Promoting "One Health" for the Benefit of All - A New Dynamic

Our “One Health” philosophy accepts the inextricable connection between human and animal health and the need to safeguard both. Put into practice, the “One Health” approach fosters collaborations and the free flow of information among multiple, interrelated fields: medicine, public health, the environment, and agriculture.

In short, “One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working – locally, nationally, and globally – to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment.” ( One Health: A New Imperative, from the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2008).

Serving on a task force to create the AVMA's One Health report, the AAVMC played an instrumental role in the One Health Commission, which calls for integrated solutions and collaborative leadership among the health disciplines.

As stated in the report, over the last three decades, approximately 60 percent of the 1,461 diseases recognized in humans are due to mult-ihost pathogens characterized by their movement across species lines. And 75 percent of new, emerging human infectious diseases have been zoonotic, meaning that they can be transmitted from animals to people.

HIV-AIDS, West Nile Virus, and SARS are all examples of zoonotic diseases, making a One Health approach to finding solutions more important than ever.

Within the scope of One Health, the AAVMC’s efforts include supporting:

•    Animal agriculture and animal sciences
•    Basic and translational research
•    Diagnosis, surveillance, control, response, and recovery directed at natural or intentional threats that are chemical, toxicological, or radiological in nature
•    Biomedical research
•    Comparative medicine
•    Microbiology education
•    Public health and public policy
•    Environmental health and preservation
•    Public awareness and public education
•    Microbiology education

Related to our “One Health” commitment, we work to disseminate knowledge about the critical need to educate veterinarians who can work in areas that currently face a shortage, such as biomedical research, food safety, and public health.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Enhanced Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) Begins Accepting Applications on June 5