ends of the leash, Geller calls it.
Geller claims, "I really got drawn into the contradiction of owning dogs when you have no house. It's a good thing that individuals have close relationships with their dogs. In fact, because there is so much social dysfunction on the streets, pets are frequently the only family member or friend many have. Yet, they no longer have access to care because they have this pet. They cannot bring a pet into a shelter for the homeless and stay there. They are not permitted to enter a supermarket or a doctor's office.
Geller is utilizing his APEx experience to channel his extensive career knowledge in order to push communities all over the world to become safer, healthier, and more just places. The Street Dog Coalition is at the intersection where bigger public health crises—such as inequality, poverty, and access to care—arise.
According to Associate Dean of Education and Student Engagement Elizabeth Wattenberg, APEx is the "crown jewel" of the MPH program. Pupils are given the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real-world scenario. The pupils probably cherish it the most out of all the components of their education.
Geller just traveled to Ukraine with The Street Dog Coalition. The coalition subsidizes the airfare to send volunteer veterinarians to the battle zone to care for the numerous dogs and their owners who have been displaced or are in vulnerable living conditions. They have assisted more than 800 animals thus far.