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One Health Initiative will unite human and veterinary medicine

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History of the One Health Initiative team and website (April 2006 through September 2015) and the One Health Initiative website since October 1, 2008 ... revised to date June 2020

Note: There have been many inquiries requesting an accurate historical account of the “One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team” and the One Health Initiative website...

Revised by current One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team: Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP ▪ Bruce Kaplan, DVM ▪ Thomas P. Monath, MD ▪ Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH ▪ Thomas M. Yuill, PhD ▪ Helena J. Chapman, MD, MPH, PhD ▪ Craig N. Carter, DVM, PhD, Becky Barrentine, MBA

During transition to an updated website on May 20, 2020, many links became inactive or inoperable.  This revised version attempts to correct, update and re-activate affected URL links.

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History of the One Health Initiative team (April 2006 through September 2015) and the One Health Initiative website since October 1, 2008

In April 2006, Dr. Laura H. Kahn [MD, MPH, MPP] published the CDC article, ‘Confronting Zoonoses, Linking Human and Veterinary Medicine’ https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/4/05-0956_article  which prompted Dr. Bruce Kaplan [DVM] to contact her.  Together they started the One Health Initiative team, and Dr. Thomas P. Monath joined them in March of 2007 to establish the OHI triumvirate.

First Posted on One Health Initiative website September 25, 2015: http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Draft%205%20NEWS%20OHI%20ONE%20HEALTH.pdf [https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/news.php?query=History+of+the+One+Health+Initiative+team+%28April+2006+through+September+2015%29+and+the+One+Health+Initiative+website+since+October+1%2C+2008+] via https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/news.php?query=History+of+the+One+Health+Initiative+team+%28April+2006+through+September+2015%29+and+the+One+Health+Initiative+website+since+October+1%2C+2008+

Two separate historical interviews with One Health Initiative team members were published in the International Innovations magazine (Bristol, United Kingdom): http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One_Health_Brochure_H_Res.pdf and June 2011 http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One_Health_EF_03.pdf.  Subsequently a more comprehensive documented historical description was published in 2013 entitled “One Health Initiative Advances Care for Humans, Animals and the Environment” http://www.solutions-site.org/node/875.   Below is a concise updated version as of September 24, 2015:

The One Health Concept is generally defined as a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. The synergism achieved will advance health care for the 21st century and beyond by accelerating biomedical research discoveries, enhancing public health efficacy, expeditiously expanding the scientific knowledge base, and improving medical education and clinical care. When properly implemented, it will help protect and save untold millions of lives in our present and future generations.  One Health has been the most commonly used term for the concept in the early 21 century.  This evolved from the term One Medicine used during the latter half of the 20th century, first coined and promoted by veterinarian Calvin W. Schwabe DVM, MPH, ScD https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Who%20coined%20the%20term%20One%20Medicine%20by%20B%20%20Kaplan%20and%20C%20%20Scott%20May19%202011-CS.pdf; One Health...or Some Health Veterinaria Italiana, Volume 47 (2) April-June 2011 http://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2011/47_2/129.pdf.

The One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team (OHI) was co-founded originally by physician Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP View bio, veterinarian Bruce Kaplan, DVM View bio (April 2006), and physician Thomas P. Monath, MD View bio (March 2007) in 2006-2007 for the sole purpose of promoting the One Health concept nationally and internationally. The OHI team was expanded to include health research scientist Jack Woodall, PhD Read more about Jack Woodall in February 2009 and public health veterinarian Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH View bio in January 2012.  Drs. Kahn, Kaplan and Monath [One Health Initiative website owner and his “brainchild”] initiated the OHI website www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/October 1, 2008.  Dr. Kaplan is the primary OHI website contents manager/editor and Dr. Woodall, a co-founder of ProMED mail www.promedmail.org, is the contents manager of the OHI website’s popular ProMED Outbreak Reports page https://onehealthinitiative.com/promed-publications/.

The OHI team’s purpose and goals are solely for educating international multidisciplinary scientific communities, political and governmental leaders, the general public, and news media about the One Health concept and helping to promote the One Health concept’s expeditious implementation worldwide.  This has been done via numerous national and international publications, e.g.   http://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2007/43_1/5_19.pdfhttp://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(07)01082-0/pdf; https://onehealthinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/RECIPROCAL-LINK-October-26-2015.pdfhttp://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/pdf/1756-3305-2-36.pdfhttp://www.alnmag.com/article/case-one-health-paradigm-shifthttp://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2009/45_3/377.htmhttp://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2009/45_1/45_1.htmhttp://ilarjournal.oxfordjournals.org/content/51/3/193.full.pdf+html... and book chapters https://onehealthinitiative.com/animal-diseases-humans/ as well as through the OHI website’s posting various One Health written contributions over the years, all of which have been documented on the OHI website.

The June 2007 landmark American Medical Association (AMA) One Health resolution http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/AMA%20Resolution%20530%20a-07%20'One%20Health'%20Final%206%2025%2007.pdf was primarily drafted by Dr. Kahn at the bequest of the late AMA President and great One Health advocate Ronald Davis, MD; Drs. Monath and Kaplan assisted.  An established Honorary Advisory Board http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/advBoard.php, since December 1, 2010, consists of notable One Health VIPs from within the U.S., Canada and worldwide.

The OHI team has individually accepted national and international public speaker engagements, e.g. the milestone World Veterinary Association/World Medical Association One Health Conference http://www.worldvet.org/uploads/docs/gcoh_-_program_and_presentations.pdfhttp://www.worldvet.org/uploads/docs/1_kahn_wvawmaglobalohconf5_21_2015v2.pdf;  http://www.worldvet.org/uploads/docs/2_conti.pdf [Drs. Kahn and Conti were keynote speakers at the May 2015 meeting in Spain.  They have been and continue being highly sought after knowledgeable One Health speakers in other forums].  The OHI team has also helped provide other prominent One Health speakers for various One Health meetings upon request(s) over the years.

The OHI team works collaboratively with many prominent One Health national and international organizations like the American Association of Public Health Physicians http://www.aaphp.org/onehealth; the U.S. One Health Commission (OHC) OHC and OHI letter to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)/ —notably, Dr. Monath served on the AVMA One Health Task Force in 2008- https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/onehealth_final.pdf , the precursor to the OHC and thereafter represented the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH) on the early commission activities—; One Health Sweden https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/news.php?query=One+Health+Sweden+steering+committee+visit+to+Florida+%28USA%29+December+2013+ [indeed the OHI team, working collaboratively with One Health Sweden physician and veterinarian representatives at a meeting in Sarasota, Florida, December 2013, helped develop the widely accepted and internationally recognized One Health umbrella graphic https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/OneHealth2]; and the nascent One Health Platform http://onehealthplatform.com/engine/.  The OHI team currently participates in and/or recognizes all known reputable international One Health Journal endeavors https://onehealthinitiative.com/one-health-journals-open-access/.

In addition, since its inception, the OHI team/OHI website has worked closely with the One Health Newsletter, a widely read online One Health product of the University of Florida (Emerging Pathogens Institute-USA)—formerly produced by the Florida State Department of Health (USA), see [current Kanas State University June2020] https://onehealthinitiative.com/newsletter/.

The policy of the One Health Initiative team has always been to provide and continues to provide free access for reading and submitting acceptable One Health News, Publications, and Upcoming Events items for posting on the OHI website.  All reputable One Health organizations, and individuals in the U.S. and worldwide are recognized and welcomed as supporters/advocates https://onehealthinitiative.com/our-supporters/ without discrimination. The OHI team works pro bono and requires/accepts no fees whatsoever from any and all One Health supporter/advocate organizations and individuals who wish to participate.

Over the last few years the OHI team website’s monthly individual visits are roughly estimated to be about 20,000 [current estimates June2020 far exceed by several thousand – see Google rb.gy/fswu1p when One Health Initiative typed in] from over 150 countries.  The OHI team’s current June2020 email distribution list https://onehealthinitiative.com/contact/ The internationally expanding autonomous pro bono Kahn-Kaplan-Monath-Woodall-Conti One Health Initiative website team’s e-mail distribution list now totals 1259 with individuals in 76 countries including: United States, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lithuania, Malasia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The current June2020 “One Health” Supporter List totals 979. Any allied health scientist, physician, osteopathic physician, veterinarian or interested individual citizen may be added to one and/or both lists by contacting us at kkm@onehealthinitiative.com c/o Contents Manager. Please include your curriculum vitae or brief biography, title, degree(s), affiliation, and address consistent with those currently acknowledged as “One Health/One Medicine” supporters. There are no obligations attached to joining this group and you may have your name removed at any time upon request.   A June 2020 OHI Supporters page  https://onehealthinitiative.com/our-supporters/lists some prominent U.S. and international individual and organizational One Health Endorsements (multidisciplinary) to date.

The OHI website has been referred to internationally by many as the clearing house for all pertinent One Health information worldwide and recently some prominent One Health advocates have called it the New York Times of One Health. The OHI website is now known to have had at least 118 reciprocal links https://onehealthinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/RECIPROCAL-LINK-October-26-2015.pdf, like CEEZAD http://www.ceezad.org/resources/links.html and others, from within the U.S. and internationally.  Most significantly, there is further evidence regarding the national and international One Health informational website status: among the recognized high profile search engines, the top three, i.e., Google, Bing and Yahoo list the One Health Initiative website www.onehealthinitiative.com first or among the first when either “One Health Initiative” or “One Health” are typed in.

Nonetheless, there are numerous other informative One Health oriented national and international websites from U.S. Government agencies e.g. the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/;  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/SA_One_Health; U.S. and worldwide university institutions, e.g. University of Pennsylvania http://www.vet.upenn.edu/about/what-we-do, Kansas State University https://www.k-state.edu/cecd/partnerships/onehealth.html, The University of Washington https://deohs.washington.edu/cohr/, the One Health Commission (OHC) https://www.onehealthcommission.org, a U.S. based incorporated organization, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/one-health, and many others.

The One Health concept has been successfully applied to many clinical health and public health milieus during the 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries.  Some significant examples of clinical health advances through comparative medical/surgical endeavors occurred during the past centuries using the One Health approach, i.e. these include public health and comparative medicine issues such as Heart Disease, Cancer, Orthopedic Disease, Anesthesiology, Obesity, Parasitic Diseases, Tuberculosis, Global Infectious Disease, Influenza,  Human Hepatitis C virus, Tickborne Diseases, Food Safety, Hendra virus vaccine, Aspergillus felis, Immunizations (vaccinations), Lou Gehrig’s Disease,  Ebola, Antibiotic Use and Resistance, Staphylococcus resistant infections, Environmental health Policymaking, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses, Renderpest, Emergency/Disaster preparedness and many others. SEE: *https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/ONE%20HEALTH%20a%20significant%20international%20public%20health%20comparative%20medicine%20OHI%20POSTING%20May%2013%202015.pdf

Comparative medical/surgical research efforts (i.e., utilizing an interdisciplinary collaborative One Health approach), the One Health Initiative website has been posting important examples of One Health research advances since 2009 and these were noted on this 2009-2012 link: https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Zoobiquity%20book%20foundations%20&%20principles%20posted%20OHI%20website%20since%202009.pdf.; more recently a more expanded list was chronicled in the above *paragraph.

A relatively recent distinctive comparative medicine promotional activity termed “Zoobiquity” http://zoobiquity.com/ was named by its founder physician Barbara Natterson Horowitz, MD.  This concept, essentially synonymous with “comparative medicine/translational medicine”, recognizes some unique examples, reinforces the wisdom for encouraging physician-veterinarian collaborations and fits well under the One Health umbrella.

As mentioned, there are many other significant illustrations of “One Health” clinical research and public health successes extending back through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and before.  Public health achievements utilizing the One Health approach are prolific as are clinical health endeavors.  Both have been described in the OHI website NEWS https://onehealthinitiative.com/one-health-initiative-news/ and Publications pages https://onehealthinitiative.com/one-health-publications/ as well as in many other referenced publications worldwide.

 

And “Lest we forget”:

A perspective … some significant Historic Inspirations for advancing the One Medicine/One Health concept & movement – 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries

June 8, 2020

Leading past One Medicine/One Health physicians—“Giants”:   Rudolf Virchow, MD (the father of cellular pathology and coined the term “zoonosis”) “Between animal and human medicine there are no dividing lines–nor should there be.  The object is different but the experience obtained constitutes the basis of all medicine.”  Vichow’s Contributions to Veterinary Medicine: Celebrated Then, Forgotten…