Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative Newsletter

August 2025
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Greetings! The Minnesota State Fair is currently running through Labor Day and there's still time for you to visit our booth in the Eco Experience building. The Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative (MOHASC) booth is titled "Join the Fight Against Superbugs: A One Health Approach to Antibiotic Stewardship."

By visiting our booth, you can:

• Sign the antibiotic stewardship pledge.
• Try your luck at the “Question of the Day” and get your BINGO card stamped.
• Grab a “Superheroes Fight Superbugs” temporary tattoo and show off your support.
• Snag a magnet that reminds you to “Take it to the Box”—the safe way to dispose of leftover meds!

We're having a great time sharing our passion for One Health antibiotic stewardship with thousands of fairgoers and we hope to see you there! Learn more: MOHASC at the Minnesota State Fair.

MOHASC members work together to promote judicious antibiotic use and stewardship and to reduce the impact of antibiotic-resistant pathogens across the One Health spectrum. If you’re not already a member and are interested in being a part of these efforts, complete this brief MOHASC Partner Information Form indicating your interests. There are exciting things happening and we hope you’ll join us!

In this issue:

• Partner Spotlight
• MOHASC Updates
• In the News
• Current Research
• Upcoming Events & Opportunities
• Handy Links

Partner Spotlight

Health Hero: From MDH to CDC

Madeline Powers, MPH
Antibiotic Stewardship Public Health Specialist, CDC Foundation

"I was first introduced to antibiotic stewardship and one health through my role as a Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Applied Epidemiology Fellow with Minnesota Department of Health’s antibiotic stewardship team.

During my time as a fellow, I worked on a variety of impactful stewardship-related projects, including:

• Developing personalized feedback letters to send to high-volume antibiotic prescribers in Minnesota using Medicare Part D data.
• Distributing a survey to Minnesota dentists asking about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to antibiotic prescribing.
• Analyzing National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and hospital antimicrobial use prevalence survey data.

A highlight of my fellowship experience was being involved with MOHASC. I currently serve as Chair of MOHASC’s One Health Engagement Work Group and have loved helping organize MOHASC’s state fair booth, library display program, and field exchanges!"

Madeline Powers (left) and State Epidemiologist and Medical Director Ruth Lynfield (right) next to the MOHASC library display poster at the 2025 CSTE Conference. 

"The CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship program was the perfect way to start off my career in public health and gain hands-on epidemiology training, and I am so grateful to have learned from so many dedicated public health professionals at the Minnesota Department of Health.

I have now transitioned into a new role as an Antibiotic Stewardship Public Health Specialist with CDC Foundation, where I support CDC’s Office of Antibiotic Stewardship. My work focuses on strengthening relationships between Medicaid agencies and public health department stewardship programs. I am also analyzing national Medicaid antibiotic use data to examine prescribing appropriateness. Healthcare payers are often an overlooked partner for public health programs, but they can play a unique role in improving outpatient antibiotic use because of their ability to facilitate quality improvement. It has been exciting to apply the skills and knowledge gained during my fellowship to contribute towards antibiotic stewardship efforts at the national level, while also continuing to be involved with MOHASC initiatives in Minnesota!"

MOHASC Updates

MOHASC Members Attend University of Minnesota Institute on Infectious Diseases Kickoff Symposium

MOHASC was well represented at the recent Kickoff Symposium for the new University of Minnesota Institute on Infectious Diseases (UMIID). The mission of UMIID is to identify and respond to emerging and contemporary infectious diseases for outbreak and disease mitigation and control, and to train the next generation of pandemic and epidemic response experts. The University of Minnesota Medical School launched UMIID to leverage its experience coming out of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic when they learned that their array of diverse expertise was well-suited to bring a One Health approach to the ongoing challenge of infectious disease research and mitigation.  Today, UMIID works to leverage their partners internally at the University of Minnesota and externally from around the world. By maintaining these collaborative relationships and through the infrastructure of UMIID, they hope to identify, define, and control infectious disease outbreaks locally, regionally, and globally. You can learn more at University of Minnesota Institute on Infectious Diseases. Photo left to right: Dr. Kristen Clark, Dr. Jan Mladonicky, Dr. Jeff Bender

In the News

MOHASC Member, Dr. Joni Scheftel, Honored with Global One Health Award by the World Veterinary Association

Dr. Joni Scheftel is being recognized for her extraordinary contributions to advancing One Health principles throughout her distinguished four-decade career. Her dedication to antimicrobial stewardship, public health collaboration, and interdisciplinary leadership exemplifies the integrated approach required to address global health challenges.

As the former State Public Health Veterinarian for Minnesota and a longstanding member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Dr. Scheftel played a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of AVMA’s One Health initiatives, particularly during her six-year tenure (2016–2022) on AVMA’s Committee on Antimicrobials (CoA), where she served first as vice-chair and later as chair. In these leadership roles, Dr. Scheftel was instrumental in developing critical resources, including the AVMA’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Definition and Core Principles and the accompanying Veterinary Checklist for Antimicrobial Stewardship (PDF), now widely used by veterinary practitioners.

Congratulations, Dr. Scheftel!

You can read more about Dr. Scheftel's contributions to global One Health in the news release: World Veterinary Association: U.S. Veterinarian Dr. Joni Scheftel Honored with One Health Award in the WVA Global Veterinary Awards.

Current Research

Pet treats, Salmonella, and antimicrobial resistance: A One Health problem

Parker, E., Mollenkopf, D.F., Cong, L., Ballash, G.A., and Wittum, T.E.

Pet treats and food can be contaminated by zoonotic pathogens, including Salmonella and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The health of pets and humans can be negatively impacted as a result. To better understand this potential risk, researchers purchased 505 pet treats from pet and farm supply stores, grocery stores, and online retailers in the U.S. over a period of 16 months to identify and characterize potential pathogens. Contamination and associated risk varied by purchase location and type of treat. This study emphasizes that safe pet food handling education is important for pet owners.

Citation:

Parker, E. M., Mollenkopf, D. F., Li, C., Ballash, G. A., & Wittum, T. E. (2025). Pet treats, Salmonella, and antimicrobial resistance; a One Health problem. Preventive veterinary medicine, 244, 106622. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106622

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

SAVE THE DATE! U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week is Nov. 18-24 U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week will again be celebrated in conjunction with World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Week from Nov. 18 to 24. MOHASC is planning several events and outreach campaigns in collaboration with our partner organizations. Look for more details in our next MOHASC newsletter! Learn more at CDC: U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW)

Trivia Answer!

E) All of the above Everyone has a role to play in fighting antibiotic resistance! Head over to the Eco Experience Building at the Minnesota State Fair now through Labor Day and check out our MOHASC booth—it’s all about how we keep antibiotics working for people, animals, and the environment.

At the booth, you will:

• Learn how antibiotics help us—and how overusing them can create scary superbugs.
• Find out how tossing meds in the trash (or worse, down the drain!) can pollute Minnesota’s lakes and rivers.
• Meet real-life experts from human, animal, and environmental health ready to share their super-knowledge!

Handy Links

• Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative
• MDH: Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship
• CIDRAP: Antimicrobial Stewardship Project
• MPCA: Don't flush medicines down the drain
• CDC: Antimicrobial Resistance
• CDC: Antibiotic Prescribing and Use
• FDA: Antimicrobial Resistance
• USDA: Antimicrobial Resistance

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