Lonnie King will be the opening keynote speaker at the “A One Health Approach to Antimicrobial Use & Resistance: A Dialogue for a Common Purpose” symposium in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 13-15. King is dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and is a former director of the Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases where he led the center's activities for surveillance, diagnostics, disease investigations, epidemiology, research, public education, policy development, disease prevention and control programs.

“Dr. King is the ideal person to kick off the symposium,” states symposium Co-chair Leah Dorman, director of Food Programs, Center for Food and Animal Issues, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. “He’s been in the trenches and will bring a 360-degree view to this important topic. “

Developed by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, the symposium will present information on antibiotic use and resistance and serve as a platform where experts in the field of antimicrobials – public, animal and environmental health – can share information and engage in meaningful dialogue with medical doctors, veterinarians, policy makers, organization leaders, livestock and poultry producers, academicians, researchers and consumers to work on a collective path forward.

Other speakers confirmed for the Nov. 13-15 symposium include:

·        Ron DeHaven, executive vice president, American Veterinary Medical Association

·        George Sundin, Department of Plant Pathology, Michigan State University

·        Guy Loneragan, director of Food Safety and Public Health, Texas Tech University

·        Alison Mather, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge

·        Rick Sibbel, DVM, director of Cattle Technical Services, Merck Animal Health

·        Patrick McDermott, National Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring System, Food and Drug Administration/Center for Veterinary Medicine

·        Mary Torrence, National Program Food Safety Leader, USDA/Agricultural Research Service

·        Tom Chiller, epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

·        Randy Singer, associate professor, Epidemiology, University of Minnesota

·        Rich Carnevale, Animal Health Institute’s vice president for Regulatory, Scientific & International Affairs

·        Karl Dawson, director Worldwide Research, Alltech.

The three-day symposium will be broken into three, in-depth discussions: antimicrobial use, antimicrobial resistance and the path forward.

“We are excited for animal, human and environmental health constituents to come together to learn from each other and share information for the benefit of all stakeholders,” states symposium Co-chair Jennifer Koeman, director of Producer and Public Health for the National Pork Board. “Discussions and media information regarding antimicrobial use and resistance has frequently been oversimplified, and this symposium will not only help unravel misinformation, but be a full disclosure of facts so those of us in public, animal and environmental health can create a collective path forward.”

Dorman and Koeman stress that the symposium is open to all individuals who want to know more about antimicrobial use and resistance.

With limited seating, individuals are encouraged to register early, and those who register by Oct. 15 qualify for an early bird registration discount, making registration $270/person.

To register for or to learn more about the Nov. 13-15, 2012, “A One Health Approach to Antimicrobial Use and Resistance: A Dialogue for a Common Purpose” symposium, please go online to www.animalagriculture.org or call 1-800-237-7193.