Public-Private Partnerships for One Health

Regional leaders discuss opportunities to leverage promising animal and human health research and development in the areas of diagnostics, therapeutics and prevention.

Chair

Robert Duncan, vice chancellor for research, University of Missouri-Columbia

Speakers

Rebecca A. Johnson, Millsap professor of gerontological nursing, University of Missouri-Columbia Sinclair School of Nursing; director, Research Center for Human Animal Interaction, MU College of Veterinary Medicine

Given the large proportion of households that include pets, this is perhaps a most important time to consider human-companion animal interaction as a vehicle to facilitate One Health (human-animal health). The potential benefits of this interaction is worthy of exploration for a number of health problems, such as obesity. The presentation will describe a program of research aimed at testing dog walking as an intervention aimed at improving physical activity and health for humans and dogs. The implications for public private partnerships will be discussed.

Chris Fulcher, co-director, Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri-Columbia

The Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri-Columbia has a long history of integrating Internet accessibility with emerging technologies to assist underserved, under-resourced, and special needs communities, organizations and populations, and decision makers and researchers. Our center’s decision support framework requires ongoing monitoring and updating of existing datasets and scanning for additional datasets. These datasets, which include socio-economic, demographic, health, jurisdictional, political, environmental, and infrastructure data, serve as a distinctive foundation for addressing a myriad of public policy issues.

 

CARES capabilities enable data users to: (1) geographically visualize community, regional, and national-level data via the Internet; (2) integrate new spatial data and overlay these data to conduct location-specific analyses; and (3) generate maps, dynamic reports, and “what if” scenarios that utilize the integrated nature of these information systems. CARES utilizes a variety of hardware and software. We have 15 full time staff, including several trained and certified staff for hardware, software, database and operating system support as well as access to extensive campus resources in these areas.

Tom Sack, senior vice president and director of technical operations, Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City

Wayne Carter, vice president, clinical nutrition, Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Topeka, Kan.

Richard E. Donahue, chairman of the board, Shor-Line/Schroer Manufacturing Co., Kansas City, Kan.

Shor-Line has been a part of the animal health industry since the company's founding in 1927. In the early years, Shor-Line's involvement related mainly to large animal applications. Back then the local vet took care of your livestock, but your dog took care of itself. As the country became more urban and affluent, societal attitudes toward pets matured. What followed was a growing demand for advanced medical care for companion animals. This movement has manifested into the migration of various human treatments, technologies and "luxuries" into animal care. Cancer therapies, digital imaging and fully furnished suites for animal boarding are common in veterinary practices today. A developing area in which Shor-Line has become particularly interested is animal rehabilitation. Treadmills, therapeutic lasers and ultrasound are used today for these purposes. This area will be the focus of Donahue's remarks.