Chairs: Brinda Jegatheesan and Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers
The interconnectedness of human and animal health and well-being is currently receiving a lot of attention within academic and public health circles, under the umbrella of ‘One Health’. The implications for the field of human-animal interactions and animal-assisted interventions are important for both researchers and practitioners – at local level, but also globally. This symposium will explore ways that organisations can connect more effectively with each other in this area and identify priority topics for research and practice that could be enhanced with such an approach. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO), the global network of human-animal interaction organizations, will outline its key initiatives in the field and existing global collaborations on issues such as protocols, quality standards for animal-assisted interventions and its international task forces. In this symposium, members of organizations in the field are invited to be part of IAHAIO’s global conversation and contribute to a strengthening of these networks.
This 1 hour 20 minute symposium will include three speakers, and a workshop. Details of the individual presentations are provided below.
One Health – what it is, why it is important, examples of global initiatives
IAHAIO initiatives - global collaborations
Invited speaker from an Australian-based organisation to reflect on One Health initiatives
Workshop:
Audience participation invited on the key question “How do we strengthen our global connections to promote One Health in terms of:
- Quality standards of practices
- Improving organizational effectiveness and professionalism
- Strengthening collaborations between researchers and practitioners to improve outcomes for research and programs