Veterinary Science calls for papers / meetings & conferences

Call for Papers: Fourth Conference on Environment and Health

2013 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

January 6-10, 2013 Austin, Texas

The abstract submission deadline is: 1 August 2012

The overarching theme for the 2013 AMS Annual Meeting is “Taking Predictions to the Next Level: Expanding Beyond Today’s Weather and Climate Forecasts and Projections.” Over the past 60 years the meteorological community has made tremendous strides in making prediction a fundamental part of its scientific and operational/service heritage through the development and application of complex numerical models involving the atmosphere, ocean, land, and cryosphere components of the Earth System. Applying our predictive capabilities into a broader domain including public health, food security, air and water quality, alternative energy and responses to climate trends, is a central objective of this meeting.

In the context of this overarching theme, the goal of 4Health is to go in-depth into Earth’s influence on human health and well-being. In doing so, we seek to better understand how the atmospheric and oceanic systems exert measurable (positive or negative) impacts; moreover, we are interested in how planetary information feeds into surveillance and preparedness (including adaptation) models and decisions.

We are especially interested in public health and medical factors such as:

Asthma
Cardio and Respiratory Diseases
Foodborne Diseases and Nutrition
Vectorborne and Zoonotic Diseases
Waterborne Illnesses
Infectious Diseases
Mental Health
Food Securtiy
Heat and Extreme Weather-related Mortality and Morbity
Physical Safety

The sessions are arranged to help us explore these topics (and possibly others) in the context of hydro-meteorological and oceanographic factors so that our community understands how our science and technologies are utilized (or could be applied) for health. Thus, papers from the environment, health, and medical disciplines that explore this approach through the following subjects: integrated modeling; climate, ocean, weather and water forecasts; in-situ and satellite monitoring and observations; communication tools and technologies; and, inter-disciplinary coordination are encouraged.

Of specific interest are papers that address end-to-end science and management approaches of the aforementioned health concerns in the context of these environmental factors:

1) Ocean and coastal–related human health risks

2) Dust transport, transformation, and consequence

3) Extreme temperatures, including attendant influences on drought and wildfires

4) Examples of adaptation risks and solutions at local, regional, and international levels

5) Disaster risk reduction for healthcare delivery services (e.g., EMT) and infrastructure (e.g., hospitals), including its systems of dependency (e.g., utility grids, water, sanitation)

Achieving the 4Health goal requires participation and engagement from colleagues in the public health, medical, hydro-meteorological, and oceanic disciplines.

Papers and posters from graduate and undergraduate students are welcome.

For overall questions:

Sue Estes, NASA (email: sue.m.estes@nasa.gov; tel : 256-961-7961)

Wendy Marie Thomas (e-mail: wthomas@ametsoc.org, tel: 202-355-9820);

For Extreme Temperatures/Drought/Wildfires Topics

Glenn McGregor (e-mail: g.mcgregor@auckland.ac.nz, tel: 64 9 3737599 ext 85280)

Paul English, CA Dept of Health (email: Paul.English@cdph.ca.gov; tel: 510-620-3684)

For Health-Specific Topics

Kris Ebi, IPCC/Stanford (email: krisebi@ipcc-wg2.gov)

Paul English, CA Dept of Health (email: Paul.English@cdph.ca.gov; tel: 510-620-3684)

For Climate-Related Topics

Eileen Shea, NOAA (email: eileen.shea@noaa.gov; tel: 828-271-4384)

For Dust-Related Topics

Bill Sprigg, Univ of AZ/NASA (email: wsprigg@u.arizona.edu; tel: 520-621-6834)

For Oceans and Human Health Topics

Juli Trtanj, NOAA (email: juli.trtanj@noaa.gov)

Call for Abstracts for Posters: Vaccines and Diagnostics for Transboundary Animal Diseases

September 17-19, 2012 Ames, Iowa

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has provided funds for the organization of a Workshop entitled "Vaccines and Diagnostics for Transboundary Animal Diseases," to be held September 17-19, 2012 in Ames Iowa. The primary objective of the workshop is to discuss state of the art measures to serve U.S. and international needs related to vaccine and diagnostic tool development for significant transboundary diseases.

Industry, government and academic scientists are welcome to participate, present information, and learn of current work in this field. Presentations will be made by representatives of federal agencies, biologics industries, and universities. Diseases to be covered include: highly pathogenic avian influenza; exotic Newcastle disease, foot and mouth disease; Rift Valley fever; Nipah and Hendra virus; African swine fever; classical swine fever; Heartwater; Q fever, and Ebola. A poster session will also be held to allow novel research on these diseases and other diseases important for the U.S. National Veterinary Stockpile to be presented and to feature the roles of the federal agencies.

The workshop has four goals:

Sharing of progress on cutting-edge research and providing updates on the current status on vaccines and diagnostics for high priority transboundary animal diseases to help inform the decision making process;
Presentation of information to academic scientists to help them better understand the regulatory process and how to translate research into licensed novel vaccines and diagnostics for high priority transboundary animal diseases;
Provide the opportunity for government officials from each agency working in this area to convey their roles and responsibilities to a broad audience;
To bring together scientists from academia, industry and government in order to stimulate cross-talk.

The Workshop is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate (www.dhs.gov/files/scitech.shtm), the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD) at Kansas State University (www.ceezad.org) – a Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence, the Center for Food Security and Public Health/Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics at Iowa State University, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) www.oie.int and the International Association for Biologicals (IABs), www.iabs.org.

The organization of this meeting is possible because of the support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 2010-ST-061-AG0001.

Registration and Lodging
Registration and lodging information will be available in March 2012. The meeting will be held at the Gateway Hotel in Ames, Iowa www.gatewayames.com. A block of rooms has been reserved for the conference at the rate of $94 for double or king, $104 for an executive king room. Book rooms by Monday, August 27, 2012 to receive this rate. Call 1-800-FOR-AMES (1-800-367-2637) to reserve a room and reference "Transboundary Animal Diseases Meeting."

Call for Abstracts for Posters
The Scientific Committee invites participants to submit abstracts for poster presentation at the Workshop. Abstracts are due on Monday, June 18 and should be emailed to iicab@iastate.edu

The Committee will select up to six abstracts for short oral presentations on the last day of the meeting.

Instructions for abstracts are as follows:
Abstracts are limited to one page with one inch margins. Use Times New Roman font, size 12 for text. The title should be in bold. Abstracts should include title, authors, affiliations (use superscripts by authors' names to indicate affiliations). If all authors are from the same institution, omit superscript numbers for the affiliation. The abstract should include the following headings: Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.