Composition. The Council on Public Health shall consist of ten voting members, each of whom is a member of the Association, with experience primarily focusing on the promotion of:
Human health (five members); examples may include, but are not limited to:
local, state, or federal public health agencies or uniformed services
animal control agencies
academia
Animal health (five members); examples may include, but are not limited to:
state or federal agricultural or wildlife agencies or uniformed services
private practice
industry
academia
Responsibility. The Council on Public Health shall:
Provide expert advice and consultation on issues related to safeguarding animal and public health, as well as identify, evaluate, and make recommendations regarding emerging issues involving preventive medicine and public practice;
Work collaboratively with other AVMA entities and staff to identify and respond to emerging issues impacting human and veterinary medicine;
Provide recommendations to support and enhance the role of public practice veterinarians and USDA accredited veterinarians in conducting regulatory activities for the prevention, control, and eradication of animal diseases and the promotion of food safety and defense;
Provide representatives to and work collaboratively with other AVMA entities to recommend and encourage programs that assure active participation by veterinarians to protect public health and contribute to a healthy agriculture industry;
Provide expertise and review of current information regarding zoonotic diseases in order to contribute towards policy development, proposed legislation, and public and veterinary education;
Provide recommendations to encourage greater participation by the veterinary community including public and private practitioners in the field of preventive medicine and public health;
Recommend and encourage the development and support of programs and policies designed to prevent, control, and eradicate animal diseases at the local, state, national, and international level.
