Leaders in human and veterinary medicine gather at the Royal Society of Medicine
The essential links between human and veterinary medicine were reinforced at the Royal Society of Medicine recently, when Dr David Danson, President of the RSM Comparative Medicine Section, was recognised for his contribution to the field of One Health.
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.
On September 11 2023, senior representatives from the RSM, Soulsby Foundation for One Health, Royal Veterinary College, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association and the Institute for Translational and Emerging Research in Advanced Comparative Therapy (INTERACT), Oklahoma State University, came together to offer a vote of thanks to Dr Danson, who earlier this year delivered the 2023 Soulsby Lecture at the INTERACT Symposium on One Health and One Medicine.
During his lecture Dr Danson gave examples of One Health in action. These included a scientific collaboration between the Royal Veterinary College and UT Southwestern Medical Center, Texas focusing on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in beagles, and a collaboration between vet charity The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals and a GP practice to provide healthcare checks for dogs and their owners.
Dr Judy MacArthur Clark CBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees, The Soulsby Foundation for One Health, said: “The founder of our charity, Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, was a former president of the RSM, and the only RSM president to have been a veterinary surgeon. He would have been very pleased to see his work in the field of One Health, which recognises that the health of humans, animals and the wider environment are closely linked and inter-dependent, alive and flourishing here at the RSM.”
Thanking Dr Danson for his term as President of the RSM Comparative Medicine Section, Professor Gillian Leng CBE, Dean of Education at the RSM, said: “Our Comparative Medicine Section carries out important work to advance human and animal health through research, education and training. It is very encouraging that the concept of One Health is increasingly recognised as integral to scientific research and the practice of human and animal medicine and surgery.”
Pictured above are: (from left) Dr Judy MacArthur Clark CBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees, The Soulsby Foundation for One Health; Dr David Danson, President, Comparative Medicine Section, Royal Society of Medicine; Dr Tracey King, Scientific Director, Institute for Translational and Emerging Research in Advanced Comparative Therapy, Oklahoma State University; and Professor Gill Leng CBE, Dean of Education, Royal Society of Medicine.