The RESPIN project is proud to announce the launch of its first comprehensive online course, “IPBES & IPCC: Bridging Science, Policy & Practice” launched this February on the UNDP platform Learning for Nature. Designed to "simplify the complex," this self-paced learning journey provides a foundational understanding of two critical intergovernmental bodies: the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Modern human and veterinary medical interventions to combat infectious diseases depend on the continued efficacy of antimicrobial drugs. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the quintessential One Health challenge threatening human and animal health and welfare and has environmental effects on ecological communities in soil and water. Policy guidance on AMR needs to anticipate the likely outcomes of different interventions and courses of action. For that, transdisciplinary collaboration to understand the development, spread, and impacts of AMR is crucial. We report the outcomes of an international workshop that explored the challenges and opportunities for modelling AMR across One Health settings. They include the disparity of data quality and availability, the broader knowledge gaps in key areas such as the relationship between antimicrobial use (AMU) and AMR, and the difficulty of defining AMR as a single outcome given its heterogeneity. Differences between microbial species, resistance genes, environments (i.e., terrestrial vs. aquatic) and practical settings (e.g., human clinical vs. veterinary, or individual vs. population) complicate the generalizability of model applications. However, synoptic AMR metrics are necessary to cut through the complexity for policymaking. We discuss the status of AMR modelling with respect to a hierarchy of modelling evidence for decision-making. Finally, we consider learnings from modelling other wicked environmental challenges to develop a pragmatic approach to inform policy.

In time for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has launched a new clinical study aimed at helping improve how patients with colorectal cancer share information about the genetic risks to their family members. Supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the trial, “Family Communications After Genetic Testing,” seeks to enroll about 4,000 colorectal cancer patients and their at-risk relatives across the United States.