October 31, 2016
Master of Public Health students to present field experiences for international One Health Day Nov. 3
The idea is simple. Animal health and environmental health intertwine with human health in ways that are not always well understood. To help raise public awareness on how these disciplines are connected, three students in the Master of Public Health program at Kansas State University will give a public presentation on their One Health field experiences as part of One Health Day at 5 p.m. Nov. 3 in N202 Mosier Hall.
Callie Paquette, Ottawa, will address "Tularemia in Kansas, 2012-2015." Diane Larson will speak on "Handwashing at the State Fair, 2016." Third-year veterinary student Sohaila Jafarian will discuss "Clean Water Interventions in Nicaragua, 2016."
One Health Day has been co-coordinated internationally by the One Health Commission, the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team and the One Health Platform Foundation. The goal is to promote the One Health approach to addressing complex health problems in as many countries as possible. The event at Kansas State University is just one of a dozen of activities and events being hosted internationally to give scientists, practitioners, educators and advocates a powerful, unified voice for moving beyond current provincial approaches to emerging infectious diseases, food safety and security, antimicrobial resistance, invasive species, environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity and many other problems.
"National and global events such as the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, Zika virus transmission, childhood obesity, and antibiotic resistance clearly indicate that challenges impacting human health are not confined to one locale or species," said Ellyn Mulcahy, director of the Master of Public Health program.
Mulcahy also is an associate professor in the diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
"Our students in the Master of Public Health program at K-State learn, through interdisciplinary coursework and field experiences, that public health issues must be addressed with transboundary and translational solutions, and that one health is embedded in all areas of public health."
In addition to the Master of Public Health program event in Manhattan, the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, BioKansas and K-State Olathe are partnering to host activities from 4-7 p.m. at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City.
Activities include Collaborate2Cure, networking at a BioBreak and then a keynote presentation by world-renowned Zika expert, Stephen Higgs, who is the director of Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute — a biosafety level-3 and biosafety level-3 ag facility that studies infectious diseases affecting the food supply. Higgs also is a faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine's diagnostic medicine and pathobiology department. His keynote address will broadcast in Manhattan after the student presentations. These events are free and open to the public.
Learn more about the One Health Day events in Manhattan online.