News & Events

September 22, 2011 - Council of Canadian Academies releases report of the Expert Panel on Approaches to Animal Health Risk Assessment: Healthy Animals, Healthy Canada

Animal health has a a direct impact on the health of Canadians, the economy and the environment. The majority of emerging diseases in humans have their origin in the animal kingdom. Economic losses related to animal health events include reduced trade flows, lost incomes for farm families and fewer jobs in agricultural industries. Environmental consequences include the disruption of domestic ecological systems.

Applying the proper risk assessment techniques, based on scientific knowledge and international best practices, can help to mitigate these and other negative impacts of animal health events.

The Expert Panel, of which Jan Sargeant, Director of Guelph's Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, was a member, was assembled by the Council of Canadian Academies in response to a request by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, on behalf of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to conduct an independent assessment of the stateandcomprehensiveness of risk assessment techniques in animal health sciences. The report from this assessment is now available.

For more information, or to download a free copy of the report in English or French please visit www.scienceadvice.ca

On June 9th, 2011, CPHAZ hosted their second symposium: 'Human and Animal Health Research: from Molecule to Population'

The Holiday Inn in Guelph was packed on June 9th with close to 170 people in attendance. Research from many aspects of public health was presented to the eager crowd and great discussions and networking happened among the almost 30 posters that were on display.
Thank you to everyone who made this day such as success!

Speaker presentations, pictures and poster winner details will be available very soon!

CPHAZ is awarded $1 million from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI)

The Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses is thrilled to announce that we have received $1 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s New Initiatives Fund. The funding goes towards infrastructural support for equipment and facilities for the CPHAZ to conduct state-of-the-art research in animal-related aspects of public health, particularly zoonotic diseases. “There are a lot of people working on public health issues,” Jan Sargeant, Director of CPHAZ, said. “The CFI funds will provide unique resources aimed at enhancing collaboration between basic scientists and field researchers. Zoonotic diseases are complex and finding solutions will require scientists from all disciplines working together”. The laboratories began construction in December of 2010 and are scheduled to open in the summer of 2011.

Please visit the U of G home page for more details. A full listing of all the award recipients can be found on the Canada Foundation for Innovation website.

Veterinary Student Day at the Center for Disease Control 2010

On January 25th, Dr. Claire Jardine accompanied ten veterinary students from OVC to join veterinary students from across North America to participate in Veterinary Student Day at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Through presentations and interactive sessions students learned about the essential role that veterinarians play in all aspects of public health. Students also had the opportunity to meet and interact with a variety of public health experts and learn about career paths for veterinarians in public health.

American PreVeterinary Medical Association Symposium

In March 2009, Dr. Jan Sargeant and DVM student, Tyler O’Neill, attended the American PreVeterinary Medical Association Symposium in Urbana, Ill. They spoke on the emerging role of veterinarians in public health with pre-veterinary students in the US. This was the first time a Canadian vet school has presented at this conference.

Public Health Day 2009

In November, CPHAZ was there to celebrate the Master of Public Health program’s first ‘Public Health Day’. The first cohort of students presented their experiences in their practicum placements.

CPHAZ Launch & Symposium are a Success!

We would like to say a big THANK YOU to all those you attended and presented at the CPHAZ launch (May 4th) and scientific symposium (May 5th). Both were a great success. The OVC Lifetime Learning Centre, where the CPHAZ launch was held, was overflowing with people from academia, government, and the public. It is inspiring to see this many people come out to listen to our goals and take part in the future of public health. There were over 170 attendees at the scientific symposium from a wide variety of animal and human health organizations talking about challenges and opportunities in public health, which is absolutely amazing. We appreciate all of the feedback that we received and will be working towards making next years symposium another exciting event!

Please find below the biographies and presentations from the Scientific Symposium on May 5, 2009.

Session 1: Endemic Zoonoses

Dr. Scott Weese is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College. He holds a DVM and a DVSc from the University of Guelph. Scott’s research interests include investigations of bacterial infections in animals and humans, methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections, Clostridium difficile, antimicrobial resistance, emerging infectious diseases, and infection control. The title of Scott’s talk is: The influence of humans on pet health.

Dr. Andrew Peregrine is an Associate Professor of parasitology in the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College. He holds a DVM and PhD from the University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Scotland. From 1987 to 1997 he worked at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases, Kenya, carrying out research on drug resistance in blood parasites of cattle. In 1997 he began as faculty at the OVC. Andrew is currently carrying out research to determine the zoonotic importance of intestinal parasites in dogs. He is also conducting work to improve control of parasitic infections in sheep and pigs. The title of Andrew’s talk is: Does the zoonotic risk of Toxocara in Ontario justify deworming dogs & cats 12 times a year?

Lucy Brown works in Peterborough with the Wildlife Research and Development Section of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Lucy completed her undergraduate studies at the University of New Bunswick and McGill University and her graduate research at the University of Guelph. She has conducted research in numerous wildlife species, including Snow Shoe hares, Bobwhite Quail, Harbour porpoise, black bears, and migratory birds. Lucy also worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Homer, Alaska monitoring seabird recovery after the Valdez oil spill. Her current work with the Rabies Research and Development Unit focuses on experimental design, data analysis, flight planning for oral rabies vaccination programs, vaccine efficacy experiments, and field studies to assess new rabies control methods. The title of Lucy’s talk is: An overview of the Ontario Wildlife Rabies Control Program.

Dr. John Prescott is a veterinary bacteriologist interested in enhancing optimal, science-based, use of antimicrobial drugs in animals. He is Canadian Veterinary Medical Association representative to Canadian Council on Antibiotic Resistance. John Prescott graduated VetMB from the University of Cambridge, England, and received his PhD from the same University. He has worked at the Ontario Veterinary College as a bacteriologist since 1976, initially as an Assistant Professor and clinical bacteriologist and since 1979 as a teacher and research worker. He was promoted to Professor in 1988 and has served as Chair of the Department of Pathobiology. His particular interest is in the relation between resistance and virulence in animal pathogens. The title of John's talk is: Re-emergence of Canine Leptospirosis in Ontario.

Session 2:Food & Water Safety

Dr. Patrick Boerlin is a veterinary bacteriologist specializing in molecular epidemiology. He obtained his Diploma and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Bern Switzerland, as well as a MSc in veterinary epidemiology at the University of Guelph. He was head of the Infectious Disease Unit of the Veterinary School at the University of Bern, Switzerland, of the Swiss National Reference Laboratory for Enteric Bacteria, and of the Swiss National Reference Laboratory for Anthrax between 2000 and 2002. Since 2002, he has been an associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College. His main research area is the molecular epidemiology of bacterial pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Escherichia coli and the molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from animals. The title of Patrick’s talk is: New resistances to beta-lactams and quinolones in Enterobacteriaceae from animals.

Dr. David Pearl is an Assistant professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College. He holds a BSc from McGill University, an MSc in Biology from York University (Toronto, Ontario), a DVM and a PhD in Epidemiology from the Ontario Veterinary College. David’s research interests include multi-level modeling, disease surveillance, and the epidemiology of infectious and zoonotic diseases, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and antimicrobial resistance in a variety of host species. He is also involved in research related to the application of quantitative methods for disease surveillance in humans and animals. The title of David’s talk is: Incorporating multiple scales and perspectives to understand the epidemiology of E. coli O157:H7.

Dr. Tom Edge has a Ph.D. in environmental microbiology and is conducting waterborne pathogen and microbial source tracking research at Environment Canada's National Water Research Institute in Burlington, Ontario. He is studying the occurrence of waterborne pathogens like Campylobacter spp. in agricultural watersheds across Canada, and at beaches and offshore drinking water intakes in Lake Ontario. Tom is also investigating microbial source tracking techniques to identify the sources of fecal pollution responsible for contaminating aquatic ecosystems around the Great Lakes. He is on the Board of the Great Lakes Beaches Association and serves as a scientific advisor on the Health Canada federal/provincial committee reviewing the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality. The title of Tom’s talk is: Towards development of an ambient waterborne pathogen benchmark for agricultural watersheds under the National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative (NAESI).

Session 3: Public Health Surveillance

Dr. Rebecca Irwin received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1986 and a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology in 1988 from the Ontario Veterinary College. She is currently Director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Program at the Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Public Health Agency of Canada. This program includes activities of the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS), as well as targeted research and risk assessment. The title of Rebecca’s talk is: Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance.

Dr. Bev McEwen is a scientist with the Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph Laboratory Services. She holds a DVM, MSc and PhD in Pathology, is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathology, and is a member of the Ontario Animal Health Surveillance Network. Bev’s areas on interest include veterinary dermatopathology, forensic pathology and epidemiology including surveillance and diagnostic test validation. The title of Bev’s talk is: Identification of zoonotic pathogens at the Animal Health Laboratory.

Dr. Bruce McNab is an Epidemiologist with the Animal Health and Welfare Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. He holds a DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Guelph. Bruce spent several years as a mixed animal practitioner, 13 years with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and has been with OMAFRA for 14 years. Bruce’s interests include descriptive and analytic epidemiology, risk assessment, test evaluation, and disease spread modeling. The title of Bruce’s talk is: The Ontario Animal Health Surveillance Network. Also available is the full presentation on Principles of Disease Spread and Control.

Dr. Frank Pollari is veterinary epidemiologist who is the interim Director of the Surveillance and Population Studies Division of the Centre for Food-borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infections Diseases at the Public Health Agency of Canada as well as program lead of the C-EnterNet surveillance program. He holds an MPH degree from the University of Washington, and a DVSc in epidemiology from the University of Guelph. He has experience in surveillance and research related to food, water and human health and was instrumental in development NESP, the National Enteric Surveillance Program, and the Canadian Integrated Surveillance Report. Other areas of activity include developing baseline pathogen studies in meat and poultry, assessing the relationship between well water quality and human health, identifying risk factors for Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 and the development of the C-EnterNet surveillance system. The title of Frank’s talk is: Creating a network of networks for interdisciplinary surveillance.

Session 4:Emerging Zoonotic Disease Issues

Dr. Jane Parmley obtained her DVM in 1998 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Guelph. Upon graduation, Jane took on a position as a veterinary epidemiologist with the Centre for Coastal Health (Nanaimo, BC). Recently she has returned to Guelph and is currently working as an epidemiologist with the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Her areas of interest include health surveillance, environmental and wildlife epidemiology, and eco-health/public health practice. The title of Jane’s talk is: Canada's Inter-agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey.

Dr. Zvonimir Poljak is an assistant professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College. He has a DVM degree from the University of Zagreb and an MSc and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Guelph. Zvonimir’s research interests include assessment of within- and between-herd spread of infectious agents, primarily in swine populations. He has been involved in a number of surveillance and disease control activities in animal populations including PRRS virus, Swine influenza, Bluetongue, Equine Infectious Anemia, and different foodborne infections; both in Canada and in Croatia . The title of Zvonimir’s presentation is: Influenza in Ontario swine populations.

Dr. Jakob Zinsstag holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Berne. After his studies he worked in rural practice and as a post doctoral fellow on trypanosomiasis research at the Swiss Tropical Institute. From 1990 to end of 1993 he led a livestock helminthosis project for the University of Berne at the International Trypanotolerance Centre in The Gambia. From 1994 to 1998 he directed the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Since 1998 he leads a research group at the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel on the interface of human and animal health with a focus on the health of nomadic people and control of zoonoses in developing countries under the paradigm of “one medicine”. He holds a PhD in Tropical Animal Production from the Tropical Institute of Antwerp, Belgium and is an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology. He is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Public Health. The title of Jakob’s talk is: From "one medicine" towards systems approaches to health: Account of a fruitful sabbatical at CPHAZ.

Below are the biographies from the speakers who were set to attend, but due to other circumstances were not able to give their presentations.

Dr. Vanessa Gray Allen is a medical microbiologist at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion and infectious disease specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with clinical expertise and research interests in sexually transmitted infections and food and water microbiology. She completed her MD at McGill University and her residency in internal medicine, infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Toronto. Currently, she is also completing her Masters of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Vanessa’s talk is: Is this Mass Listeria?: Listeria monocytogenes and emerging challenges to food safety.

Dr. Nick Ogden qualified as a veterinarian in the UK in 1983. After 9 years in practice, he turned to research in tick-borne disease ecology via a doctorate at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. He continued his research in temperate and tropical ticks and tick-borne diseases while a lecturer at the University of Liverpool. He moved to Canada in 2002 where his research focusses on climate change effects on tick-borne disease ecology at the Université de Montréal. He is now interim director of Environmental Issues Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada specializing in the ecology of zoonotic diseases maintained by wildlife, ranging from tick-borne zoonoses to parasites affecting Inuit communities in the Arctic, and climate change. The title of Nick’s talk is: One health in a changing climate - Lyme disease in Canada.

Dr. David Fisman is a physician and epidemiologist at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion in Toronto, and is a Scientist at the Research Institute of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, and is an assistant professor of Epidemiology, and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the University of Toronto. He trained in internal medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and in clinical infectious diseases, epidemiology, and risk analysis at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. David’s research interests include areas of intersection between environmental health and infectious diseases, the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections, and the use of modeling and simulation to inform optimal public health policy. David’s talk is: Going with the flow: Evaluating links between local hydrology and infectious disease case occurrence in the U.S. and Canada.

CPHAZ Hosts Luncheon for Graduate Student Members

June 20th, 2008 | CPHAZ News

During the summer we have been contacting OVC graduate students to identify those interested in public health and zoonoses. To date, 54 graduate students representing all departments in OVC have expressed interest in being student members of CPHAZ.

On Friday, June 20, 2008, CPHAZ hosted a luncheon for graduate student members. Approximately 17 graduate student members attended the event.

The purpose of this event was for the graduate student members to meet each other and to become further acquainted with CPHAZ. Dr. Sargeant, the director of CPHAZ gave an overview of CPHAZ. The results from the graduate student members' survey completed earlier by interested students were presented and briefly discussed. Over lunch, the members discussed issues relevant to graduate students interested in public health.

The graduate student members were particularly interested in network opportunities and information about different research going on in public health. Stay tuned for the seminar series which will begin this fall. In addition, CPHAZ will organize get togethers for graduate student members at the beginning of each semester. This will give the opportunity for all members to meet each other, to welcome new student members, and to discuss relevant issues in public health.

CPHAZ Internal Launch

December 17th, 2007 | CPHAZ News

An information meeting for OVC faculty and AHL scientists interested in the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ) was held on Monday, December, 17, 2007. The purpose of this meeting was to present CPHAZ goals and vision, to obtain input into the operations of CPHAZ, to discuss opportunities in public health at OVC, and to identify opportunities for collaboration between CPHAZ and its members, CPHAZ and other OVC faculty, and CPHAZ and other public health agencies outside the OVC and the University of Guelph.

Identifying Public Health Opportunities for DVM Students: Vet Day at CDC

January 2008 | OVC News

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently hosted a Vet Student Day for veterinary students interested in public health from US and Canadian Veterinary Students. Second year veterinary students Joelle Ingrao, Carrie Lubrick, and Tyler O'Neill and faculty David Pearl and Jan Sargeant attended from the Ontario Veterinary College. While at the CDC, attendees heard presentations on public health issues, discussed opportunities in public health for veterinary students, and participated in a mock foodborne disease outbreak. Travel to this event was provided by the CFIA, OVC, and CPHAZ.

Graham Awards Launched

Summer 2007 | OVC News

Dr. Blake Graham, DVM'51 funded three PhD stipends for students researching public health issues at OVC. The fellowships are designed to encourage DVM graduates to pursue research on public health and emerging infectious diseases at the human-animal interface. This year's recipients are all PhD candidates: Dr. Erin Leonard (adviser: Dr. David Pearl, Population Medicine), Dr. Simon Otto (adviser: Dr. Scott McEwen, Population Medicine), and Dr. Dianna Wolfe (advisor: Dr. Jan Sargeant, Population Medicine).