Spring Semester One Health Intellectual Exchange Group Begins
The One Health Intellectual Exchange Group (IEG) begins its 2012 program with the introductory topic, “What is ‘One Health’ All About,” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
Discussion leaders for the two-hour workshop are Dr. Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf of the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Chris Woods of the infectious disease section of the Duke University School of Medicine, and Dr. Vivian Doelling of Integrated Laboratory Systems.
Sponsored by the North Carolina One Health Collaborative, the IEG is a weekly public discussion series that was initiated in January of 2009 to enhance collaborations among physicians, veterinarians, researchers, and other health professionals by increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of people, animals, and the environment.
While One Health is not a new concept—the connection between human and animal disease was acknowledged at least as far back as the 19th century—the approach to public health has demanded increasingly interdisciplinary thinking as health officials around the world collaborate in combating new and emerging infectious diseases, some 75% of which originate in animals.
As a unit, the weekly discussion sessions also forms the basis of a unique graduate-level course entitled, “One Health: From Philosophy to Practice—the Integration of Human, Animal, and Environmental Health”, that is offered jointly by NC State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. The course expands the original IEG discussion function and allows graduate students from the three universities to interact with professionals, meet prospective mentors and gain elective course credits.
The graduate course consists of eight modules (two weekly discussion sessions per module) and, in addition to the introductory module, topics include Environment Health/ Ecology; Human and Companion Animal Bond; Zoonoses and Emerging Infectious Diseases; Food and Water Safety; Disease Surveillance, Informatics, and Disaster Preparedness; Benefits of Comparative Medicine and Regenerative Medicine; and One Health in Policy, Education.
The course has been popular and a number of surveyed students have said that it has changed their way of thinking. In addition to attendance and participation, students are charged with selecting, researching, and presenting case studies that address global One Health issues. These case studies have included responses to the restriction of DDT and malaria, the emergence of Ebola and issues of bushmeat consumption, E.coli in food such as spinach, the outbreak of Nipah virus in humans and pigs in Malaysia, clean water and sanitation issues along the Yangtze River in China, and Foot and Mouth Disease response in England. These case studies are being edited into an online compendium to be shared globally with other educational institutions.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is located at 15 T.W. Alexander Drive in Research Triangle Park. Driving directions. For more information on the series, call Liz Selisker at the NC State University Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research at 919.515.8113.
Posted Jan. 9, 2012