Animal Behavior Scientist, Zoologist, Wildlife Rehabber, Charity Director

Mel (Melinda Trueblood-Stimpson; they/them) is a scientist with over 16 years of experience with felines and numerous years of experience with other species. They consider felines, wildlife, exotics, and laboratory species to be their special area of interest. They attended The Ohio State University for bachelor’s degrees in Zoology and Wildlife Science & Conservation. Currently, they are working towards a master’s degree in Psychology and hope to pursue a joint MD/Ph.D. program. They have worked and volunteered in veterinary clinics, zoos, wildlife centers, laboratories, and other animal-oriented facilities. For veterinary medicine, they are very passionate about cooperative veterinary care and the importance of ethology education for vet med professionals.

Mel spends their free time with their spouse, 9 cats, and two aquariums full of freshwater fishes. For volunteer work, they participate in mental health advocacy, community organizing, public education, and wildlife rehabilitation. Currently, they direct the federally recognized, 501c3 non-profit called Adopt Ohio.

Their passion for decolonizing all scientific fields comes from their being a marginalized or non-dominant identity within our society. Mel grew up in an impoverished, rural, and traditionally nomadic Romani G*psy family. They are also Indigenous, Jewish, Queer, 2S, Disabled, Neurodivergent, and multilingual.

Professional Memberships:

Academic Highlights:

Animal Behavior Institute; Certified Animal Assisted Therapy Professional.
OSU Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology:
- Evolution; Ecology; Organism Diversity & Systematics; Conservation Biology; Ethology; Animal Communication; Mammalogy; Ornithology; Biology & Ecology of Fishes; Genetics; Plant Biology & Ecology; Herpetology.
OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources:
- Environmental Science; Environmental Law & Policy; Water & Soil Quality Management; Wildlife Identification & Management; Wetland Ecology; Stream Ecology; Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Management.
OSU Department of Entomology:
- General Entomology; Agricultural Entomology.

Leadership:

The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT); Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team volunteer & co-chair; 2021-2023
Adopt Ohio; Executive Director; 2017-present day
Equitas Health Institute; Community Research; 2022-present day.
My Dog Is My Home; Co-Sheltering Collaborative, Lived Experiences Team & Racial Justice Working Group member; 2022-present day.

Certificates & Continuing Education:

Certified Animal Assisted Therapy Professional
Pet Partners Therapy Animal Handler
Certified Euthanasia Technician
Fear Free Shelter Program Graduate
Registered Laboratory Animal Technician from 2017 to 2019; AALAS
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Practitioner
Train Your Cat! Course graduate; Karen Pryor Academy
Cat Behavior and Retention graduate; The Humane Society of the United States
Keys to Successful Animal Training; Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting
Normal Avian Behavior; Leslie Sinn, DVM, CPDT-KA
Impulse Control Course by Pet Harmony
Positive Reinforcement Based Nail Trimming; Lori Nanan; 2019
Managing Behavior Issues in Pet Birds; Valarie Tynes, DVM, Dipl. ACVB
Positive Reinforcement Training Approaches
Reinforcement and Reinforcers
Avian Positive Reinforcement Training
Feline Behavior Basics; Elanco
Reducing Stress in Companion Birds When Giving Medication; Heart of Feathers Education
Canine Separation Anxiety; Elanco
Stress Reduction & Enrichment for Shelter Cats; Kelley Bollen, MS, CABC
Feline Communication; Natasha Drain & Trish McMillan Loehr
Building Resilience in Dogs; Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB
Multi-dog Households; Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB
Increasing the Odds of a Successful Adoption, Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB
Defensive Dog Handling
Helping Shelter Dogs; Pet Professional Guild
Enrichment for Shelter Dogs; Kelley Bollen
Canine Body Language in the Shelter
Human Behavior & Dog Body Language; Heather Mohan-Gibbons and Trish McMillan Loehr
The science behind your cat and how to strengthen the human-cat bond
What Every Practitioner Should Know About Shelter Medicine
Behavior Consulting with Declawed Cats; Pet Professional Guild
Identifying and Managing Cat-Human Aggression; Pet Professional Guild
Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation; OWRA
Rabies Vector Species; OWRA
When Community Cats Need a New Address; Maddie’s Fund
Small Animal Toxins; Pet Poison Helpline
Pet Sitting Certification
EAGALA Pre-Training completed June 2020
Dr. Monica Cox; Stop Playing Diversity; completed 2022
The Dog Behavior Institute; Gender Identity & Inclusion; December 2022
Embodied in Color Conference (mental health); December 2022
KPA Clicker Expo; January 2023
Native Wellness Institute; Being Trauma & Healing Informed; March 2023
Hood Herbalism; Intro to Herbalism; Fall 2023
Soar Circles; Digital Gathering of Indigenous Entrepreneurs; September 2023
Equitas Transforming Care Annual Conference; October 2023
Urban Native Collective; Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence; October 2023

Independent Research Projects:

Birds of Prey Behavioral Study
Predator-Prey Interactions of Fishes
Cetacean Brain Evolution
Ecological & Behavioral Effects of Anthropogenic Light Pollution on Bats
Migrant Shorebird/Waterfowl Behavioral Study
Urban Soil Toxicology
Coral Reef Ecology and Reproduction
Lacewing Care & Rearing
Yellow Perch Reproduction & Recruitment (Advisor: Dr. Troy Farmer)
Effect of scent marks from anestrous and estrous females on use of space, nuzzling, and scent marking by male gray short-tailed opossums (Advisor: Dr. John Harder)
Jekhipe; Equity in Care for Romani Peoples (ongoing initiative)

Conference Presentations:

NASW, Michigan Chapter; Animal-Assisted Social Work Conference, 2020
CA Human Services; 20th Annual Autism Conference; lived experience panelist, 2022
My Dog Is My Home; Co-sheltering Conference; 2022
MCVMA RISE Annual Conference; 2022
World Roma Congress; Democratic Transition Team; 2023
Seed Savers Exchange Annual Conference; 2023