Ohio State University Extension and the College of Veterinary Medicine will host a conference on emerging infectious diseases of concern to public and veterinary health. Led by distinguished health care professionals, the conference will provide updates on research in these critical areas.

The conference, titled, “One Medicine Conference: Contemporary Issues in Public Health,” will be held Sept. 11-12, 2008. The concept of One Medicine unites medical professionals and bridges the gap between human and animal health.

Lonnie King, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, senior veterinarian for the Centers for Disease Control, will be the keynote speaker, providing insight on emerging diseases. King, a native of Wooster, Ohio, earned a bachelor of science and doctor of veterinary medicine from Ohio State University in 1966 and 1970.

Other speakers include members of the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at Ohio State and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. They will address Clostidium dificile and avian influenza, as well as other infectious diseases