2017 Iowa One Health Conference Planning Committee
General Co-Chairs
Jake Swanson, MPH – Jake has a background in agriculture and is originally from Ottumwa, IA. He completed his undergraduate degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University and master’s degree in public health from Emory University. He currently works at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in the office of the Secretary. Jake was the problem-solving session coordinator for the 2016 conference, and is excited for the opportunity to help lead the planning for the 2017 Iowa One Health Conference.
Neil Vezeau – Neil is an incoming VM1 at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and a recent graduate from the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. After involvement with national One Health organizations, he went on to chair the Inaugural 2016 Iowa One Health Conference. He has previously been a part of Student Government and the ISU Chapter of Veterinarians Without Borders. Neil is excited to serve as a general co-chair for IOHC 2017.
Conference Session Coordinators
Morgan Bobb – Lecture Session Coordinator – Morgan helped coordinate lecturers and plan the program for the 2016 Iowa One Health Conference. She is a second-year MD/PhD student at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and an alumna of the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is studying Epidemiology and Medicine. Morgan plans to pursue a career in academic medicine with a focus on rural health research.
Lauran Chambers – Poster Session Coordinator – Lauran is a senior at Iowa State University studying biochemistry and a first year committee member of IOHC. She has held the position of president of the Iowa State Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology Club and this upcoming year will hold the position of Co-chair for the Stupka Undergraduate Research Symposium Planning Committee.
Ellie Ginn, MPH – Lecture Session Coordinator – Ellie is a second-year medical student at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She completed her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology and Bachelor of Science degree in Health Promotion at the University of Georgia. She worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prior to starting medical school and has an interest in combining her passion for public health while taking care of patients.
Logistics Team
Cody Bennett – On-Site Logistics Coordinator – Cody helped coordinate onsite logistics for the 2016 Iowa One Health Conference. She is completing her MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Iowa and currently works at the Center of Disease Prevention and Control with the Parasitic Diseases Branch. She is an alumni of Georgia Institute of Technology and Young Harris College with degrees in Biology and Music.
Hannah Darr – Fundraising Chair – Hannah is a Master’s of Science in Community Development at Iowa State University. She currently works as the Program Assistant for the Global Resource Systems Department at Iowa State.
Carolyn Hillard – Professional Representative – Her interest in One Health started in medical school after a lecture given by a conservation biologist. She then created a One Health elective for first year medical students where they read papers and met with individuals in fields outside of human health care to talk about One Health issues (ecology, conservation biology, statistics/epi). She also spearheaded a One Health Fair at the Saint Louis Zoo where medical students, veterinary students and undergrads created presentations for the public on the role of different animals in human and environmental and other animal health. This fair continues to this day. She is hopeful to continue to introduce One Health to my colleagues in the medical profession and be active in inter-professional collaborations.
Amanda Janson – Survey Coordinator – Amanda is a second year Master of Public Health in Epidemiology student with an interest in emerging infectious diseases. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Iowa State University and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland University. Amanda’s interest in One Health was sparked when she attended a number of One Health sessions at the 2016 APHA Annual Meeting.
Eric Kontowicz – Facilities Coordinator – Eric is a second-year PhD student at the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health and is studying Infectious Disease Epidemiology. He received his master’s degree in public health from Michigan State University as well as his bachelor’s degrees in Physiology and Human Biology. Eric’s main interest lie in academics with a future career goal of becoming a professor as well has helping preventing disease outbreaks on college campuses.
Kurayi Mahachi – Website Content Creator – Kurayi Mahachi is a second year MPH student in the Department of Epidemiology with the University Of Iowa College Of Public Health. His primary area of interest is in infectious diseases with a focus on Zoonotic Diseases. He is also interested in researching antimicrobial resistance development in the environment as a result of human waste. Kurayi aspires to attain his PhD in Epidemiology and hopes to work for a non-profit organization such as the World Health Organization in the future.
Mateen Manshadi – On-Site Logistics Coordinator – Mateen is a second-year medical student at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He went to Northwestern University, majoring in economics and political science and then worked for two years as a high school math teacher in Dallas, TX. Mateen has an interest in community health and primary care, especially in lower-income communities.
Katherine Turnbull – Treasurer – Katherine is a third-year veterinary medicine student at Iowa State University. She is the secretary and webmaster for the International Veterinary Student Association’s Standing Committee on One Health. She is interested in comparative medicine and research and this interest has led to her strong interest in One Health.
Ethan Wilson – Subcommittee member – Ethan Wilson is a second year Masters of Epidemiology student at the University of Iowa and he completed his Bachelors of Biology at Buena Vista University. His current area of interest is in infectious disease epidemiology. Furthermore, in the next 5 to 10 years he plans to pursue a doctorate degree after obtaining some experience in the field of public health and epidemiology.
Public Relations Team
Sarah Marnin – Veterinary School Outreach and Director of PR – Sarah is a second-year veterinary medicine student at Iowa State University. She is a Student American Veterinary Medical Association delegate for Iowa State, serving on the International Veterinary Experiences Committee and working with the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine to form a One Health Club.
Iris Chen – Pharmacy School Outreach – Iris Chen is a first-year pharmacy student studying at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. She is going to be the Vice President of two pharmacy student organizations – Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and University of Iowa Pain Management, Substance Abuse, Palliative Care (UI-PSP).
Abby Narayan – Pharmacy School Outreach – Abby is a third year pharmacy student at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and is also completing a dual degree for her Master’s at the College of Public Health. She completed her Human Physiology B.S. at the University of Iowa as well. She is currently on the board for SNPhA as the Co-Professional Development Chair and is new to One Health.
Liza Mann – Carver College of Medicine Outreach & UI Outreach Coordinator – Liza is currently a first year medical student at the University of Iowa. She is new to One Health but has been involved with student-run multidisciplinary health groups in the past. She is excited to be a part of this year’s planning!
Adamarie Marquez – Graphic Design Coordinator – Adamarie is a fourth year student in Animal Science and Global Resource Systems. After working with the One Health Initiative in Latin America within the Center for Food Safety and Public Health, she became interested in bringing the campaign to life on campus. Currently, she is in charge of the Graphic Design work within the program.
Molly Parrish – Webmaster – Molly is a senior in Political Science, International Relations, and Global Health at the University of Iowa. She is the Center Coordinator at the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases through the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.
Chelsea Pilipiszyn – ISU Undergraduate Outreach – Chelsea is a senior in Animal Science at Iowa State University. She is President of the Veterinarians Without Borders at ISU. She is excited to put her passion for comparative medicine, innovation, and research into her position as a first year IOHC committee member.
Jenna Sarantakos – Des Moines University Outreach – Jenna is a first year DO student at Des Moines University. She is an executive member of the Family Medicine Club and is interested in a holistic approach to primary care. She is new to One Health and is looking forward to learning all it has to offer.
Faculty Advisers
Claire B. Andreasen, DVM, PhD, DACVP – Iowa State University Advisor – Dr. Claire Andreasen is a Professor and Director of One Health in the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and a board certified pathologist (ACVP). She has worked with the ISU CVM Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH), Kansas State Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), and Texas A&M Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD), formerly (FAZD), with funding from DHS and USDA in the areas of emerging and transboundary animal disease education, pathology, and secure food continuity during disease outbreaks. She received her DVM degree from Texas A&M, was a practicing veterinarian for 3 years, and then completed a pathology residency and PhD from the University of Georgia, prior to becoming a faculty member at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research areas include comparative cell function in infectious disease, and emerging and zoonotic disease education. She has authored numerous publications, abstracts, and book chapters.
Christine Petersen, DVM, PhD – University of Iowa Advisor – Dr. Christine Petersen’s scholarly work has focused on the recognition and prevention of zoonotic diseases, primarily the epidemiology and immunobiology of parasitic diseases. Dr. Petersen is an editor for PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Infection and Immunity and PLoS Pathogens. Dr. Petersen was recently elected President of the American Council on Cellular, Molecular and Immunoparasitology (2016-2018), the basic science group within the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Dr. Petersen is the American/non- endemic region representative, to the international veterinary group that provides recommendations regarding treatment and prevention of the zoonotic disease Leishmaniasis; Leishvet. Dr. Petersen’s collaborative group was recently awarded a prestigious NSF/Fogarty Epidemiology and Ecology of Infectious Diseases grant that will focus on transmission modeling of leishmaniasis in Brasil. As director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Dr. Petersen coordinates One Health activities focused on understanding, detecting and preventing emerging zoonotic disease gloably. Dr. Petersen is an Associate Professor at University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology. She teaches joint medical, veterinary and global public health coursework related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of zoonotic diseases within all populations.