One Health News

Experienced Texas A & M University (USA) One Health Professor Enhances a Dynamic One Health Program

Since 2015, Rosina (Tammi) C. Krecek, FRSSAf, BS, MS, PhD, MAP, MBA has been Research Professor of Global One Health and Interim Assistant Dean of One Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM), Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas (USA).  Dr. Krecek works within a dynamic, expanding One Health program under the auspices of an extraordinary CVM Dean, Dr. Eleanor M. Green [DVM, DACVIM, DABVP] http://vetmed.tamu.edu/about-us/dean.  One recent dramatic example of the visionary One Health TAMU activities was demonstrated with a Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service report entitled “The Growing Threat of Pandemics: Enhancing Domestic and International Biosecurity - March 2017” https://goo.gl/y9pXo6.  

Krecek has more than 30 years international experience at building sustainable One Health research, education and outreach programs in Africa, the Caribbean and the USA.  Her focus has been a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach for diagnosis and interventions to prevent and manage zoonotic parasitic and infectious diseases which impact resource-poor communities. She established a successful international agricultural consultancy in Sub-Saharan Africa, which addresses societal issues through novel One Health solutions. Two of her overall strengths are establishing international sustainable strategic partnerships, and leading teams to successfully achieve their goals.

In 2005, she was recruited as Associate Dean for Research, and Professor of Parasitology at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on St. Kitts to create a research program which was completely lacking.  Krecek established and led a credible and sustainable research program with a One Health focus endorsed by all global, international, national, regional, and island stakeholders (i.e., World Association for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), etc.) Under her research and administrative leadership Ross established a One Health research program with several “firsts”: a Memorandum of Understanding signed between St. Kitts-Nevis Ministries of Agriculture and Human Health and Ross, which strengthened partnerships across diverse disciplines; developed a strategic plan and attracted comprehensive institutional funding to build research and animal facilities, develop operating policies and attract research faculty to support the One Health approach; established the Ross graduate program which was awarded accreditation from the St. Kitts-Nevis Ministry of Education; and awarded funding for the Ross Merial Veterinary Scholars Program. In 2011, as a result of this 6-year strategic effort, Ross achieved accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE) and was awarded a full 7-year accreditation, becoming the first veterinary school in the Caribbean and the 5th foreign school to achieve this global benchmark.

Leading strategic partnerships and working critically in team efforts are proven strengths, as evidenced by the awarding of a 2015 U.S. Department of Homeland Security contract for a novel collaborative multidisciplinary training program. This “Bench to Shop” program (http://vetmed.tamu.edu/benchtoshop) develops an international curriculum for next generation scientists to take bench discoveries for high consequence transboundary diseases to commercialization.

Significant achievements during Krecek’s tenure as Interim Assistant Dean of One Health at Texas A&M held since 2015 have advanced the One Health initiative to the next level (http://onehealth.tamu.edu). This includes 3 recent grant awards for the establishment of new interdisciplinary programs (e.g., comparative genomics of agricultural, animal, human pests and microbes; porcine cysticercosis biosafety and biosecurity international training initiatives including 21 countries, etc.) with several awarded. A critical process has been to compile performance metrics for campus-wide One Health research, demonstrating positive outcomes in various research, education and outreach programs.

Krecek currently serves with distinction on the One Health Commission’s Board of Directors https://www.onehealthcommission.org/en/leadership__board_of_directors/.

Texas A & M University (TAMU) Physician and Infectious Disease Specialist Endorses One Health – (USA)

 Provided to One Health Initiative website December 26, 2014:

“We are committed to the One Health view at Texas A&M University where I, along with another physician, work in collaboration with a veterinarian to promote One Health solutions from problems ranging from Staphylococcal aureus infections in humans and companion animals to developing solutions for the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.  Please see my recent interview [entitled 'Collaboration: A One Health Approach to Ebola'] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAJJcg1a1c.”

Seth J. Sullivan, MD, MPH

http://www.sw.org/Dr-Seth-J-Sullivan

Clinical Assistant Professor College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center
Division of Infectious Disease and Internal Medicine
Baylor Scott and White Healthcare

College Station, Texas (USA)

(979)207-4490 office

(979)207-4582 fax

sjsullivan@sw.org

Dr. Sullivan is a listed One Health Initiative Supporter/advocate http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php (scroll down).

Note:  Please read more about the outstanding broad spectrum One Health program at TAMU at http://onehealth.tamu.edu/challenge and http://onehealth.tamu.edu/about/partners.  One Health has been significantly advanced at TAMU by their college of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences http://vetmed.tamu.edu/ under the visonary, collaborative leadership of Dean Eleanor M. Green [DVM, DACVIM, DABVP] http://vetmed.tamu.edu/dean.  Dr. Green is also a longstanding One Health Supporter/advocate http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php and was featured on the One Health Initiative website’s NEWS page on October 17 and November 11, 2014 http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/news.php?query=Texas+A+%26+M.

Texas A & M (College Station, Texas-USA) Dean Endorses One Health Initiative team activities

November 11, 2014

Dear One Health Autonomous Pro Bono Team,

It is an encouragement to see your teams' persistent effort in the promotion of the One Health message. Your relentless effort to garner support and solicit endorsements from leaders in health care for humans, animals and the environment is inspiring. 

We at Texas A&M System support the One Health Initiative with an endorsement that goes beyond words. As you know, we have been tirelessly at work to establish a One Health initiative of our own, started in 2011, by Dr. Thomas "Sam" Shomaker, former Dean of the College of Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, Dr. Bhanu Chowdhary, Associate Dean of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Suzanne Yandow, Clinical Professor and Physician of the College of Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center and myself, Dean of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. In concert with your effort, our vision is improved animal, human, and environmental health and well-being. We anticipate working together in any way possible to advance the One Health collaborative effort across disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the biological community of living organisms (humans, animals, plants, and microbes) comprising the ecosystem.

Eleanor M. Green, DVM, DACVIM, DABVP

Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine

Box 4461

College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

TexasA&M University

College Station, TX 77843-4461

979-845-5053 – work

979-676-0844 – cell

979-845-5088 – fax

egreen@cvm.tamu.edu

www.vetmed.tamu.edu

Dr. Green is a longstanding prominent One Health Supporter/Advocate http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php.

Ebola and Pets – Updated information from Dean Eleanor Green, College of Veterinary Medicine –Texas A & M University (USA)

Please see http://vetmed.tamu.edu/ebola-information

Provided October 17, 2014 by:

Megan Palsa, PhD

Executive Director of Communications, Media and Public Relations

Office of the Dean COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

 mpalsa@cvm.tamu.edu

4461 TAMU „ College  Station, TX  77843-4461Office Phone: 979.862-4216

One Health collaborative cancer research: Texas A & M College of Veterinary Medicine and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

..."Treating dogs with cancer provides us with a great comparative oncology model for humans," said Colleen O'Connor, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow at MD Anderson and one of the primary investigators on the study. "We learned important details about the interaction between chemotherapy and tumor cells that can be harnessed to improve the body's immune response. This is something we hadn't appreciated thus far from our clinical research in humans."...

http://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/texas-am-,-ut-md-anderson-team-up-to-treat-canine-lymphoma

Provided by:

Mike Chaddock, DVM, EML

Assistant Dean for One Health and Strategic Initiatives

College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Texas A&M University

Mchaddock@cvm.tamu.edu

Suite 101, VMA Building

4461 TAMU

College Station, TX 77843-4461

Tel. 979.845.5617

Fax. 979.845.5088

Dr. Chaddock is a notable One Health supporter/advocate http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php.