VMBS Shares Research, Outreach Related To Border Health At Scowcroft Summit
The 2023 Scowcroft Summit on Border Health provided a unique opportunity for faculty and administrators from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) to showcase their expertise, research, and outreach activities related to health resilience near the trans-border regions of southern United States and Central America.
The summit, which was co-hosted by the Texas A&M University Bush School of Government and Public Service’s Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs and the School of Public Health’s USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness, brought together scholars, policy makers, emergency managers, and public health practitioners from Nov. 5-7 to discuss unique challenges and opportunities associated with border health.
VMBS speakers at the event included Dr. John August, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Ramesh Vemulapalli, executive associate dean; and Dr. Sarah Hamer, a professor and director of the Schubot Center for Avian Health. Dr. Gerald Parker, the VMBS’ associate dean for Global One Health, was one of the summit’s three co-hosts.
They shared information on how the VMBS supports trans-border health initiatives in South Texas, how students benefit from high-impact learning opportunities provided by the border region, the challenges and opportunities related to veterinary public health research at the border, and how the school and university can best meet future challenges in Texas and beyond.
“It’s clear that there’s a very important place for our school, along with other health science schools and civic organizations, to be part of a One Health approach to addressing the unique human and veterinary medical needs of the border region,” August said.
“As our world continues to become more globalized, we can expect trans-border health to become even more important,” he said. “I’m proud that Texas A&M University and the VMBS will play a role in protecting the citizens of Texas from existing and emerging public health threats.”
As a land grant university, Texas A&M has a long history of addressing public health challenges in the state. As far back as 1917, the VMBS’s first dean, Dr. Mark Francis, worked with students to fight the deadly tick-borne disease Texas Cattle Fever that was threatening the livestock industry.
Today, the VMBS still has an active role in fighting current health threats along the border like Chagas disease, a parasitic infection transmittable by kissing bugs to human beings, dogs, and many other species of domestic and wild animals.
In the future, the school plans to continue its work along the border, especially in the realms of transborder infectious diseases, veterinary public health, bilingual public outreach, and underserved community projects.
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For more information about the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
