Researchers showcase latest efforts during One Health Symposium

Photo By Ricky Agyekum | Maj. Brennan Cebula, United States Military HIV Research Program, research physician presents a poster on an ongoing study during the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research One Health Symposium, May 10. Members from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution hosted the second annual One Health Symposium. (U.S. Army photo by Mike Walters/ Released)  

SILVER SPRING, MD, UNITED STATES

05.10.2023

Story by Ricky Agyekum 

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Members from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution hosted the second annual One Health Research Symposium, May 10.

The event brought together ecologists, biologists, veterinarians, senior leaders, and more from different government and military agencies to highlight prospects for One Health approaches to research and to promote collaborations. It was also an opportunity for WRAIR scientists to share their work as well as learn from other leaders in their field.

“The Smithsonian Institution is strong in animal and environmental health research, WRAIR is strong in human health research, there are synergies and shared interests across our organizations,” said Maj. Thierry Fouapon, One Health Branch, associate director. “We want the symposium to help identify those synergies and allow the opportunity for researchers to connect.”

More than 20 posters were presented, covering current research in tobacco mosaic virus, dengue, HIV, warfighter performance training and more. David Pecor, Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, museum specialist highlighted WRBU VectorMap data portal and showcased how data preserved within the system can be used to make predictions about arthropod disease, vector distributions, and countermeasure vulnerabilities.

“Our goals are to integrate and standardize a myriad of data sources within a central repository for a clearer view of vector-borne disease risk and to make this resource easily accessible to all,” Pecor said. “To fully mitigate vector-borne disease risk to the warfighter, we must have a complete understanding of how disease persists in nature, meaning how do environmental, animal and human factors combine to support or degrade disease ecology.”

Maj. Brennan Cebula, United States Military HIV Research Program, research physician presented a poster on an ongoing study, in collaboration with the Emerging Infectious Disease and Diagnostic and Countermeasures Branches. The research aims to increase the understanding of monkeypox epidemiology and clinical presentation by leveraging MHRP cohort studies in Africa and Asia.

“The efforts of this study will enhance the laboratory capabilities and augment the capacity of our international collaborators to respond to future infectious disease threats,” Cebula said.

Additionally, Capt. Margeaux Auslander, Military Psychiatry Branch, chief of lab operations presented on the critical ways disinformation has impacted United States Soldiers, specifically regarding unit readiness, unit cohesion, and attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccines.

“We’ve found that Soldiers with favorable perceptions of unit cohesion and readiness were less likely to view disinformation as a problem in their unit,” Auslander said. “Soldiers who viewed disinformation as a problem were less likely to agree that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe. This can impact behavior (i.e., vaccination uptake) and ultimately military readiness.”

She added that Soldiers with leaders who took actions to reduce misinformation had more favorable opinions toward vaccinations, showing how senior leader influence plays a role in Army readiness.

This year, 209 individuals attended the event in-person and virtually. According to Fouapon, WRAIR had three areas of collaboration with the Smithsonian resulting from the first One Health Research Symposium.

Dr Pierre Comizzoli, Smithsonian Institute, research veterinarian visited the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science, in Bangkok, Thailand, to build partnership with the WRAIR forward lab.

Dr Gordon Joyce’s, chief of Structural Biology collaborated with the Smithsonian’s conversation biology and Zoo department to discuss possibility to develop vaccine for elephant herpes virus.

Lastly, WRAIR and the Smithsonian team are currently working on 2 Global Emerging Infections Surveillance antimicrobial resistance proposals to explore water-borne and soil bacteria relevant to combat wound infections to troops exposed in waterways and soil.

The researchers reflected on the overall experience at the conclusion of the event.
“The value of the symposium was to see first-hand how your own research relates to your colleagues,” Pecor said. “[It] provided many opportunities to make new connections that can develop into strong collaborations and future research projects.”

• Date Taken: 05.10.2023
• Date Posted: 12.29.2023 17:24
• Story ID: 444651
• Location: SILVER SPRING, MD, US