2026 SLU Summit for Water
Water in One Health: The Environmental, Animal, and Human Health Nexus
Join the Saint Louis University WATER Institute, National Great Rivers, and the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation for the 2026 Summit for Water: Water in One Health: The Environmental, Animal, and Human Health Nexus.
2026 Summit Highlights
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Location: Busch Student Center, Main Floor
Registration opens for the in-person summit. Coffee will be available to attendees.
Location: Busch Student Center Wool Ballrooms, Rooms 171-172
- Amanda Cox, Ph.D., P.E., director of the WATER Institute, will welcome attendees and share key announcements.
- Paige Mettler-Cherry, Ph.D., director of operations and strategic initiatives, National Great Rivers
- Tami Brown, executive director, St. Louis Aquarium Foundation
- Leslie McClure, Ph.D., dean of the SLU College for Public Health and Social Justice,
will provide the opening address.
Director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine
Sharon L. Deem is director of the Saint Louis Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Medicine,
which applies a One Health approach to wildlife conservation, public health, and sustainable
ecosystems. She has led global One Health projects, trained future practitioners,
and delivered two TEDx talks on the topic. Deem co-authored the 2019 textbook Introduction
to One Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Planetary Health and previously worked
for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Smithsonian National Zoo. She holds a D.V.M.
from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in veterinary
epidemiology from the University of Florida. A past president of both the American
College of Zoological Medicine and the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians,
she also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri and a board
member of the Wildlife Restoration Foundation.
This panel will explore the interdependence of water, food production, and health. Panelists will discuss challenges such as nutrient runoff, waterborne pathogens, and the impacts of water use in livestock and crop systems. The discussion will highlight opportunities for sustainable practices that protect ecosystems while supporting agricultural productivity and food security.
This panel session will showcase initiatives and policy frameworks advancing One Health approaches to water challenges at local, national, and global scales. Panelists will discuss how policies can better integrate human, animal, and environmental health goals, and share examples of successful collaborations that are shaping the future of water management.
Amanda Cox, Ph.D., P.E., director of the WATER Institute, will provide concluding remarks to close the summit's first day.
Location: Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, Atrium (First Floor Entrance) and WATER Institute Research Labs (Lower Level).
Attendees are invited to a networking reception in the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center for light appetizers, wine, beer and nonalcoholic beverages.
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Zoom Webinar
Please register to receive the Zoom Webinar link. If you have already registered and
have not received the event link, please email water@slu.edu at your earliest convenience.
Virtual day program coming soon.
Cost
The conference is free to attend and open to the public.
PDH Certificates
We will offer completion certificates to professional engineers for professional development hours for each session you attend on the day of the event. Based on Missouri guidelines, the panels and the keynote presentations will each earn one hour, and each research presentation will earn 0.5 hour. Please indicate during registration that you would like to receive PDH certificates. After the event, we will verify your attendance and follow up with the certificates in PDF format.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide certificates for those who view the recorded content after the summit.
Summit Organizers
About the WATER Institute
The Water Access, Technology, Environment and Resources (WATER) Institute at Saint Louis University is an interdisciplinary research institute with the mission of advancing water innovation to serve humanity.
About National Great Rivers
Our mission at National Great Rivers is to study the ecology of the great rivers, the workings of the watersheds that feed them, and the ties to the river communities that use them.
About The St. Louis Aquarium Foundation
As the nonprofit partner to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, the Aquarium Foundation engages individuals through access, conservation and education programs, building powerful communities for water stewardship.
Questions?
Please contact Amanda Cox, director of the WATER Institute, at water@slu.edu with questions or concerns regarding this event.