QUICK LINKS Today's News News releases ISU homepage NEWS RELEASE 10-07-03 Contacts: Dr. James Roth, Center for Food Security and Public Health, (515) 294-8459 Dr. Gayle Brown, Center for Food Security and Public Health, (515) 294-7366 Teddi Barron, News Service, (515) 294-4778 CDC TAPS ISU'S CENTER FOR FOOD SECURITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH TO BE NATIONAL SPECIALTY CENTER AMES, Iowa -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine's Center for Food Security and Public Health a CDC Specialty Center in Public Health Preparedness for Veterinary Medicine and Zoonotic Diseases. The Specialty Centers for Public Health Preparedness Program is a coordinated national effort that focuses on improving the capacity of frontline public health workers and clinicians to address current and emerging public health threats. It was established in 2000. The 12 specialty centers are based at academic institutions and concentrate on education and training. They provide model public health practice curricula, information and training to support preparedness for bioterrorism, disease outbreak investigation and other public health emergencies. "We are honored to be recognized by the CDC as the only Specialty Center for Public Health Preparedness to focus specifically on veterinary medicine and zoonotic diseases," said Dr. James Roth, director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health. "By integrating veterinary and human medical expertise, we can better serve the public health needs of the nation." The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) was founded in July 2002 with support from the CDC. The ISU center integrates veterinary medicine and expertise in zoonotic diseases and public health with the ongoing activities and needs of the CDC. CFSPH focuses on awareness education on bioterrorism, zoonotic diseases and agroterrorism, and the formation of a Public Health Auxiliary Support Team for Emergency Response. The center also works to increase the number of veterinarians with master's of public health degrees, and organizes scientific conferences related to zoonotic and agroterrorism issues. The 11 other CDC national specialty centers are listed below. Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University Center for Law and the Public's Health Saint Louis University Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections University of Findlay (Ohio) Center for Terrorism Preparedness University of Georgia Center for Leadership in Education and Applied Research in Mass Destruction Defense University of Louisville Center for Deterrence of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism Texas A&M University National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center Northern Arizona University Center for the Study of Dangerous Pathogens New York University Center for the Study of Psychosocial Aspects of Bioterrorism University of Michigan Clinical Simulation Center Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Center for Bioterrorism and Disaster Preparedness Emory University Southeastern Center for Emerging Biological Threats Representatives from all 12 specialty centers will meet Oct. 14-15 in Athens, Ga., to discuss accomplishments and develop collaborative projects. Dr. Gayle Brown, veterinary specialist, and Dr. Radford Davis, assistant professor of veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine will represent ISU's CFSPH at the meeting. More information on CFSPH is available at http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/. -30- Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4111 Published by: University Relations, online@iastate.edu Copyright © 1995-2003, Iowa State University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.