An EconoTimes perspective

Chelsea Himsworth

Regional Director for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, University of British Columbia

Regional Director for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, University of British Columbia I am a veterinary pathologist (basically veterinary specialist with expertise in understanding animal health and disease). I completed my DVM training and pathology residency (have a MVetSc and am a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists) at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. During that time I was introduced to the concept of One Health - that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are inextricably intertwined. I also gained an appreciation for the importance of transdisciplinarity (i.e., that we need to be able to adapt and implement knowledge from other disciplines in order to come up with innovative and impactful health solutions. For this reason, I pursued my PhD in UBC's School of Population and Public Health (Department of Medicine) and started the Vancouver Rat Project (VRP). The VRP is a research project focused on generating intelligence regarding urban rats and rat-associated risks in order to inform decision making and action. Currently, I am an Assistant Professor (Partner Track) with UBC, the Leader for Veterinary Science and Diagnostics with the Province of British Columbia, and the BC Regional Director for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.