TEPHI Texas Public Health Summit 2024: From Pasture to Patient

Members of the SPECTRE staff took in a day of talks and panels at the TEPHI Texas Public Health Summit 2024: From Pasture to Patient on September 25. This year’s summit, which took place on the UT Health campus in Houston, was attended by public health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and community advocates from across Texas. Organized by the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI), this year’s summit focused on addressing pressing public health challenges, advancing health equity, and fostering collaborations that promote a healthier future for all Texans.

The summit’s theme, “From Pasture to Patient” highlights the intricate relationships between food production and public health outcomes. Food systems—from how crops are grown, and animals are raised, to how food is processed and distributed—play a critical role in determining the health of communities. For Texas, a state known for its abundant agricultural output, understanding the impact of farming and ranching practices on public health is key to creating sustainable solutions that benefit both rural and urban populations.

With its vast livestock industries and diverse wildlife, Texas also faces ongoing challenges related to current and emerging zoonotic diseases—those transmitted between animals and humans. Rabies, West Nile virus, and Hantavirus are well-established zoonoses in the state, often transmitted by wild animals like bats, rodents, and mosquitoes. Meanwhile, emerging zoonoses such as avian influenza and Lyme disease are of increasing concern due to factors like climate change, urban expansion, and globalization, which alter habitats and animal-human interactions. Vigilant surveillance, biosecurity measures on farms, and public awareness are critical in preventing outbreaks and mitigating their impact on both public health and the economy.

The 2024 summit featured speakers and panelists who are experts in public health, healthcare policy, and epidemiology. These experts included researchers, veterinarians, physicians, and epidemiologists from the Texas Department of State Health Services, various county and city health departments, and academic institutions like Texas A&M and Baylor College of Medicine. Those in attendance also represented a wide range of researchers and public health professionals in various capacities which provided ample opportunity for networking.

https://tephi.texas.gov/events/txphs

Shannon is a Research Associate II for the SPECTRE Program.