The One Health Committee, ‘One Health’ or ‘One Medicine’ proposes the unification of the medical and veterinary professions with the establishment of collaborative ventures in clinical care, surveillance and control of cross-species disease, education, and research into disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy and vaccination. The concept encompasses the human population, domestic animals and wildlife and the impact that environmental changes (‘environmental health’) such as global warming will have on these populations.
The current definition of One Health largely focuses upon the interactions between man, domestic production animals, wildlife and the environment. The small companion animals (principally dogs and cats, but also including exotic pets such as rodents, chickens, reptiles, fish, birds and domestic minipigs) are generally not considered within One Health initiatives.
Mission
To ensure the prominence of the small companion animal-human interface in the global One Health agenda.
Objectives
The OHC works on specific projects within the three areas of interest that are of benefit to the WSAVA membership or which enhance the profile of small companion animals in the global One Health arena.
WSAVA 2023 Domestic Violence Workshop Resources
Committee Resources
Activity Reports
Chair(s)
Dr Michael R Lappin
Members
Dr Casey Barton Behravesh
Casey Barton Behravesh, MS, DVM, DrPH, DACVPM, is the Director of CDC’s One Health Office in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and a Captain in the United States Public Health Service. She serves as the agency’s lead for implementing a multisectoral, One Health approach to public health that connects human, animal, and environmental health, enabling CDC and partners to address emerging zoonotic and infectious diseases and other shared health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. Dr. Barton Behravesh is experienced in bringing together human, animal, and environmental health officials at the local, state, federal, and global levels to bridge gaps related to emerging zoonotic and infectious diseases. During her extensive career at CDC, Dr. Barton Behravesh has done everything from investigating outbreaks in the field to conducting epidemiologic research related to the prevention and control of zoonotic, foodborne, and vector-borne diseases. She also serves as the head of the Collaborating Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Zoonotic Diseases for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). In her leadership role at CDC, she enjoys mentoring students and new staff to help them reach their career goals. She is a life long pet lover and has both furry and scaly pets in her home.
Dr. Barton Behravesh has a Master of Science degree in Veterinary Parasitology from Texas A&M University. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. She also trained as CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including CDC’s James H. Steele Award for outstanding work on veterinary public health and One Health issues.
Dr Sarah Cleaveland
Professor of Comparative Epidemiology (Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine).
Associate Academic (School of Veterinary Medicine).
Website: View bio on website
Prof Colin Burrows
Professor Colin F Burrows BVetMed, PhD, HonFRCVS, DipACVIM is an Emeritus Professor of medicine and Chair of the department of small animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. A graduate of the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, he received a PhD in comparative medical sciences from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980 and joined the faculty at the University of Florida in that same year. He is the recipient of numerous international veterinary awards, including two from the WSAVA. He is also a founder past president and former CEO of the North American Veterinary Community and editor in chief of the Global digital edition of Clinician’s Brief.
Professor Burrows is passionate about education for veterinary students and for veterinary practitioners, particularly those in developing countries. He has delivered continuing education presentations in more than 50 countries and is an honorary member of the British, Austrian and Russian Small Animal Veterinary Associations. He is also the recent recipient of a grant from the Rotary Foundation to support the work of Mission Rabies in India. He also serves on the Board of Mission Rabies USA.
Professor Burrows joined the WSAVA’s Executive Board in 2011 and served as President from 2013-2016.
Dr Devon Dublin
Dr. Dublin is currently a special appointed research fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo, Japan.
He graduated as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics from the Agrarian University of Havana, Cuba in 2007 and thereafter attended Hokkaido University where he obtained a Masters in Marine Life Sciences from the Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences in March 2012 followed by a PhD in Environmental Science Development in March 2015. He served as the 2019 President of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association (WAVMA) and was among the first group of WAVMA Certified Aquatic Veterinary Medical practitioners in 2013. Dr. Dublin has served as WAVMA’s representative to WSAVA since its acceptance as a member. His work experience includes the Government of Guyana (Ministry of Agriculture), Government of Japan (Japan International Cooperation Agency), academia (Hokkaido University of Education), and international organizations (Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund). He has been involved in the management of international developmental projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Dr. Dublin’s research and publications are multidisciplinary in nature covering topics of Resilience, Sustainability, One Health, Socioecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS), and Human-Nature Interaction. He is also a member of The Society of Ethnobiology, The International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE), The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science (JSFS), The Fish Veterinary Society (FVS), and The Guyana Veterinary Association (GVA).Dr Roschong Boonyarittichaikij
Roschong completed her undergraduate studies at Chiangmai University in 2004, where she earned her bachelor's degree. Following her graduation, she embarked on a career as a lecturer within the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Mahidol University in Thailand, specializing in the fields of zoo, wildlife, and exotic pet medicine.
Her academic journey led her to pursue a Master of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Subsequently, she earned her doctoral degree from Ghent University, Belgium for her research on the impact of habitat fragmentation and microbial pressure on the reproductive success of great and blue tits. Roschong's primary areas of interest and expertise encompass exotic pet and wildlife medicine, alongside her commitment to the 'One Health' approach, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.Dr Carla de Freitas Campos
Carla de Freitas Campos is a Public Health Technologist at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), in Brazil. She is the deputy director of Institute of Science and Technology in Biomodels (ICTB) at Fiocruz, where she coordinates the institutional One Health Translational Research Program, a project regarding the health of sea turtles affected by the anthropic activities and a program founded by her dedicated to small animals in vulnerable conditions. She graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), received her PhD degree in veterinary surgery from São Paulo State University (UNESP) and worked as a veterinary ophthalmologist from 1999 to 2011.
Carla’s main interests include the health of animals in highly anthopized areas, especially those in vulnerable conditions and considering the interdependence between the health of animals, humans and the environment.Dr Edward Breitschwerdt
Affiliate Member
Dr. Edward B. Breitschwerdt is a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also an adjunct professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Dr. Breitschwerdt directs the Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory in the Comparative Medicine Institute at North Carolina State University. He also co-directs the Vector Borne Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory and is the director of the NCSU-CVM Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory.
A graduate of the University of Georgia, Breitschwerdt completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Missouri between 1974 and 1977. He has served as president of the Specialty of Internal Medicine and as chairperson of the ACVIM Board of Regents. He is a former associate editor for the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and was a founding member of the ACVIM Foundation.
Breitschwerdt’s clinical interests include infectious diseases, immunology, and nephrology. For over 30 years, his research has emphasized vector-transmitted, intracellular pathogens. Most recently, his research group has contributed to cutting-edge research in the areas of animal and human bartonellosis. In addition to authoring numerous book chapters and proceedings, Dr. Breitschwerdt’s research group has published more than 450 manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In 2012, he received the North Carolina State University Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award and in 2013, he received the Holladay Medal, the highest award bestowed on a faculty member at North Carolina State University. In 2017, Dr. Breitschwerdt received the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Outstanding Research Award and the American Canine Health Foundation Excellence in Research Award. In 2018, he was named the Melanie S. Steele Distinguished Professor of Medicine at North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr Gaetano Oliva
Affiliate Member
DR GAETANO OLIVA – Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Dr. Gaetano Oliva is a full professor of Small Animal Veterinary Internal Medicine at University of Naples Federico II, Italy, since the year 2001. Since 1st January 2016 he is the Dean of Veterinary Faculty - University of Naples Federico II - Italy.
After graduation as DVM, he became specialist in Food and Hygiene, before to be dedicated during the whole University career to small animals internal medicine, mainly focusing on canine leishmaniasis (CanL). He contributed to leishmaniosis research first studying the clinical aspects of the disease and the application of new treatments. He was one of the co-Authors of the first papers on the use of Liposomed Amph-B (AmBisome), Paromomycin and Miltefosine in dog. In recent years the main research activity on CanL was dedicated to field trials on vaccines against CanL. He contributed to the launch of the first a CanL vaccine in Europe. Recently he dedicated his activity to new epidemiological study in confined area, particularly in small islands of Mediterranean bacin, for the possible application of large-scale preventative tools.
He is also founding member of LeishVet association (www.leishvet.org) and active in writing guidelines on the management of canine leishmaniosis to veterinary clinicians and regulatory officers worldwide. He has many active collaborations with the two national OIE reference center for leishmaniasis (Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Rome, Italy); National Reference Centre for leishmaniasis – CRENAL- Palermo). His experience as dean of one of the most ancient Veterinary Faculty of Europe (year of foundation: 1798) allows him to have a global and specific vision of the veterinary activities.
Dr Oscar Umana
Executive Board Liaison