At the 35th InterAction Council Plenary meeting in China, the IAC members were inspired by a video by HRH, The Prince of Wales, who welcomed the important role that China can play on advancing ecological civilizations, and the imperative of operating globally to draw upon what we already know, in order to prevent the rapid destruction of ecosystems and to maintain the essential boundaries of a healthy planet.
CALL FOR CANDIDATURES
SUMMARY
Issuing institution: Università di Bologna – Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Viale Giuseppe Fanin 44 – Bologna, Italy
Research Fellowship on: “Economic analysis of the Bluetongue disease impacts on the Italian sheep industry and the National Health System”
Duty station: University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences – Agri-food Campus, Piazza Goidanich, Cesena.
Duration: 12 months.
Deadline for applications: 31 October 2018.
Starting: before 20 December 2018.
Tasks: In cooperation with the Zoo-prophylactic Institutes of Abruzzo and Molise, Toscana and Lazio, and Sardinia, the research aims to contribute to the assessment of the costs of the Bluetongue disease (BT) for the Italian sheep industry and for the National Health System with the following activities: to identify the areas and the sheep farms to be analysed; elaborate the conceptual model for the economic assessment of BT impacts at different levels (farms and food supply chain on a regional scale); design data collection and questionnaires for farm surveys; define criteria and parameters for the assessment of the costs attributable to the disease, and for a cost-benefit analysis of identified intervention strategies; quantify economic losses at the farm, supply chain and territorial levels; evaluate different epidemiological scenarios; assess costs and benefits of identified intervention strategies; describe qualitative elements of analysis from a social perspective.
Requisites: Second cycle Degree/Master Degree (Laurea Magistrale) in Agricultural Sciences, Food Sciences, Environmental and Forestry Sciences, Economics, Business Economy, Veterinary Medicine, Agri-food Biotechnology, Veterinary Biotechnology, Livestock Management, or equivalent higher education degree with appropriate scientific and professional curriculum. The candidate should demonstrate good skills in economic evaluations related to animal health and/or environmental health and/or in the economic analysis of agricultural markets and agri-food supply chains. Interest in the economic implications of the One Health approach would be considered an asset.
Gross amount of the grant: € 19,367 distributed in 12 postponed monthly payments (exempted from income tax and subject to statutory social security charges and fees for accident insurance).
Information: massimo.canali2@unibo.it
Links:
– Research fellowships’ page of the University of Bologna
– Official call for candidatures
– Research project details and plan of activities
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See: https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Health-Routledge-Studies-Sustainability/dp/1138334952
by George R. Lueddeke (Author)
Like many of my colleagues, I get up each morning and read the news, listen to the commentators, and learn a bit more about the risks associated with life in today’s world to us as individuals and to the environment in which we live. I then get on with my daily life, sometimes placing a mental bookmark on the challenges we face, to which I intend to return one day in order to gain better understanding – and I store them in a mental to-do file.
Having read Dr George Lueddeke’s well researched, lucid and absorbing book about our survival – a major theme that underpins the UN-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – it has suddenly become more difficult to place those risks in the to-do file and to deal with them perhaps at a later time. The urgency of dealing with them now becomes a clear imperative. As the book begins, the author pulls together the fragments of the various threats to our health and well-being and to our environment that we read and hear about each day. They vary from risks to human and animal health from plastics and the waste they create to the consequences from climate change and our own dietary and eating habits, and how the risks impact on the seemingly insurmountable inequalities within and between our societies. It becomes a book of current events and twenty-first century trends that will impact on our health and well-being, our planet, our future and the future of our children.
The global issues that the author highlights – poverty, inequality, health, modernity, extremism, war and peace, migration, education and climate change, to name but a few – are all interconnected in an interdependent world and must be tackled together. These issues and others are succinctly described in the book, as is the evidence that confirms them. They are presented in full detail, interspersed with quotes and anecdotes from the world’s former and present leaders in science and politics. Reading the initial chapters is uncomfortable – they amplify and make more real that which we already know and, ironically, include evidence about new technologies such as artificial intelligence that provide solutions to mitigate some of the risks, but that create new risks in themselves in a world increasingly driven by technology. There is much to grasp – and much to contemplate as we strive to make a healthy and more sustainable planet.
Early in the book it also becomes clear that mitigation of the risks we face is no longer a question of what or why but when and how. To this end, the author convincingly argues that it requires understanding and taking personal responsibility for our actions – supported by educational opportunities from early years to lifelong learning in both developing and economically more advanced nations. He takes pains to demonstrate how lessening external threats necessitates that action also be adopted collectively no matter where we live, or what we believe. From its almost resigned and gloomy beginning – where risks that are preventable are shown to be present in all aspects of our daily lives – the book gradually moves towards a blueprint of what needs to be done to allay these risks and sustain our planet. Indeed, it allocates an entire chapter to contributions by leading global organisations and major movements and the collective actions underway to support their initiatives – reasons for guarded optimism.
In Survival, George Lueddeke argues compellingly for a new worldview that will ensure that our needs as human beings become compatible with the needs required to sustain our ecosystem. His vision reflects the One Health and Well-Being concept – a ‘global unity of purpose’ requiring joint action between human and animal health and the ecosystem – as the key to creating an environment where people from all walks of life work together to ensure the sustainability of the needs for human survival, and of those of the planet.
The last few chapters and insightful Epilogue summarise the author’s ten ‘propositions for global sustainability’ and underscore the key role of future generations that must be motivated ‘to make the world work better’.
Survival by George Lueddeke is an important read about what it takes to lessen the dangers to health and well-being, and to ensure a sustainable planet. It challenges us directly to spread the message across the social and economic divide – to those of us who create risks for corporate or personal vested interest, and to those who cannot easily access the knowledge but must do so in order to sustain their future.
One of the book’s concluding comments underscores the urgency for transformative change – continued and increased collective action – in particular, recognising the importance of global responsibility for the prevention of nuclear war, global warming and genetically engineered viruses. If we fail, the author cautions, ‘the shelf life of Homo sapiens could be extremely short’. Survival is a timely wake-up call for us all.
David L Heymann MD, Centre on Global Health Security, Chatham House (London)
About the author George Lueddeke MEd PhD is an educational advisor in higher and medical education and chairs the global One Health Education Task Force for the One Health Commission and the One Health Initiative (Chapter 11). Originally from Canada he has worked in both northern and southern communities as a teacher, researcher, educational manager and developer as well as programme consultant across a wide range of disciplines/professions. In the UK he has held posts in higher education and as senior lecturer in medical education at Southampton University’s Faculty of Medicine. As an advisor he has collaborated inter alia with the NHS Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) Postgraduate Deanery in London, the UK Centre for Workforce Intelligence, the UK Care Quality Commission, the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the InterAction Council. Most recently, he has contributed to initiatives such as Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Education-2030, the SEEJPH Public Health Curriculum Project, the ASPHER/WHO/Imperial College professionalisation of the public health workforce, and the South Africa Medical Association (SAMA)–South Africa Veterinary Association (SAVA), among others, on the implementation of One Health and Well-Being. In addition, he chairs the One Health Global Think-Tank for Sustainable Health & Well-being’ – 2030 (GHW–2030) to encourage multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary research underpinning the sustainability of planet and people.
Dr Lueddeke has published widely on educational transformation, innovation and leadership. Previous books have included Transforming Medical Education for the 21st Century: Megatrends, Priorities and Change and Global Population Health and Well-Being for the 21st Century: Toward New Paradigms, Policy and Practice.
Invited as a plenary speaker to different corners of the world, he has presented sessions for organisations such as the UK General Medical Council, the American Medical Association, University 21 (U21) – Health Sciences Group (Millennium Goals – Dublin), the Public Health Association of South Africa, University of Sri Lanka Jayewardenepura Medical School, UK Faculty of Public Health, The Catharina Pijls Lecture on ‘Global and European Health’ (annual Maastricht Symposium), the Global Health Council, Cambridge University, the UK Veterinary Public Health Association, the World Veterinary Association-World Medical Association (Kitakyushi, Japan), the International Schools Association annual ‘Youth Leadership Encounter’ conference on ‘Worldwide Migration’ (UK) and the Arab Health Congress (Dubai).
We are grateful to Professor Fabian Mendez, and the Organising Committee for delivering the Seventh Biennial Conference for the International Association for Ecology and Health and the Third Latin American Public Health Meeting for over 300 participants in Cali, Colombia. The theme ‘Environmental and Health Equity: Connecting local alternatives in a Global World’ emphasised connections between local, regional and world-wide initiatives and the need to challenge global drivers that threaten ecosystems and populations around the world. Presenters included social and environmental scientists, activists and industry partners interested in achieving health equity for all. Co-hosted by Unviersidad del Valle, and coinciding with a special issue of the International Journal of Public Health, conference goers were part of the development of a Statement from the Conference, which can be found here. For information from the conference, see the Ecohealth2018 website, Facebook Page and Twitter Account. More information including opening remarks, photos and presentations can be found here. The conference was linked to a citizen’s journalism movement called @WePublicHealth and the conference was reported on as part of the #JustClimate project profiling health impacts of climate change on populations across the world. The social media influence of Ecohealth2018 saw us reach an audience of 663 000.
At the end of the Cali conference, Vice President Professor Moses Chimbari undertook an Ambassadorial role on behalf of the African community as hosts of the inaugural biennial conference of ecohealth international (and the 8th for the ecohealth community) in Durban, South Africa in 2020. The presentation made by Professor Chimbari can be seen here.
The international Journal of Public Health opened a call for papers for a special edition called ‘Environmental and health equity’ with the occasion of the EcoHealth Conference. Three papers were pre-selected for taking part in a voting process by experts in the field. Collecting 42% of the 71 anonymous voters, the winner is Kai Liu, from the Department of Social Security, School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China in Beijing, with the paper called “Health inequality and community-based health insurance: a case study of rural Rwanda with repeated cross-sectional data”. This paper is available to download (pdf here). You can also see the abstracts of the other award candidates by clicking here. Congratulations Kai Liu!
The ecohealth international board ran a competition for the best student posters. Winners from the competition won a certificate and a year’s free membership to ecohealth international. Voting was conducted by members of the Board and the following student posters were recognised at the AGM and the final session of the conference. Congratulations to all winners!
On the evening of the 17th August 2018 at the AGM, the International Association for Ecology and Health was formally dissolved, and the members were informed of the two-year long journey from 2016 – 2018 which saw the need to transition from the International Association of Ecology and Health to ecohealth international. Information was provided which showed why we made the decision to put in place infrastructure that could grow a new entity, not the Association; the financial reasons why we separated from the Journal and, because of the experiences of the Oceania chapter of the IAEH, why we believe regional chapters are the engine rooms for the new entity. The members also heard why we went with a Trust structure in Australia and were also informed of the new Constitution, the new membership fees and the new look website and twitter account. Upon hearing that the IAEH Constitutional requirements were met, members agreed to the following resolutions: Resolution 1: Members note the decision to Dissolve the International Association of Ecology and Health at the AGM, 17th August at 6pm, Cali, Colombia. Resolution 2: Members note the current Board members have concluded their roles with the International Association of Ecology and Health and the IAEH Board is dissolved at the AGM, 17th August 2018. Resolution 3: Members note the establishment of ecohealth international at the AGM, 17th August at 6pm, Cali, Colombia. The focus of ecohealth international is to grow our membership, participate and support the development of regional chapters, consult further on the new Constitution which will be reviewed before 30 March 2019. Core members of the now dissolved IAEH Board have agreed to form the interim board of ecohealth international. The interim board will align with regional chapters and the make-up of the board will meet Constitutional requirements. The interim board will assist EI members establish regional chapters, support nominations for the Board and finalise the Constitution. See here for a copy of the AGM presentation and a draft copy of the minutes of the AGM meeting.
Nominations Open: Ecohealth International Ethics Committee and Board
Nominations are now open for the ecohealth international Board and the Ethics Council. Expressions of Interest will be considered by the interim board. Outcomes will be shared via website on October 1, 2018. Interested in being part of the Ethics Committee? For More Information see here. For consideration for the inaugural ethics committee, please complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BDZ9TFJ Interested in being a member of the Interim Board? For More Information see here. For consideration for the interim ecohealth international Board, please complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BDN9ZY3 If you have any questions about becoming a member of the Board, and you want to speak with someone from your region about how to make this happen, the interim board members are very happy for you to contact them. Americas: Oceania: Maya Gislason: maya.gislason@gmail.com Neville Ellis: neville.ellis@uwa.edu.au Jonathan Sleeman: jsleeman@usgs.gov Aaron Jenkins: apjenkins22@gmail.com Gerado Suzan: gerardosuz@gmail.com Hume Field: hume.field@ecohealthalliance.org Africa: Europe: Moses Chimbari: chimbari@ukzn.ac.za Thomas Jaenisch: thomas.jaenisch@gmail.com Asia: President: Hung Nguyen: h.nguyen@cgiar.org Kerry Arabena: kerryarabena@yahoo.com.au Purvi Mehta: purvi.mehta@gatesfoundation.org ecohealthinternational@mail.com We hope that you might be able to join our effort to build our organisation. We are particularly interested in hearing from people with social media, policy writing, grant writing, advocacy and support skills. Students and early career researchers are particularly welcome! Positions to be reviewed March 30th, 2019.
Social Media
Ecohealth International is growing a social media presence. Please use @ecohealthintl to tweet and retweet any news, this links to our website. We joined in August 2018 and have near to 100 followers! Lets grow our online ecohealth community. Others to follow: @ArabenaKerry @copeh_canada @kbishopwilliams @ashisbrahma @mjchimbari @Brigittelgb @PierreHorwitz @YottiKingsley @hung_cenpher @kenwinkel @Ecohealth13 @jena_ecohealth @ecohealth2018 @tibaSA17 @ph_alliance @jonathanpatz @DoftWT @IJPH_official Follow, Share, Enjoy!
Some of you know that ecohealth international is run by volunteers. We are looking to have our members engage in some key activities:
Mapping the Past, Present and Future of our Ecohealth community Mapping the past, present and future of the ecohealth movement across the world. For more information on how to get involved, contact Dr. Katie Bishop on kbishop@uoguelph.ca. Katie along with Board members Assoc Professor Maya Gislason and Dr. Neville Ellis were joined by Dr. Chester Kalinda and other ecohealth enthusiasts in the development of this interactive timeline. There efforts were recognised by the Board in Cali for their wonderful contributions in support of this and other activities. You can follow Katie on Twitter @kbishopwilliams. PM her for more information. Dr. Kalinda can be followed @KalindaChester
Past Executives in International Association for Ecology and Health and current ecohealth international members have been facilitating conversations about regionalism and how this work intersects with the ecohealth community and the new Constitution. These conversations have been led by Professor Margot Parkes, Professor Pierre Horwitz, Professor Douglas Barraza and Professor Johanne Saint-Charles and aim to support thriving regional governance structures for ecohealth research and action. The Working Group has some terms of reference:
This is a member driven, time specific initiative; due for completion in January 2019. Please contact margot.parkes@unbc.ca for more information.
The Board are very keen to support students engage with @ecohealthinterntl and support the development of content for the website, for newsletters and for supporting the ecohealth initiatives around the world. If students have comments or queries about what you would like to have happen for Students, please respond to the following survey or email us at: ecohealthinternational@mail.com.
Refining the Constitution Professor Pierre Horwitz with Dr. Jonathan Sleeman are leading the work on refining the Constitution. Whilst the Constitution was accepted by the members at the AGM, there was agreement that some key elements of the Constitution needed to be refined in order to provide a strong foundation for the organisation to continue to grow and evolve. Some key features of the Constitution include a commitment to gender equity, with the international Board comprising of members from within regions (a transition to regional representation model, includes and Ethics Council, allows and encourages cross regional collaborations, celebrates diversity, fosters next generation leadership and uses regional chapters to drive local and global innovation. This work is related to the working group on regional engagement. Pierre is working to coordinate comments and refinements, with this work concluding in January so the new Constitution can be further refined and informed through regional chapter development. The Constitution can be seen on our website. Please contact Professor Horwitz at p.horwitz@ecu.edu.au or Jonathan Sleeman at jsleeman@usgs.gov to contribute your voice, or if you want to be involved.
Regional Drivers for ecohealth international
Three of our Board members are leading regional chapter engagement in Europe, Africa and Oceania. Dr Thomas Jaenisch has finalised negotiations with members of the Network for Evaluating One Health in Europe. This is a large network of 240 members who have with other networks fostered excitement and support for addressing One health issues in Europe. Having befriended organisations like Belgian Community of Practice on Biodiversity and Health (COPBH), the NEOH has as aspiration to be situated in Europe while facilitating world-wide membership and activities. These are early, exciting discussions about the nature of our relationship moving forward. If you have any queries about the emerging Chapter in Europe, please contact Thomas by email at: thomas.jaenisch@urz.uni-heidelberg.de. Professor Moses Chimbari is facilitating a gathering in Africa, November 2018 to discuss the development of an African Chapter to ecohealth international. In the lead up to this gathering, Professor Chimbari is presenting at the Nelson Mandela University Conference Centre on the 27-28th September in a program focusing on Research in Environmental Health. In his final presentation at the Cali Conference in Colombia, Professor Chimbari spoke about the development of the African Chapter and the importance of this work in the lead up to the ecohealth international conference in Durban, 2020. For more information on how to get involved in the emergence of the African Chapter, please contact Professor Moses Chimbari on chimbari@ukzn.ac.za or follow on Twitter @mjchimbari. Dr. Aaron Jenkins has sourced funds to hold an Oceania Planetary Health Forum, 5-6 November, as part of a series of workshops, gatherings and efforts focusing on the development of an Oceania chapter of ecohealth international building on early work of the International Association for Ecology and Health. Building on the Healthy Islands ideal first advanced in Oceania more than 20 years ago, this forum will bring together key stakeholders to review recent developments in the broad field of ecology and health, and identify priority next steps for the Region. Expected outputs will include a Compendium of Oceania case studies, a Communiqué for global policy dialogue ad a Regional research framework. With a focus on strengthening partnerships for nature and human health, and with a wide range of funders and collaborators, this is sure to be a compelling meeting. For more information, contact apjenkins22@gmail.com.
1.Presidents Opening Remarks at the Cali Conference: https://www.ecohealthinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Opening-Remarks.pdf
4 Nominations for Ethics Council, for review 30 March 2019 https://www.ecohealthinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Nominations-for-inaugural-Ethics-Committee.pdf
Five Ways to Take Climate Action: https://unfccc.int/news/5-ways-you-can-take-climate-action Reducing Food Waster can Protect our Health, as well as our Planet’s http://theconversation.com/reducing-food-waste-can-protect-our-health-as-well-as-our-planets-101452?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton The interface of science and the case for optimism: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/09/05/bright-spots-at-the-interface-of-science-policy-and-practice-the-case-and-need-for-optimism/ Australia in the Pacific: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/worldtoday/risky-time-for-australias-pm-to-disengage-from-the-pacific/10203942 Bulletin of the World Health Organisation. Special Theme: health and the development goals: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/96/9/en/ Threatened species inquiry told public servants think Australia is failing: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/07/threatened-species-inquiry-told-public-servants-think-australia-is-failing?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Emerging and Established Approaches to Environmental Public Health https://www.ecohealthinternational.org/emerging-and-established-approaches-to-environmental-public-health/ Ecohealth Knowledge to Action Group: https://ecohealthkta.net Buse C. (2018, January 15). New horizons in health impact assessment. UNBC Health Research Institute Symposia, Prince George BC. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l9MpDXCDhA https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/acta-tropica/vol/175 https://www.ecohealthalliance.org http://neoh.onehealthglobal.net https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2018/08/22/sanctuary-extinct-animals-nsw/ https://bit.ly/2eyu7g0 See Pianist Ludovico Einaudi’s haunting iceberg performance to draw attention to the Arctic plight – video developed in partnership with Greenpeace to tie in with a meeting of the Ospar Commission which will decide on a proposal to safeguard 10% of the Arctic Ocean this week. https://www.ospar.org/convention/text
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