Date/Time
Date(s) - 14/03/2025
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location
LR Wilson Hall Room# 1003

Dr. Travis Steffens – We are in this together: Leveraging Anthropology within One Health
Assistant Professor – Department of Sociology & Anthropology – University of Guelph

Over 5 billion people live within 100km of non-human primates (primates). Primates are one of the most diverse mammal groups in the world and are also one of the most endangered. Therefore, primate conservation is a public issue. New strategies are needed to improve conservation outcomes that have long-term positive impacts on primates. One strategy is the One Health approach. The One Health approach has been touted by veterinary medicine researchers and practitioners as a novel approach to considering the interconnected nature of human, animal, their shared environmental health. However, Anthropology as well as several other disciplines have long considered these interconnections.

My research and applied conservation/development work explores the human and lemur (lemurs are a group of primates only found in Madagascar and are the most endangered animal group in the world) interface to determine how best to conserve endangered lemur species while improving the lives of people that live in connection to these non-human animals. To achieve these objectives we leverage biological, socio-cultural, and medical anthropology in combination with ecology, veterinary medicine, and epidemiology. This talk explores the value of exploring these interactions and the preliminary results of our growing program.

Upcoming Speaker Series:

Friday, April 4, 2025 – 2:00pm – 3:30pm (*new time*)
Location: BSB 121 (*new location*)
Dr. Rhonda C. George (Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph)
Talk Title: We’re All in This Together? Unpacking Black Community Experiences in Health Advocacy and Policy in Ontario.
Research: Critical Race Studies, Black Studies, Intersectionality, Social Reproduction, Caribbean Diaspora