Activity Description
The purpose of the One Health Summit is to raise awareness of the importance of enhanced integration of human health, animal health, and ecohealth sciences. The One Health Summit will set the stage for the work of the One Health Commission, which has been established to provide leadership in the field of One Health. The one-half day Summit will bring together approximately 200 individuals with varied global One Health expertise and initiatives. By bringing together policy makers and leaders from the private, public, and academic sectors in this critical but fragmented field, the One Health Commission hopes to foster communication and collaboration among the participants to more effectively and efficiently develop, implement, and disseminate the outputs of One Health projects.
The One Health Summit is planned as a forerunner to an Institute of Medicine study on One Health. The One Health Commission is playing the role of catalyst to launch this research study on global One Health. The results of the study, to be conducted by the IOM, will be used to develop a strategic roadmap for public and private policies and initiatives that will, in turn, be instrumental in shaping the implementation of the One Health vision, both domestically and internationally.
The One Health Commission is a call to action for collaboration and cooperation among health science professions, academic institutions, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and industries towards improved assessment, treatment, and prevention of cross-species disease transmission and mutually prevalent, but non-transmitted, human and animal diseases and medical conditions. A changing environment populated by interconnected animal and human contact creates significant challenges. These challenges require integrated solutions and call for collaborative leadership."