October 01, 2021

Colorado State awarded $2M grant for biosecurity research

Colorado State University in July announced a $2 million commitment from The Anschutz Foundation to further the development of new solutions for building resilience and agility in stopping infectious disease transmission among animals and people.

The grant will be funded over two years and used to sponsor new interdisciplinary research teams and graduate students. CSU leaders say increasing diversity in these teams and graduate students will be an important component of the grant. The grant will also fund one of the first comprehensive cyber biosecurity programs to protect health data in the nation.

Christian Anschutz, president of The Anschutz Foundation, said in a statement that CSU’s dedication to the one-health model was a key factor in making the contribution.

“We recognize that the integrated, interdisciplinary approach at CSU is key to the future of addressing infectious disease with resilience and agility,” Anschutz said. “This is a way to help ensure that the impact of the next outbreak is quickly minimized, or possibly avoided entirely. A multidisciplined approach is the best way to stop a pandemic.”

Areas of focus include enhanced monitoring and surveillance for the emergence of infectious disease threats that could lead to widespread consequences, agile production and distribution of countermeasures such as therapeutics and vaccines, social and cultural practices that could influence societal response to outbreaks, and the protection of critical health data used in research and response.

Education council schedules site visits

The AVMA Council on Education has scheduled site visits to eight schools and colleges of veterinary medicine for the remainder of 2021. Comprehensive site visits are planned for Long Island University College of Veterinary Medicine, Oct. 10-14; Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Oct. 24-28; Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Nov. 7-11; and The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Nov. 14-18.

In accordance with the AVMA Council on Education policy regarding site visits conducted virtually because of COVID-19, verification site visits are planned for North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Oct. 28-Nov. 1; the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Oct. 31-Nov. 3; the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Nov. 8-10; and Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, Nov. 21-23.

The council welcomes written comments on these plans or the programs to be evaluated. Comments should be addressed to Dr. Karen Martens Brandt, Director, Education and Research Division, AVMA, 1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173. Comments must be signed by the person submitting them to be considered.

AKC Canine Health Foundation honors Otto

The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation announced Aug. 5 that Dr. Cynthia Otto is the recipient of the 2021 Asa Mays, DVM Excellence in Canine Health Research Award.

The cornerstone of Dr. Otto’s AKC Canine Health Foundation–funded research has been the 9/11 Medical Surveillance Study, now in its 20th year. Since 2001, Dr. Otto has received almost $600,000 in funding to study the consequences of the deployment of search and rescue dogs to the 9/11 disaster sites. To date, the work has produced 11 peer-reviewed publications describing the short- and long-term effects of deployment on toxicosis, behavior, mortality, the dog-handler relationship, and more.

Data analysis from the 9/11 Medical Surveillance Study is ongoing with funding through a grant from the AKC Canine Health Foundation titled “Analysis of the health, behavioral, and longevity data collected in the 9/11 Medical Surveillance Longitudinal Study.”

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