A new multidisciplinary public health initiative that would tap into UC Davis' strengths across a spectrum of fields ranging from medicine to agriculture is being considered by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and the campus deans.

Still in the exploratory stage, the initiative would focus on such timely issues as food safety, biodefense, telecommunications related to health, and diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. It would have the potential to unify current UC Davis efforts related to public health and position the campus for new research funding opportunities.

"UC Davis is uniquely poised to make a significant contribution to the state and the nation in support of efforts to combat infectious diseases and ensure the safety of the food supply - and to build centers of excellence that will carry its research and clinical training programs to new levels of excellence," wrote Hinshaw in a recent memo to the deans.

In the memo, she asked the deans to provide advice and participate in establishing an initiative that would take full advantage of UC Davis' potential.

"The campus has considered prior health initiatives, but this really is a critical time to move forward, particularly in view of increased public health needs and the expertise of UC Davis and our strong partnerships in healthcare across the state," Hinshaw said.

California is increasingly vulnerable to a variety of known and emerging infectious diseases due to the state's location on the Pacific Rim, its diverse geography and the mobility of its residents and visitors. Diseases like tuberculosis, encephalitis, Lyme disease and plague already are present in California. In the area of emerging diseases, the state already has the highest rate of hantavirus infection. In addition, West Nile virus, which in recent years has been moving west from the East Coast, is expected to appear in California within the next two years.

Emerging plant pests and diseases, such as sudden oak death, are also of concern because of the potential threat they pose to the state's landscape and agricultural crops.

There also is greater concern now about ensuring that the state is well prepared to deal with the threat of bioterrorism in the form of deliberately spread infectious diseases and contamination of the state's food supply.

With its research strengths in agriculture, the life sciences, primate biology, veterinary medicine and medicine, UC Davis has the expertise to deal with the threats of disease and bioterrorism at many levels, Hinshaw suggested.

"We are certainly the only university in the western United States with this breadth of scientific expertise," said Bennie Osburn, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. "However we don't yet have the facilities needed to study and diagnose many of these threats."

Several campus efforts are underway to establish new facilities and take advantage of federal funding that is being made available to better protect the public's health and the nation's food supply. These include a contained research facility for studying plant diseases and pests, a center devoted to preparing for large-scale medical and public-health events, and a high-security center for studying and diagnosing infectious diseases.

Contained research facility

The Contained Research Facility was constructed this year on Hopkins Road, across from the University Airport, by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The first of its kind in the United States, it is a complex of greenhouses and laboratories where research on agricultural pests and plant diseases can be conducted in a highly secure, biologically-contained environment.

Scheduled to open in early 2003, the new facility will house research projects related to food and fiber crops, especially those involving invading pests, disease-causing organisms and genetically modified plants. It also can be used for studies on the role that fresh fruits and vegetables may play in transmitting food-borne illnesses.

"Through the Contained Research Facility and related efforts, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will be able to play a significant role in the Public Health Initiative," said Neal Van Alfen, dean of the college. "With this new facility, our researchers will apply basic principles of epidemiology to plants as they work to monitor new and existing diseases and pests that threaten the nation's food supply."

• preparedness center

The UC Davis School of Medicine is working with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and various state agencies to obtain funding for a California Center for Preparedness. The center would be devoted to developing systems, technologies and procedures that would equip the state to respond to well-organized bioterrorist threats.

The center would consolidate and expand communications systems, coordinate training and education programs, foster research collaborations and apply biodefense systems for use in mainstream public health situations.

The Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases

The third and perhaps most ambitious project now being considered under the umbrella of the proposed public health initiative is a regional, high-containment facility for the study and identification of infectious organisms that are threats to both humans and animals.

UC Davis plans to soon prepare a proposal that will be submitted to the National Institutes of Health, soliciting federal funding for the proposed biodefense and emerging diseases center. Campus leaders also are in the process of updating local officials and consulting with experts in various fields related to the proposed facility, which is being referred to as the Western National Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases.

For about two years, the UC Davis schools of medicine and veterinary medicine have been exploring the possibility of establishing such a center on campus in collaboration with the California Department of Health Services and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The national center would include a Biosafety Level 3-4 laboratory, with the most sophisticated equipment and containment technologies to allow for the safe study of microorganisms that cause infectious diseases. The laboratory would focus on detection and identification of these microorganisms.

Could house existing vector-borne disease lab

It has been proposed that the center also would house the existing UC Davis Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, where researchers study diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and flies. Because of its climate and landforms, California must deal with a number of these vector-borne diseases, including malaria and Lyme disease, which affect people, and equine encephalitis, bluetongue and canine heartworm, which are health threats for animals. The Vector-borne Disease Center is part of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Furthermore, it has been suggested that the national center house a UC Davis Center for Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases. Zoonotic diseases are those transmitted from animals to humans.

"The Public Health Initiative proposal is timely because there are many funding opportunities at the federal level that can help support our ongoing efforts to improve public health," said Dr. Joseph Silva dean of the School of Medicine.

"We have a tremendous level of expertise in infectious diseases, emergency preparedness and telecommunications technology enabling us to reach communities throughout Northern California. Strengthening and coordinating these and other related programs on campus and in the state to protect the public are of great importance to California and the nation."