ONE HEALTH DAY - WEBINAR

by IVSA Standing Committee on One Health (SCOH)

SEAOHUN 2018: International Conference in Vietnam

One Health Day - WEBINAR

By: Leanne Jankelunas (Cornell University DVM '20, University of Minnesota MPH '20) Project Manager Team - Standing Committee on One Health 2018/2109

1. Why did you organize this webinar and what did you want to achieve from this webinar?

I organized the 2018 One Health Webinar Series with a goal to try to showcase the multitude of fields that relate to One Health as areas other than zoonotic diseases are not always adequately discussed during One Health conversations.

2. How is the process of arranging this webinar?

The process of arranging the webinar involved reaching out by email to professionals and being connected to other individuals through contacts from other members of the IVSA SCOH Committee. Each speaker was then asked to record a topic related to One Health which then was uploaded to the SCOH YouTube Channel.

3. Can you tell us about the Speakers and their topics? (Brief Explanation)

The speakers were from a variety of backgrounds and encompassed multiple interests including infectious diseases, food safety, conservation, environmental health, the impact of veterinary medicine on human health, the human-animal bond, and wellness issues related to veterinary medicine. The opening speaker was Dr. Steven Osofsky, a wildlife veterinarian, who has been involved in work on updating regulations on foot and mouth disease commerce restrictions. The second and third speakers were two veterinarians, Dr. Lea KNOPF from the Department of the Control of Neglected Tropical Disease WHO Headquarters, and Dr. Frederic Lohr from Mission Rabies. Dr. Lea KNOPF discussed the importance of veterinarians in working to control and eradicate rabies and Dr. Frederic Lohr discussed ways veterinarians globally are working to try to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030. The fourth speaker Dr. Martin Gilbert, a wildlife veterinarian, discussed the impact of veterinary procedures, like medication use, could have on environmental health and species conservation efforts, specifically of the Asian vulture populations. Two other speakers, Brandon Hess, CVPM, CCFP from VetSupport Consulting Services and the director of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Wellness Director, Makenzie Peterson, Msc, presented information on two wellness issues of importance including Compassion Fatigue and Imposter Syndrome and what veterinarians and veterinary students could do to maintain and improve mental health. Lastly, Dr. Karyn Havas, a public health veterinarian, discussed the role of veterinary medicine in improving global nutrition and economics and the greater role vets could have in global health.

4. How did you promote the webinar?

The webinar was advertised using social media platforms including the SCOH Facebook and Instagram pages in an attempt to allow participants to engage with the advertisements and share them with other virtual communities.

5. What is the significance of the webinar?

The significance of the second annual SCOH One Health Webinar Series is that it highlights the importance of the veterinary community recognizing that no matter the role each of us takes on throughout our careers, we all have a role to play in promoting One Health. It also showcases the need for interdisciplinary collaboration across different professions so that, together, we can address major One health issues.

6. Can you give us some closing statement or some quotes at the end of this section?

a. As stated by Dr. Havas, “[One Health is]… not just veterinarians. It ’s not just physicians, It ’s not just environmental scientists. It ’s multiple disciplines coming together to work on local, national, and global problems to obtain optimal health for not just people, but, [also,] animals and the environment.” As current and future ambassadors of One Health, it is our job to work with multiple disciplines to ta ke on the role of transforming world health for the better. This may be through being more conscientious with the choices of antimicrobials we prescribe to our patients, developing policies to ensure food safety, promoting environmental conservation, worki ng to protect human and animal health by eradicating zoonoses and educating the public about these diseases, or, simply, recognizing and working to reduce the potential negative impacts that serving as a health professional and animal caretaker can have on an individuals’ wellness. There are so many more ways we as the veterinary community are capable of impacting One Health, but, as a global profession, we must acknowledge and take on our duty to work towards the goal of creating a world with optimal health for all living creatures.