Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University

05/28/2026

M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) students shared the exciting externship projects they’ll be pursuing this summer. We can’t wait to hear how their work unfolds when they return to present at the MAPP Final Presentations on September 12—stay tuned!
Profiles of the MAPP students can be found here
https://vet.tufts.edu/masters-programs/ms-animals-and-public-policy/students-mapp-program

New England Aquarium Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MSPCA-Angell
FOUR PAWS Animal Rescue League of Boston Mahouts Elephant Foundation

05/20/2026

Some of the MS in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) graduates at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University’s 44th Commencement ceremony on Sunday. Congratulations to the graduates!




[📸's : Christine Curran, Jeff Poole, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine]

04/30/2026

— in case you missed it!
A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. David Kaplan to our Animal Matters Seminar for a talk on "Future Foods – How Cellular Agriculture and Other Emerging Technologies Reduce Industrialized Animal Farming for Food Production."

The future of food is about more than just what's on our plates — it's about tackling some of today's most urgent challenges: environmental sustainability, growing demand for protein, public health, animal welfare, food equity, and food security. Cellular agriculture, including cell-based and cultivated meat, represents one of the most promising biotechnology-driven approaches to addressing these challenges.

Dr. Kaplan is the Stern Family Endowed Professor of Engineering and Distinguished University Professor at Tufts University, and Director of the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, among many other honors.

He is pictured with Dr. Allen Rutberg, Director, Center for Animals and Public Policy, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

The recording is available — check it out! https://youtu.be/raeMTbRdvfI?si=4P9K7y79OeK0fOI7

04/28/2026

We love seeing the MAPP community stay connected long after graduation! 🐾
Recently, we were thrilled to welcome back Scott Lin (VG'24) and Yichen Bai (VG'24) for a visit, shortly after Miley Kim (VG'25) and Cara Kaminski (VG'25). And the networking doesn't stop at our doors — Scott Lin and Malaya Franden (VG'23) ran into each other this fall at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine orientation and made sure to capture the moment.
One thing this group all shares? A passion for veterinary medicine that they've carried forward from their MAPP degrees. Scott and Malaya are now at Arizona CVM, Cara is pursuing her veterinary degree right here at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, while both Yichen and Miley are in the exciting position of choosing between veterinary schools where they've already been accepted — with plans to start this fall. We couldn't be more proud!
To all our alumni: keep us posted on where life takes you — we're always cheering you on!

04/26/2026

What an exciting week! Dr. Allen Rutberg traveled to Spain for the 10th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control, held April 23–24 — and he wasn't the only one there with M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) ties.

MAPP '21 alum Tessa Archibald was also in attendance, representing her organization as Manager of The Homes for Horses Coalition, a project of the Animal Welfare Institute and American Wild Horse Conservation dedicated to advocacy for equines and supporting the equine rescue community. Always wonderful to cross paths with our alumni doing meaningful work in the field!

At the poster sessions, Dr. Rutberg presented "Wildlife Contraception and Wildlife Welfare: A History" that he co-authored with Dr. John Turner, Dept. of Physiology & Molecular Medicine Professor, University of Toledo. Kayla Grams, Senior Biologist at the Science and Conservation Center in Billings, MT, also presented her collaborative research with Dr. Rutberg: "Effects of PZP Immunocontraception and Gathers on Group Dynamics in Two Western Wild Horse (Equus Caballus) Populations (USA)."

Congratulations to Dr. Rutberg and Kayla on their presentations — and to Tessa for the important work she's doing for equine welfare!

04/07/2026

Good morning from the Grafton campus on April 7! As they say in New England, if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.

04/03/2026

Will Sunday hunting solve Massachusetts' deer problem? Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy’s director, Dr. Allen Rutberg says no — and he makes the case in a letter to the Boston Globe that was published yesterday.

With nearly 35 years of experience working with communities on suburban deer issues, Dr. Rutberg points out that states with more liberal hunting laws haven't succeeded in slowing deer population growth. The evidence just isn't there.

Read more about why he says that allowing hunting on Sunday won’t do the trick

03/05/2026

Have you noticed more deer in your neighborhood lately?

Across many suburban communities, deer populations have become problematic. That can be in the form of more car collisions, damaged gardens, and increased risk of tick-borne diseases.

Researchers at the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University are studying a humane solution: birth control for deer.

Wildlife biologist Dr. Allen Rutberg and Ph.D. student Kali Pereira, have been studying a contraceptive vaccine called PZP-22, delivered by dart to female deer. The vaccine can prevent pregnancy for several years, helping communities manage deer populations without lethal methods—especially in suburban areas where hunting may not be practical.

🔗 Read the full story in TuftsNow:
https://now.tufts.edu/2026/03/04/too-many-deer-your-area-birth-control-could-help

It might sound fanciful, but it works in suburban areas, according to an urban wildlife specialist at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

02/25/2026

“A lot of people think that kosher means that animals were treated significantly better than animals that enter the non-kosher market. And largely, this is just not true, because kosher is very much now a part of the same systems that produce 99% of the animal products that get into our grocery stores, and therefore could be categorized as factory farmed.”
- M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) alum, Rabbi Melissa Hoffman was recently interviewed on the Species Unite podcast. Melissa is now director of the Center for Jewish Food Ethics, an organization bringing ancient Jewish values about land, animals, and nourishment into the realities of today’s food system.
Hear more here:

Rabbi Melissa Hoffman is the director of the Center for Jewish Food Ethics , an organization bringing ancient Jewish values about land, animals, and nourishment into the realities of today’s food system. At the Center, Melissa works with synagogues, schools, summer camps, and community instituti

02/23/2026

With the number of deer collisions increasing in Massachusetts, several bills are being reviewed to update hunting laws. Updates under review include allowing hunting on Sundays, reducing crossbow hunting restrictions, and reducing the distance hunters must stay from homes.

Not long after “Multi-year Effectiveness of PZP-22 in Free-roaming Suburban White-tailed Deer,” was published in Human-Wildlife Interactions Journal, Dr. Allen Rutberg, Director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University was interviewed by Boston 25 News regarding the hunting bills.

“It’s not going to address the actual numbers of deer that are out there,” Dr. Rutberg shared in the interview.

His recently published research, co-authored by Kali M. Pereira of Humane World for Animals, MAPP alumna and current Cummings School Ph.D. student, demonstrates that an initial PZP-22 treatment followed by a single booster reduced fawning by over 80% for at least five years, offering a practical, nonlethal solution to human–deer conflicts in suburban communities.

Read more of the interview here: https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/deer-danger-massachusetts-hunts-solutions-population-problem-spots/4EWVPPIHPJA3POLYATP4DYVCXU/

Read more of the recent research publication here: https://doi.org/10.26077/xahk-7j19

[📸]: Jeff Poole, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University