In this episode of "Paws & Reflect," Dr. Aysha Ahktar joins us to explore the profound connections between human and animal health. Dr. Ahktar, a renowned neurologist and public health specialist, delves into her work on how animal welfare and human well-being are intrinsically linked. She shares compelling insights from her book "Our Symphony with Animals," highlighting stories of resilience and healing. By examining the ethical, medical, and emotional dimensions of our interactions with animals, Dr. Ahktar makes a powerful case for compassionate conservation and a more empathetic approach to both human and animal health.

About the Guest: Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., is the Co-founder and CEO of the Center for Contemporary Sciences, (CCS) which is pioneering the transition to replace the use of animals in experimentation with more effective human-relevant testing methods and reduce the risks of pandemics and other human health threats by tackling root causes. A military veteran, she is a double-board certified neurologist and preventive medicine specialist, with a background in public health. Previously she served as Deputy Director of the U.S. Army Traumatic Brain Injury Program. As a Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Akhtar frequently deployed to assist with national public health emergencies.

For a decade, Aysha was a Medical Officer at the Food and Drug Administration, most recently in the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats, implementing studies on vaccine effectiveness and safety and using her Top-Secret Security Clearance to develop national preparedness strategies for public health threats. An international speaker, her work has appeared in numerous articles including those in The Independent, LA Times, The Hill and Salon. She has been interviewed for the New Yorker, New York Times, National Geographic, and WIRED, among others. Publications include the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Pediatrics, Journal of Public Health Policy, Lancet, and Reviews in the Neurosciences.

Aysha is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She is the author of the two books, Our Symphony With Animals. On Health, Empathy and Our Shared Destinies and Animals and Public Health, which argues for the need for health institutions to include animals as part of the “public” in public health. Aysha is a TEDx speaker.

Co-Creator & Host: Alexander Taylor Clayton - https://alexanderscorner.com/

Co-Founder & Brought To You By: ROLDA - The Romanian League in Defense of Animals - https://rolda.org/

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