In support of the One Health Initiative, a world-wide movement to encourage collaboration between human and animal healthcare workers, CVM faculty are increasingly involved in environmental and public health issues.
Aurora Villarroel, an epidemiologist and CVM Assistant Professor in the Rural Veterinary Practice, was recently appointed an adjunct faculty member in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences (PHHS). The appointment is an acknowledgement of Villarroel’s collaboration on research and teaching in the public health arena.
In 2010, Villarroel and senior Jennifer Jackson presented research on factors affecting the transmission of zoonotic disease to veterinarians to the Oregon Public Health Association. That research is now part of several courses taught in PPHS and was recently published in the journal of Zoonoses and Public Health. Villarroel also teaches courses on ‘Dietary Interventions for Public Health’ and ‘Community Nutrition’.
Last year, Villarroel collaborated with county health officials, OSU extension agents, and PHHS professors on ‘Don’t Let Rabies Get Your Goat”, a community-based vaccination and education program to address the high prevalence of rabies in Southern Oregon
