CENTRAL POINT, OR – On October 21st during Dogs for Better Lives’ (DBL) quarterly meeting the National Board of Directors unanimously approved two new members, Dr. Erinn Rhodes and Dr. Catharina Armstrong, both from Massachusetts.
With these appointments, DBL’s national board moves to 21 voting members. Outside of five directors from across Oregon, the board includes members residing in nine other states across the country, including California (3), District of Columbia, Massachusetts (3), North Carolina (2), New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington (3).
Dr. Erinn Rhodes
“The board of directors are pleased to welcome Dr. Erinn Rhodes and Dr. Catharina Armstrong onto DBL’s National Board,” stated Board Chairman Tom Dobry. “With their expertise in healthcare research and internal medicine respectively, they will quickly help to augment DBL’s national board and its diversifying presence across the northeast region.
With Massachusetts’ Doug Hexter’s recent departure, this now brings the national board’s representation to three in the state, including attorney Emily Nelson.
“As DBL further advances its national presence, Dr. Erinn and Dr. Catharina will quickly help DBL to further solidify its board presence in the New England region,” stated CEO Bryan Williams. “From regional networking, advocacy, and committee participation, they will play a crucial role in helping to further advance DBL as a national leader in the Assistance Dog world.”
Dr. Erinn Rhodes
Dr. Erinn Rhodes is currently the Director of Endocrinology Healthcare Research, Quality, and Safety in the Endocrine Division at Boston Children’s Hospital. She grew up in New York City but has lived in the Boston area for almost 30 years. She has an undergraduate degree from Harvard in biological anthropology and obtained her medical degree at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Rhodes and her Dachshunds.
Trained as a pediatric endocrinologist and health services researcher, Dr. Rhodes’ primary focus has been on improving quality of care and health promotion through enhancements in health communication and patient/family-centered interventions, especially for youth with diabetes and obesity. To support her work, she also has a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and, more recently, returned to school for a Master of Science degree in library and information science from Simmons University.
Dogs have been an important part of family life in the Rhodes household. Dr. Rhodes and her husband got their first dog shortly after they got married, and there have since been a total of seven dogs. Currently, there are four dogs in the Rhodes pack including Beatrice, Jackson, Colby, and Olive. Most of the dogs have been from animal shelters and rescues, and this has been an important and meaningful part of the experience. Dr. Rhodes was inspired by the work of Dogs for Better Lives to provide critical support to people in need and also tap into the strengths of shelter dogs to provide these services.
“The Dogs for Better Lives mission of helping and enhancing people’s lives while also having a strong commitment to the welfare of dogs, including shelter dogs, resonates deeply with me,” stated Dr. Rhodes. “Having committed my professional life to being a physician and sharing much of my personal life with many rescue dogs, I am excited to join the Board of Directors of Dogs for Better Lives and share some of the time and skills that I have now to helping DBL advance its mission and goals.”
Dr. Catharina Armstrong
Dr. Catharina Armstrong
Catharina Armstrong, MD MPH is Associate Director of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Substance Use Services. Dr. Armstrong graduated from University College Dublin School of Medicine. She completed Internal Medicine residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
After fellowship Dr. Armstrong was awarded a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard Medical School. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Addiction Medicine and is an Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Armstrong has worked for more than 15 years in men’s and women’s prisons as a medical director and as an ID / HIV and Addictions medicine consultant. She is a member of the Continuing Medical Education (CME) board for American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Her clinical and research interests are in prevention and management strategies to engage and support high risk groups with substance use disorders and infectious diseases, particularly those co-infected with Hepatitis B and C and HIV.
Dr. Armstrong and her dog Claire at the beach.
Dr. Armstrong is on staff as a lecturer at MIT, serves as the medical director for Windsor Mountain International Camp, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Boston Bulldogs, a non-profit wellness and running club established to provide an anonymous and safe community of support for all those adversely affected by addiction.
Further, Dr. Armstrong currently serves as the chair of Natick 180, a nonprofit organization that supports individuals and communities struggling with mental health and addiction issues. She is also on the board of directors for Wellstrong which supports those affected my addiction through wellness.
“ I believe that we can bring about beautiful, compassioned, supportive care when we foster and develop the strength and intelligence of our dogs in pairing them with people that need them most,” stated Dr. Armstrong.
To learn more about DBL’s National Board of Directors and/or with inquiries in joining the board, visit… https://bit.ly/2BrQZfU. You can also visit DBL’s profile on cariclub and Boardlead to learn more.
