PROJECT SUMMARY
The proposed conference support will add substantial value in strengthening U.S.
partnerships with scientists and environmental health practitioners in Jamaica and
beyond on topics related to emerging multidisciplinary, multination environmental health
threats. The conference support will enable two leading women in environmental health
science to engage with six sponsored junior scientists, at least 300 attendees, roughly
30 undergraduate EHS students, and many livestream participants. The One Health,
One Global Environment Conference in 2017 included leadership from the One Health
Commission, the U.S. Army’s food safety program, national practitioner associations
from six continents, and scientists from environmental and veterinary public health. In
2017, key thematic areas emerged as threats to U.S. and global environmental health
security, mostly in infectious disease prevention and research capacity. The aims of this
proposal are to 1) identify and address environmentally- and occupationally-mediated
infectious disease risks (including COVID-19) impacting low- and middle- income
nations, and 2) to enhance the capacity and resource-sharing among universities and
environmental health organizations to address emerging infectious disease threats in
environmentally-impacted landscapes and workplaces. Project activities will include a
1.0-day of information exchange between selected participants through a dedicated
track, while supporting 2.0 – 2.5 additional presentation days to 30 undergraduate
students and 300 attendees of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors joint
meeting with the One Health, One Global Environment Conference. The proposal seeks
to leverage the expertise (including pandemic disease prevention/response expertise) of
speakers to facilitate discussion. Funding will enable greater representation of women in
scientific leadership positions, enhancement of the career pipeline, and knowledge to
action. The support will promote translation through action-oriented partnerships with
Caribbean (and other international) researchers and practitioners lacking resources for
such a conference. We are committed to promoting translation through greater research
engagement and partnership in the Caribbean (and beyond) on addressing emerging
borderless environmental health threats as all five keynotes will be livestreamed via
social media (at no charge). Support will also enhance the EHS career pipeline by
engaging a diverse group of junior EHS scientists in collaborative global health science.
