University of Saskatchewan health science student workshop to foster future One Health leaders

"During the next three days, our main goal is to help U of S students in all disciplines of health sciences recognize the critical linkages between human, animal and environmental health — a key aspect of One Health," said Douglas Freeman, chair of the U of S Council of Health Science Deans (CHSD) and dean of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).
Initiated by the WCVM and supported by Pfizer Animal Health, the workshop will help students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nutrition, kinesiology, public health, physical therapy, nursing and veterinary medicine learn that the core of being a successful health practitioner involves applying One Health.
"If we can help students understand the importance of One Health and the value of cross-disciplinary co-operation early on in their academic careers, then it will become natural for them to work together as professionals and to develop into future leaders in their professions," said Freeman.
During the weekend, five high-profile speakers from Canada and the United States will share insights with students and facilitate group discussions with assistance from U of S leaders in One Health.
Guest speakers include Brian Evans, chief food safety officer and chief veterinary officer for Canada; Mark Raizenne, director general of the Public Health Agency of Canada's Centre for Food-borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Lonnie King, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and executive dean of health sciences at Ohio State University; and Andrew Maccabe, executive director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.
Former U.S. Army Captain Luis Carlos Montalván, an Iraq war veteran, writer and disabilities advocate, will also participate in the workshop with his service dog named Tuesday — the subject of his bestselling book, Until Tuesday. Montalván will discuss the increasingly sophisticated relationships that are possible between humans and animals from a therapeutic and medicinal perspective.
The workshop is the ideal fit for the U of S where One Health is a signature research area and the focus of one of its largest capital projects. The U of S is the only university in Canada with a full range of health science colleges and schools on one campus.
One Health is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for people, animals and the environment. Potential outcomes include improved patient health and safety, a more co-ordinated, proactive response to infectious disease and health crises, and greater savings in the health care system.
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For more information, contact:
Myrna MacDonald, Communications
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
(306) 291-9950
myrna.macdonald@usask.ca