Chaired by Dr Michael Lappin, the WSAVA One Health Committee has 13 members and affiliate members. Dr Felisbina Queiroga is responsible for liaison with the WSAVA Executive Board.
Introducing Committee Member Dr Peter Karczmar.
Could you introduce yourself briefly to WSAVA members?
As one of the newer members of the WSAVA One Health Committee, I’m honored to be part of this coalition. I am a physician who specializes in pulmonary and sleep medicine. I also have a background in critical care medicine.
As a medical doctor, what attracted you to getting involved with working with the WSAVA’s One Health Committee?
My interest in One Health stems from the belief that it is imperative for the human and veterinary medical communities to work together on issues that impact human and animal health and welfare. We have so much to learn from each other.
Dr Peter Karczmar
The vast majority of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. The Covid-19 pandemic clearly shows us how crucial this understanding is to world health and human well-being. The focus on infectious diseases is an integral part of the One Health initiative but I believe there are so many other issues that impact human and animal welfare that are equally as important and as worthy of our attention.
Some of these include antibiotic use stewardship, reverse zoonoses, the link between animal abuse and domestic violence, comparative oncology and end of life issues, to name a few. My wife Cathy, a veterinarian, and I organized two joint veterinary and human medicine conferences focusing on infectious diseases relevant to both professions. I was struck by how much interest there is to learn from each other’s professional experiences and to share best practices for providing better health to our pets and the human animal.
Could you tell us something about you that might surprise us?
I was born in Poland and was so looking forward to presenting during WSAVA World Congress in September in Poland, in my home city of Warsaw before it was postponed. It’s ironic but fitting that a zoonotic disease has derailed that plan!
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