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Home » News » Science Café ‘The Greening of Cities – One Health Challenges’

Science Café ‘The Greening of Cities – One Health Challenges’

Greening the city brings more ticks, bees and wildlife in our environment, as the keynote speakers shared in their talks. Bringing both positive effects and challenges for for the health of animals, humans and the environment. Futhermore, 10 PhD students pitched their research. Sam Nooij was the winner of the NCOH Pitch award by public vote.

Watch the recording of the Science Café.

Keynote speakers

After a warm welcome by Professor Dick Heederik, chair of the NCOH Executive Board, three keynote speakers addressed the theme of this Science Café: ‘The Greening of Cities – One Health Challenges’.

Helen Esser

Helen Esser, Assistant Professor Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at Wageningen University & Research will give a lecture entitled: ‘Tick and the city: the biodiversity benefits and health risks of urban greening’

“Urban greening provides lots of benefits, but we need to think carefully about how to go about it”

Helen Esser

Maria Diuk-Wasser

Maria Diuk-Wasser, Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University, interested in environmental and anthropogenic factors driving the emergence of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases will give a lecture entitled: ‘The role of urban greenspace connectivity on the emergence of tick-borne diseases’

“Wildlife and humans love connected green spaces in cities, ticks love them too!”

Maria Diuk-Wasser

Mary Gardiner

Mary Gardiner, Professor at the Department of Entomology at Ohio State University – interested in ecology of urban greenspaces gives a speech entitled: ‘Reimagining Vacant Land as a Resource for Urban Bee Conservation’

Moderator of the meeting was Professor Arjan Stegeman of Utrecht University.

PhD and Postdoc Pitches

After the keynotes, preselected post docs and PhD students from all NCOH Partners pitched their research.

NCOH Partner PhD student Subject/title Pitch Presentation
1 Wageningen University & Research Ayla Hesp The use of whole-genome sequencing to monitor antimicrobial resistance in livestock
2 UMC Utrecht Remy Muts Understanding antibodies and their potential to combat antibiotic resistance
3 Utrecht University Kitty Exel Complex sugars as vaccine targets against S. aureus mastitis in cattle
4 KNAW Jurrian van Irsel Birds as vector for infectious diseases along the rural-urban gradient
5 Universiteit Leiden Jo-Anne Verschoor The search for novel plastic degrading enzymes
6 Erasmus MC Michelle Molendijk
7 Radboudumc Esther Taks BCG vaccination in the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic
8 Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC) Sam Nooij Faecal microbiota transplantation influences procarcinogenic Escherichia coli in multiple recurrent Clostridioides difficile infected patients
9 Amsterdam UMC Thomas Roodsant How zoonotic Streptococcus suis crosses human small intestine epithelium
10 RIVM Marieke de Cock The effect of urban green on wild rat populations and pathogen transmission risk

Powerpoint presentations

Have a look at the powerpoint presentations of the Science Café keynote speakers and PhD students:

Watch the recording of the Science Café

Organising committee

This symposium was organised by the NCOH Executive Board:

Prof. Dick Heederik, Utrecht University (chair)
Prof. Marc Bonten, Utrecht University Medical Center
Dr. Arjen van de Giessen, RIVM
Prof. Andrea Gröne, Utrecht University
Dr. Ferry Hagen, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Prof. Ludo Hellebrekers, Wageningen University and Research
Prof. Marion Koopmans, Erasmus Medical Center
Prof. Ed Kuijper, Leiden University Medical Center
Prof. Nathaniel Martin, Leiden University
Prof. Annemarie Rebel, Wageningen University & Research
Prof. Constance Schultz, Amsterdam UMC
Prof. Heiman Wertheim, Radboudumc

About NCOH

The Netherlands Centre for One Health (NCOH) aims for an integrated One Health approach to tackle the global risk of infectious diseases. NCOH commits to create durable solutions for this major challenge by bundling world-leading academic top research in the Netherlands in the area of One Health. This virtual science-driven institution focuses its efforts on four complimentary Strategic Research Themes.

The four NCOH Strategic Research Themes are complimentary and interactive. They focus on studying the interactions and connections between human, veterinary, wildlife, and environmental health in pursuit of durable solutions to grand societal challenges requiring a One Health approach.