The University of Kentucky, The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenge team and Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment invite the UK campus community and local, state community stakeholders to the One Health Symposium 2024 event on Nov. 1.

Celebrating International One Health Day, the symposium is designed to inform and inspire attendees about One Health—a collaborative effort to improve the health of animals, people and the environment.

"We are thankful to The Bill Gatton Foundation and our leadership team for the shared commitment to improving lives by elevating the intersection of agriculture, health and the environment,” said Nancy Cox, Martin-Gatton CAFE dean. “This symposium will foster new partnerships and collaborations centered around one health.”

A dynamic speaker lineup will present a range of One Health topics, including opportunities for partnerships and collaboration. Following, there will be an interactive poster session and roundtable discussion.  

Keynote speakers include: 

• Jeff Bender - University of Minnesota, Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center director. Speaker topic: “One Health, One Vision: Creating Safer and Healthier Communities Through Collective Action.” 
• Greg Gray – University of Texas Medical Branch, Internal Medicine professor. Speaker topic: “A Practical One Health Strategy to Detect Pre-Pandemic Zoonotic Respiratory Virus Threats.” 
• Michael Ziccardi - UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, One Health Institute executive director. Speaker topic: “Overview of the Animal Disaster Landscape: Looking through a One Health Lens.” 

Additional presentations and speakers include: 

• Christine Casey - Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky wildlife veterinarian. Speaker topic: "Wildlife Health and One Health."
• William De Souza - UK College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics assistant professor. Speaker topic: "Viral Transmission Dynamics of Emerging Arboviruses in South America."
• Zach Devries - UK Martin-Gatton CAFE, Department of Entomology assistant professor. Speaker topic: "Protecting Public Health through Cockroach Control."
• Yosra Helmy – UK Martin-Gatton CAFE, Department of Veterinary Science assistant professor. Speaker topic: "Bridging the One Health Paradigm: Innovative Alternatives to Combat Antibiotic Resistance."
• Amelia Pinto - UK College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics assistant professor. Speaker topic: "What We Eat Can Have an Impact on the Viruses that Infect Us."
• Kathleen Winter - UK College of Public Health, assistant Professor; Kentucky State epidemiologist and director of epidemiology. Speaker topic: "Emerging Infectious Diseases and One Health: A Public Health Perspective."

The morning session starts at 8:30 a.m. ET and will be located at the Gluck Auditorium. Lunch, poster session and round table discussions will be at the E.S. Good Barn on campus. The event concludes at 3:30 p.m.

Event information, full agenda and registration can be found at ca.uky.edu/one-health-symposium. The registration deadline is Oct. 23.

The symposium serves as a foundation for launching the future UK One Health Center (UKOHC)—bringing together research, extension and instruction in One Health.

The UKOHC is part of the Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenges, selected projects that will significantly impact communities in Kentucky and beyond from the $100 million gift through The Bill Gatton Foundation in 2023.

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University of Kentucky alum and former trustee Carol Martin “Bill” Gatton bestowed a transformational $100 million gift to the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment through The Bill Gatton Foundation. It is the largest gift to the university in its history. 

Four Pillars of The Bill Gatton Foundation's Gift are scholarships and student success initiatives; Companion Animal Program; Capital Projects and New Initiatives Fund; and Faculty Research. 

The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenges aim to address pressing societal issues at the intersection of agriculture, health and the environment. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and researchers, the program focuses on tackling critical challenges through shorter-term investments of three to five years. 

Four projects have been selected as part of The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenges: University of Kentucky One Health Center; Synergizing Extension Health Partnerships: Planning for Impact; Developing a Structural Framework and Action Plan for a Climate Resiliency Hub; and Growing Graduates from the Ground Up: Developing The M-G CAFE Curriculum Innovation and Instructional Training Institute. 

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.