Newswise — September 29, 2016— One Health is a multidisciplinary effort to improve human, animal, and environmental health by addressing disease challenges though local, national, and global collaborative efforts. Historically, the environmental component of One Health has been under-represented.

The “Environmental Quality: a One Health Perspective” symposium planned at the Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, will address this important topic. The symposium will be held Monday, November 7, 2016 at 1:30PM. The meeting is sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America.

Lisa Durso, USDA-ARS, will review conceptual and applied perspectives related to environmental quality and its links to environmental, animal, and human health.

Thomas DeSutter, North Dakota State University, will review historical and modern perspectives of One Health. “The health of humans and animals are closely linked with land use decisions and environmental consequences. For example, soil degradation (erosion, salinity) is firmly linked with the collapses of civilizations and the current starvation and malnutrition of millions of people. Although not widely discussed, environmental consequences from spills, pipeline installations, and economic development can decrease the mental health of farming families and environmental stewards.” He will discuss how soil science fits within the concepts of ‘One Health’ and ‘Ecohealth’ and will provide current examples of these linkages.

Other speakers include Ed Topp, Agri-Food Canada; Michael Fythe, USDA-ARS; and Mary Ann Bruns, Penn State.

For more information about the Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance 2016 meeting, visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/. Media are invited to attend the conference. Pre-registration by Oct. 26, 2016 is required. Visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/media for registration information. For information about the “Environmental Quality: a One Health Perspective” symposium, visit https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2016am/webprogram/Session15487.html.

To speak with one of the scientists, contact Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, [email protected] to arrange an interview.