iCOMOS 2014

The inaugural iCOMOS was held on the Twin Cities Campus of the University of Minnesota (April 27−30, 2014) and was an overwhelming success. The conference attracted over 300 participants from across the United States and 13 countries, leading to great intellectual and social interactions as well as thoughtful scientific discussions. There were many topics covered during the main symposium and workshops, led by a distinguished panel of presenters representing academia, government organizations, foundations, funding agencies, and corporations who did an outstanding job of sharing their expertise and providing insight for addressing and potentially solving several of our global challenges. The conference has resulted in several new networks and collaborations, plans for follow-up meetings, and many ideas for the next iCOMOS.

Conference Program

Sunday, April 27

Conference Welcome and Introductions

Srirama Rao, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

University Welcome

President Eric Kaler, University of Minnesota

Brian Herman, Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota

A Unified Vision of One Medicine One Science

Trevor Ames, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Global Challenges at the Interface of Humans, Animals & the Environment: Role of Science and Discovery in the Pursuit of One Health

Moderator:

Maggie Koerth-Baker, Columnist, The New York Times Magazine; Science Editor, BoingBoing

Panelists:

Nobel Laureate Peter Agre, University Professor & Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University

William Bazeyo, Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum-invited

David M. Morens, Senior Advisor to the Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Lertrak Srikitjakarn, Former Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Samuel Thevasagayam, Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Monday, April 28

Role of Science in Solving Emerging Health Threats at the Interface

The Science of Disease Recognition at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface

Brooks Jackson, Medical School Dean and Vice President for Health Sciences, University of Minnesota

Aquaporin Water Channels: From Atomic Structure to Malaria

Nobel Laureate Peter Agre, University Professor & Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University

Role of Science in One Health

Session Chairs:

Beth Virnig, Associate Dean for Research and Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

Bill Stauffer, Associate Professor of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota

Recognition of Disease Emergence at the Interface: Influenza

Richard Webby, Director, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Postcards from the Destabilized Edge: Novel Pathogen Emergence

Kariuki Njenga, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

The Ecology of Tuberculosis in Pastoralist Communities

Rudovick Reuben Kazwala, Professor, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania

Evidence Based Approach to One Health: A Perspective from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Sam Thevasagayam, Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

NIAID Efforts in Infectious Disease at the Animal-Human Interface

Tina Parker, Program Officer, Translational Research Section of the Office of Biodefense, Research Resources and Translational Research, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Disease (DMID), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Evolving Solutions to the Changing Infectious Disease Horizon

Session Chair: Clifford Steer, Professor, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Medical School, University of Minnesota

Vaccine Prevention Strategies in a Changing World

Mark Feinberg, Vice President and Chief Public Health Science Officer, Merck Vaccines

Strategies for HIV Interventions in Africa

Phyllis Kanki, Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health

Monkeypox Emergence in the Aftermath of Smallpox Eradication: Ecological Opportunity and Evolutionary Potential

James Lloyd-Smith, Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles

Social, Cultural, and Political Solutions to Emerging Disease-Video Presentation

David Nabarro, Special Representative for Food Security and Nutrition, United Nations

Scientific Partnerships for Solving the Global Health Crisis –Moderated Panel Discussion

Moderator: Brian Herman, Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota

Panelists:

Sonny Ramaswamy, Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), US Department of Agriculture

Andrew Clements, Deputy Director of Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats Program, US Agency for International Development (USAID)

Samuel Thevasagayam, Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Carole Heilman, Director, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Disease (DMID), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Food Animal Domestication and Human Advancement

Moderator: Karen Hanson, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Minnesota

Sonny Ramaswamy, Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), US Department of Agriculture

Tuesday, April 29

Alignment of Safe Food, Sustainable Production, and Consumer Attitudes

Grand Challenges of Food Production

Session Chair- John Finnegan, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

PepsiCo Global R&D: Addressing Today's and Tomorrow's Food and Beverage Challenges and Opportunities

Mehmood Khan, Executive Vice President, PepsiCo Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development

Meeting the Conflicting Challenges of Feeding the World-Moderated Panel Discussion

Moderators: Allen Levine, Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences; Shaun Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine

Panelists: Sarah Brew, Partner, Food Litigation and Regulatory Practice Lead, Faegre Baker Daniels; Erin Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President for Sustainability of Dairy Innovation Center; Mehmood Khan, Executive Vice President, PepsiCo Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development; Mike Robach, Vice President, Corporate Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Affairs, Cargill

The Reality of Food Production Needs Globally

Jonathan Foley, Director, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota

The Law of Unintended Consequences: Bee Health Affects Human Health

Marla Spivak, MacArthur Fellow, Distinguished McKnight Professor, Department of Entomology, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota

Linking Antibiotic Resistance in Animals and Humans

Henrick Wegener, Provost, Technical University of Denmark

The Anthropology of Food: Consequences for Humans, Animals and the Environment

Introduction: Brian Buhr, Interim Dean, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota; Andrew Zimmern, James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, food writer, and teacher

Grand Challenges in Food Safety

Session Chair: Will Hueston, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

The Wicked Problem of Food Safety

Catherine Woteki, Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, US Department of Agriculture

Evolution of Food-Borne Pathogens

Stanley Maloy, Dean, College of Sciences, San Diego State University

How Safe Do We Really Want to Be? The Paradox

Michael Apley, Professor and Section Head, Production Medicine/Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University

Consumer Attitudes Toward Emerging Technologies and Food

Jennifer Kuzma, Professor, North Carolina State University

Perspective of the Future

Michael Murtaugh, Professor of Molecular Biology, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota; Trevor Ames, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Wednesday, April 30

One Health Partnership: The Reality on the Ground

One Health in the "real world" takes people, time, commitment and collaborations. We are excited to offer a one day workshop that will explore One Health from the concept through the everyday realities on the ground. We will commence with a plenary session addressing what One Health is and the actors who make the One Health system work. Following the morning plenary session we will hit the ground for an on-site panel discussion at the Minnesota Sate Fairgrounds to address animal human interactions in public settings. We will end the afternoon in an interactive learning room where we will delve into the realities of how One Health works in the 'real world' and how we can build on this with synthesis of insights and improving One Health partnerships. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to carry these insights forward in a published synthesis document that can be used to inform stakeholders who bring One Health to the realities of disease detection, cure, and prevention.

Vision for Safe Food Systems From Local to Global

This workshop is a collaborative program with the Minnesota Food Safety and Defense Task Force, The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota.

Consumers get products from a wide range of food systems that operate on local, regional and global scales. The food industry imports from local, regional and global producers and exports to distributors acting on all scales. Each scale has its own advantages and challenges when it comes to food safety. Importantly, each scale can benefit from innovations in the other systems. Presentations will consider the current state of food safety, predicted demands on food systems, resources needed to maintain food quality in the future, innovations in the pipeline, and the impact of consumer expectations on food security. Emphasis will be on meat and eggs at local, upper Midwest region, national and global levels. Interactive discussions will involve participants on how future food systems might look and the resulting opportunities, risks and benefits across the scales.

Is it Possible to Predict the Next Outbreak Threat?

This workshop will challenge the existing paradigm (tools, technologies, systems used) in infectious disease emergence and/or reemergence based on an analytical review of key concepts. Participants will engage with mathematical modelers, field epidemiologists and bench scientists in interactive and formative sessions to discuss challenging situations and problems in the thematic areas of (1) mathematical models of patterns of infectious disease as a predictor of new events, (2) modeling pathogen evolution to predict pandemics - are the existing approaches sufficient?, (3) technological advances - What is the resolution needed for discovery of emergent events? (4) the computational challenge - biocomputation as an aid in pathogen discovery, and (5) case-in-point - synthesis of the challenge of prediction.

Grantsmanship in a Changing Environment

The workshop led by NIH grants program directors and administrators and leading researchers in areas of infectious disease and one health, will provide a forum for information exchange in the following areas: assist early and established investigators in the development of strategies that would enable them to secure research funds; strategies for submitting a successful application; identify new funding opportunities; highlight international collaborative/partner opportunities; explore new traning paradigms to meet future research needs; and Institutional support (e.g. in identifying funding opportunities for investigators). This interactive workshohp will provide many opportunities for participants to ask questions and seek additional information from the experts.

Committees

Executive Committee

Trevor Ames, DVM

Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Srirama Rao, PhD

Associate Dean for Research and Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, and Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota

Organizing Committee

Srirama Rao, PhD (Co-Chair)

Associate Dean for Research and Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , and Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota

Michael Murtaugh, PhD (Co-Chair)

Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Carol Cardona, DVM, PhD

Ben Pomeroy Chair in Avian Medicine, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Clifford J. Steer, MD

Professor of Medicine and Genetics, Cell Biology & Development; Director, Molecular Gastroenterology Program; Director, International Biomedical Research (IMER) Program and Director, Physician Scientist Training Program, Medical School, University of Minnesota

Dominic Travis, DVM

Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Scientific & Workshop Planning Committee

John Deen, DVM, PhD

Professor of Animal Health and Director, USAID RESPOND Project, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Shaun Kennedy, BS

Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Allen Levine, PhD

Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota

Katey Pelican, DVM, PhD

Head, Ecosystem Health Initiative and Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Srinand Sreevatsan, BVSc., PhD

Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Beth Virnig, PhD

Associate Dean for Research and Professor, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy & Management, University of Minnesota

Administrative Committee

Nicole Kast (Chair)

Veterinary Continuing Education Director, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Laurie Brickley

Interim Director of Communications, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Nathan Pasch

Graphic Designer/Web Master, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Jessica Raines-Jones

Project Specialist, Office of the Associate Dean for Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Kersten Warren

Research Administrator, Office of the Associate Dean for Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota