NOAA Response to: One Ocean, One Health: NOAA in the Lead

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NOAA Response toOne Ocean, One Health NOAA in
the Lead

• A Report from the NOAA Science Advisory Boards
  Ocean Health Working Group

Paul A. Sandifer, Ph.D. Senior Science Advisor to
the NOAA Administrator NOS Senior Scientist for
Coastal Ecology
March 9, 2011
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Background

• The OHWG was convened by the SAB in March 2009,
  at the request of the NOS, to review and provide
  advice on how to better define NOAAs role and
  actions to enhance ongoing and future human and
  organism health-related science and management
  efforts.

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OHWG Charge Questions

• What are NOAAs unique and important scientific
  roles in addressing ocean health issues?
• 2) What are the right ocean health science
  questions, products and services for NOAA?
• 3) Are there additional ocean health science
  issues that should be included in the NOAA
  research portfolio? If so, what are these?
• 4) What are the appropriate steps for NOAA to
  incorporate and advance ocean health as part of
  its core mission?
• 5) How could NOAA more systematically develop
  ocean health products and services to enhance
  ecosystem, organism, human, and community health?
• 6) How can NOAA better integrate among its major
  programs, including activities conducted within
  the agency and those supported in the external
  community, to better define and assess ocean
  health issues?

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OHWG Membership

• Dr. Lorraine Backer, Centers for Disease Control
• Dr. Daniel Baden, University of North Carolina at
  Wilmington
• Dr. Shannon Briggs, Michigan Dept. of
  Environmental Quality
• Dr. Thomas Chandler, University of South Carolina
• Dr. Rita Colwell , University of Maryland
• Dr. David Fluharty, University of Washington
• Dr. Frances Gulland, The Marine Mammal Center
• Dr. Frank Kudrna, Jr., Kudrna Associates
• Dr. David Letson, University of Miami
• Dr. Carolyn Thoroughgood, University of Delaware
• Dr. Stephen Weisberg, Southern California Coastal
  Water Research Project (Chair)

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SAB Action On OHWG Report

• At our March 2010 meeting the SAB approved the
  OHWG Report as advice to NOAA on implementation
  of its critical engagements in human health and
  organism health -- both within NOAA and among its
  many Partners. NOAA has a clear leadership role
  based on its unique qualifications to monitor
  certain aspects of the marine environment and to
  provide forecasts of conditions that potentially
  affect human and organism health. 
• The NOAA SAB encourages you Dr. Lubchenco and
  NOAA to take these recommendations seriously and
  to implement them as soon as possible. It is
  pointed out that these concerns belong in NOAAs
  Next Generation strategic planning at the
  national level as well as at the regional level.

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From OHWG Report, page 11
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OHWG Findings

• 1 There is urgent need for action.
• 2 NOAA is well positioned to meet this need.
• 3 NOAA has a diverse health portfolio, but the
  pieces need to be linked together to form a more
  comprehensive, coordinated program.
• 4 NOAA needs to better quantify and communicate
  the benefits of its investments in health-related
  activities.

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OHWG Recommendations

• 1 NOAA should establish health protection,
  preservation and enhancement as an agency-wide
  goal.
• 2 NOAA should develop a comprehensive plan for
  its health program.
• 3 NOAA should focus initially on several
  priority projects.
• - Forecasts of impending threats
• - Surveillance systems
• - Climate change effects
• - Health benefits from the sea

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Rec. 1 Health Should Be An Agency-Wide Goal

• NOAA should acknowledge that identification and
  protection of ocean-health linkages are critical
  to the agencys core mission and commit at the
  highest administrative level to a national
  leadership role appropriate to the agency unique
  skill sets and capabilities. NOAAs Next
  Generation Strategic Plan provides an opportunity
  for the agency to incorporate health concerns
  into the agencys mission in a meaningful way.
  The newly formed Climate Service will also allow
  NOAA to highlight products useful to individuals
  who must make decisions on the long-term effects
  of climate change on health of humans and
  organisms.

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Action1.1 Health in the NGSP

• Connections between human health and well being
  and the health and resilience of natural
  ecosystems noted throughout the NGSP
• Incorporates stronger focus on health risks and
  benefits than any previous strategic plan, with
  four times more use of terms such as human and
  public health, health and healthy

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Action 1.1 Health in the NGSP

• Four overarching goals
• 1. Climate Adaptation Mitigation
• 2. Weather-Ready Nation
• 3. Healthy Oceans
• 4. Resilient Coastal Communities Economies
• Health references in all four but strongest in 2
  and 4.

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Action 1.1 Health in the NGSP

• Weather-Ready Nation NOAA has unique ability to
  combine weather, climate, ocean and coastal
  information to develop integrated environmental
  predictions to improve community and ecosystem
  health.
• Resilient Coastal Communities NOAA will examine
  transport and fate of chemicals, nutrients,
  sediments, pathogens, harmful algal blooms,
  toxins and marine debris and predict health
  threats to marine ecosystems and humans.

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Action 1.1 Health in the NGSP

• Healthy Oceans NOAA will reduce health hazards
  to humans and animals from seafood contaminated
  with HAB toxins, chemicals, and pathogens and
  improve recognition of health benefits from
  consumption of high quality seafood.
• Science Technology Enterprise NOAAs
  capabilities in environmental monitoring,
  modeling, and prediction would support
  development of ocean health early warning
  systems.

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Action 1.2 Health in the AGM

• NOAA will work with other agencies and partners
  to increase understanding of and ways to mitigate
  DWH spill impacts on human health and well being.
• NOAA should pursue capabilities to forecast
  high-impact events such as tornados, hurricanes,
  floods, air quality, winter storms, tsunami, and
  ocean health-related threats from harmful algal
  blooms, chemical contaminants, and pathogens.

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Action 1.3 Strengthen Strategic Partnerships

• NOAA has developed new or enhanced partnerships
  in four key health areas
• One Health
• Public Health
• Climate Change
• DWH Spill Health Issues

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Action 1.3 Strengthen Strategic Partnerships

• One Health
• Re-invigorated cross-NOAA One Health team
• One Health approach in climate adaptation
  planning
• One Health integrated into USGCRP strategic
  planning
• Leading interagency One Health discussions via
  IWG-4H
• Working with WHO, CDC , NIH, academic and state
  partners re zoonotic diseases
• Engaging with USGS, USFWS, USDA on shared data
  systems displays for monitoring fish wildlife
  health
• In discussion with USAID re integrating ocean,
  climate, marine mammal health data into their
  global program

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Action 1.3 Strengthen Strategic Partnerships

• Public Health
• Local, state and national public health agencies
  including CDC and NIH within the DHHS and APHA
• MOU with NIH Fogarty Intl Center for
  biodiscovery work
• Broad MOU with CDC for research, training, data
  sharing, etc.
• NWS-CDC joint messaging effort re health issues
• NWS, WHO and OHHI integrate NOAA data into WHO
  global information system for health forecasts
• OHHI and WHO on climate change impact on water
  facilities
• OHHI and WHO on graduate training opportunities
• Sea Grant connecting NOAA and partner health
  researchers to public health community
• Numerous other activities/discussions involving
  NOS, NWS, OAR, NMFS, and with many state,
  federal, and international agencies and the
  academic community.

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Action 1.3 Strengthen Strategic Partnerships

• Climate Change
• National assessments of climate change impacts,
  including health advice to DHHS and others
• NOAA OHHI co-led development of IWG on Climate
  Change and Human Health it produced 1st
  comprehensive report on research needs related to
  human health effects of climate change. formal
  IWGCCH established under USGCRP, with NOAA as
  co-chair
• NOAA OHHI, NWS, and NESDIS partnering with
  CDC-sponsored Environmental Public Health
  Tracking Network with states, including coastal
  health threats and heat waves
• Chaired or co-chaired numerous climate change-OHH
  sessions at national science meetings (AAAS,
  APHA, NCSE)
• NOAA MMHSRP partnering with federal, state,
  tribal and academic partners re climate change
  effects on marine mammals
• OAR established RISA on climate and urban health
  numerous activities by Sea Grant on climate
  adaptation

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Action 1.3 Strategic Partnerships

• DWH Oil Spill Response Health Issues
• NOAA has engaged broadly in seafood safety,
  marine mammal health assessments, coordination
  with NIEHS on longitudinal study of 55,000 people
  involved in response and clean-up, and ensuring
  NOAA maintains readiness to respond to health
  issues that may arise for natural or man-made
  disasters.
• Involved in multiple partner work regarding
  analytic methods for dispersants and other
  contaminants and impacts to health risks
• NOAA proposed integrated ecosystem marine
  mammal human health risk assessment
• Sea Grant has worked across the spectrum to
  engage and inform partners, stakeholders,
  constituents and the public regarding a
  wide-range of potential spill-related
  environmental, animal, and human health issues

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2. Comprehensive Plan For NOAAs Health Program

• NOAA should develop a comprehensive plan for its
  health programs that
• Ties its health efforts to other federal agencies
  with complementary skills in environmental and
  public health
• Is based on a systematic risk characterization of
  health benefits and threats
• Includes transitioning of research to
  applications
• Creates a coordinating entity for health-related
  efforts across the agency and
• Provides funding for the OHHI commensurate with
  the plan (initial recommendation of level
  authorized in OHH Act).

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Action 2.1 Develop Comprehensive One Ocean,
One Health Plan for NOAA

• Step 1 Engaged effectively in ongoing planning
  efforts including the Presidents National Ocean
  Policy, the NGSP, the AGM, strategic plans in
  several Line Offices, and the IWGCCHH. Resulted
  in specific health priorities identified for
  NOAA.
• Step 2 Re-invigorated cross-NOAA One Health
  Working Group.
• Step 3 (Proposed) Formalize the One Health
  Working Group, led by the NOS Senior Scientist
  and OHHI, as a primary coordination and
  communication mechanism.

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Action 2.2 Characterize Ocean Health Risks and
Benefits

• Proposed Fund Distinguished Scholar(s) to
  characterize risk, benefits, economics.
• Proposed One or more of the OHHI Centers of
  Excellence undertake regional pilot study(ies) to
  acquire economic and risk data.
• Proposed Work with internal and external
  partners and NOAAs Social Science Committee to
  leverage resources to support.
• Build on pilots and partnerships advanced by
  other LOs for ocean-health related research,
  communication, and services.

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Action 2.3 Use the OHHI for Cross NOAA
Coordination

• OHHI has specific authorization under the OHH Act
  of 2004 for health activities, both within NOAA
  and with external partners
• Has strong history of effective cross-NOAA
  operations and partnering
• Widely recognized within NOAA, by other agencies,
  and in academia as credible, dependable partner
  and effective leader
• Overseen at a relatively high level
• Improve administrative efficiency by aligning
  with National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

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Action 2.4 Increase Funding for the OHHI

• The Presidents FY12 budget proposal includes a
  significant increase for the OHHI from 1M to
  2M

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3. Near-Term Focus on Priority Projects

• Forecasts of impending threats NOAA should
  extend its skills in forecasting to predict
  emerging diseases, pathogens, toxins, and
  contaminants likely to have an impact on health.
• Surveillance systems for pathogens, contaminants
  and toxins NOAA should be the lead agency for
  surveillance of ocean organismal physiological
  health, as well as mitigation of factors causing
  change in health.
• Climate change effects on health NOAA should
  identify the ocean-related health impacts from
  climate change and characterize the impacts of
  climate change on water supplies.
• Health benefits from the sea NOAA should make
  human health benefits from the ocean more
  accessible by encouraging and supporting the
  development of healthful seafood and other
  ocean-derived products including nutritional
  additives and pharmaceuticals.

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3.1 Forecasts

• Forecasts of impending threats NOAA should
  extend its skills in forecasting to predict
  emerging diseases, pathogens, toxins, and
  contaminants likely to have an impact on health.
• The NOAA response document lists numerous
  projects dealing with ecological forecasts,
  sentinel indicators such as dolphins and tidal
  creeks, and development of marine sensors related
  to a variety of ocean health threats including
  harmful algal blooms, pathogens, and chemical
  contaminants in all regions of the country
  including the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes,
  the Northeast, the Mid- and South Atlantic, and
  the Pacific Northwest.

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3.2 Surveillance Systems

• 2. Surveillance systems for pathogens,
  contaminants and toxins NOAA should be the lead
  agency for surveillance of ocean organismal
  physiological health, as well as mitigation of
  factors causing change in health.
• The NOAA Response numerous examples of
  surveillance strategy development by several NOAA
  entities in NOS, NWS, NMFS, OAR and in
  partnership with the CDC, NIH, NIEHS, Department
  of Veterans Affairs, WHO, GEOSS, USAID, and
  academia.
• NOAA is also developing enhanced diagnostic
  capabilities to distinguish between Leptospirosis
  (an infectious disease) and domoic acid poisoning
  (a HAB toxin) in sea lions, identifying DNA
  markers for ciaguatoxin (another HAB toxin)
  exposure, supporting a range of sensor
  development projects in NOS, OAR, and the
  external community, planning several workshops to
  identify health research, data and other needs
  and to support the National Climate Assessment,
  responding to marine mammal health emergencies
  and seafood safety issues, and much more!

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3.3 Climate Change

• 3. Climate change effects on health NOAA
  should identify the ocean-related health impacts
  from climate change and characterize the
  impacts of climate change on water supplies.
• Examples of NOAAs growing interest in climate
  change impacts on ocean health
• NWS - emphasis on water resources, drought
  prediction, and water cycle to improve abilities
  to forecast and protect ecosystem and human
  health.
• OAR - effects of ocean acidification on the
  health of marine organisms and associated
  implications for humans.
• NMFS - potential increases in duration of HAB
  events due to climate change.
• NOS and OAR - integrating climate change
  scenarios into storm-water runoff models to
  evaluate effects on health of coastal ecosystems
  including humans.
• All NOAA - Implementation of the National Ocean
  Policy will necessitate that NOAA address climate
  change effects related to ocean condition and
  health risks.

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3.4 Health Benefits

• Health benefits from the sea NOAA should make
  human health benefits from the ocean more
  accessible by encouraging and supporting the
  development of healthful seafood and other
  ocean-derived products including nutritional
  additives and pharmaceuticals.
• With the exception of seafood-safety related
  efforts, especially during the DWH spill, this is
  an area that has received less attention during
  the last couple of years due to funding
  constraints. However, the OHHI has funded several
  small grants in the biodiscovery arena and has
  recently partnered with the NIH Fogarty Centers
  International Conservation and Bioprospecting
  Group to leverage our limited resources with
  those of other agencies. OAR is supporting a new
  CI for Ocean Exploration, Research, and
  Technology that is also likely to include some
  biodiscovery work, and the OER has contributed to
  biodiscovery science.

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3.4 Health Benefits

• Health benefits from the sea NOAA should make
  human health benefits from the ocean more
  accessible by encouraging and supporting the
  development of healthful seafood and other
  ocean-derived products including nutritional
  additives and pharmaceuticals.
• With the exception of DWH-related
  seafood-safety efforts, this area has received
  less attention recently due to funding
  constraints.
• OHHI has funded several small biodiscovery
  grants
• OHHI partnered with the NIH Fogarty Centers
  International Conservation and Bioprospecting
  Group to leverage limited resources
• OAR is supporting a new CI for Ocean
  Exploration, Research, and Technology that is
  also likely to include some biodiscovery work
• OER and Sea Grant have contributed to
  biodiscovery science.

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Summary

• NOAA was pleased with the guidance provided by
  the SABs OHWG and is very actively responding to
  its recommendations. Results include
• The NGSP and AGM incorporate strong health
  references
• OHHI recommended for increase in FY12 Presidents
  Budget
• Established cross-NOAA One Health Working Group
• Substantially increased and enhanced health
  partnerships demonstrated NOAA leadership in
  numerous forums
• Conducting a broad suite of projects in
  OHWG-recommended areas
• Proposing to undertake risk characterization and
  economic studies
• Endorsed the OHHI as internal coordinating lead
  for NOAAs portfolio of health programs,
• Initiating development of a comprehensive One
  NOAA, One Health plan via workshop modeled on
  the successful Science Workshop

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Thanks!