Who is Calvin Schwabe?

Calvin Schwabe

Widely known as the "father of modern epidemiology," the late Calvin Schwabe had a productive and inspiring career that spanned 52 years. Twenty-five of those years were spent at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine as a professor of epidemiology, where he made significant and broad contributions to the study of zoonotic diseases, production and food animal medicine, and public health.

The term "one medicine" (forerunner of the more current term, One Health) was coined by Dr. Schwabe in his 1984 book, Veterinary Medicine and Human Health, to bring a renewed interest to the synergy that can emerge when health practitioners and scientists collaborate. His insightful words, "The critical needs of man include the combating of diseases, ensuring enough food, adequate environmental quality, and a society in which humane values prevail," are even more compelling today.

The Calvin Schwabe One Health Project honors Dr. Schwabe's prescience in reviving the "one medicine" concept, and continues to advance his vision.