Veterinarians, physicians and allied health professionals, and environmental health specialists are all working toward a common goal: improved health. At the same time, the health of animals, people, and the environment are all inextricably connected.
In the inaugural talk of the Drs. Raymond H. and Sandra M. Cypess Veterinary Public Health Speaker Series, Dr. Kate Varela will discuss how recent zoonotic disease outbreaks have highlighted the importance of One Health. She’ll also share her experiences as a veterinary epidemiologist working in public health and outbreak response and outline opportunities to apply a “One Health” approach to prevent future zoonotic disease threats.
A reception will follow the talk at 5 pm.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Kate Varela is a veterinary epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases. Currently, she works to build capacity globally and domestically at the intersection of human and animal health related to the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases. Prior to this, she was a Preventive Medicine Resident in CDC’s One Health Office and completed CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service program.
She is passionate about translating science to policy and spent a year in Washington, D.C., as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Congressional fellow in the Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. She graduated with her DVM and MPH from the University of Illinois and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
