Global One Health News

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OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

March 2019

Global health project supported by $3.39 million grant

Foodborne illnesses are critical global health problems, resulting in an estimated 600 million illnesses annually. Low- and middle-income countries bear most of the burden, largely due to poor food handling practices, weak regulatory systems and inadequate food safety laws. Barbara Kowalcyk, an assistant professor in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, wants nothing more than to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. She hopes her research study funded by a $3.39 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID) will provide important information that can be used to help improve food safety and enhance nutrition in low- to middle-income countries.

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Desalegne Mengesha Degefaw is the new associate director for GOHis eastern Africa regional office

Desalegne Mengesha Degefaw, DVM, MSc, was appointed as the new assistant director for GOHis eastern Africa regional office on February 22. Degefaw served as the president of the University of Gondar from December 2015-March 2019, and he is an alum of the Ohio State through the Fulbright Program. Degefaw has been one of the most active partners engaged with the Global One Health initiative (GOHi) from its inception. During his time at the University of Gondar, the university was ranked as the top university among first generation universities for two straight years and also achieving the quality award for a third consecutive year. GOHi and the Ohio State community welcomes Degefaw and is excited to have him join GOHi.

First Buckeye Day celebrated at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Convened by key federal partner institutes including the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Ethiopia, partners from Ohio State and the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, celebrated Buckeye Day on February 13. A two-hour workshop was held at the embassy with the participation of 11 Ohio State GOHi affiliated faculty, staff and students. The discussion focused on issues including food safety, air quality and the Global Health Security partnership.

Centennial Institute of International Education (IIE) Summit

IIE celebrated its 100th year with a large global summit held in New York City from February 17-19. GOHi and Ohio States Global Gateways participated in panel presentations focusing on executing global ambassadorship through global portals and gateway offices and creating strategic multi-disciplinary capacity building partnerships such as GOHi.

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GOHi External Advisory Board member spotlight

Margareth Diniz, MD, PhD, has served as rector at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) and has been one of the key GOHi partners since 2012. She is a physician scientist with a research focus in pharmacology and an emphasis on toxicology. Before becoming rector of UFPB, Diniz served as dean of the UFPB College of Health Sciences. She also serves as president of the Regional Northeast, National Association of Directors of Federal Institutions of Higher Education in Brazil.

The fight to ending tuberculosis worldwide

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on March 24 to build public awareness about the global epidemic of TB and efforts to eliminate the disease. Ohio States Global One Health initiatives (GOHi) Wondwossen Gebreyes, Getnet Yimer and Shu-Hua Wang, along with international colleagues and partners, are working on improving diagnosis of TB in humans and animals in Ethiopia, China, Guatemala and Brazil. To recognize World TB Day, the GOHi regional office in Ethiopia will host special events from March 21-24 in Semera.

Phase II of clinical specimen collecting training in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global Health Security project supported the development and implementation of training materials for health care workers in Ethiopia to improve the quality of specimens collected. This measure aims to address overall diagnostic outcomes and advance patient care in Ethiopia. GOHis Joan-Miquel Balada-Llasat, Jennifer Kue and Getnet Yimer co-led the training, which included supporting Ethiopian master trainers as they present the material at their regional and local facilities. Ongoing sustainability and long-term adoption of the skills are critical measures to support the ongoing improvement of patient care.

GOHi PhD fellow defends thesis

Alem Abrha Kalayu, one of GOHis PhD fellows, successfully defended his PhD thesis in medical microbiology on February 25 from Addis Ababa University. His PhD project focused on characterizations of S. aureus/MRSA from human and milk of dairy cows in Northern Ethiopia. Kalayu conducted his visiting scholarship at Ohio State facilitated by the GOHi office. Through his work, he identified novel resistance genes addressing one of the leading global public health problems, MRSA. His future research areas of interest include molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and laboratory capacity building. GOHi congratulates Kalayu and wishes him well in his professional career.

Reminder: Post Research Ethics Analysis conference

The Post Research Ethics Analysis (PREA) conference will take place at Ohio State, March 25-26. The goal is to bring together global researchers, ethicists and other humanitarians to consider the ethical challenges encountered in research and other evidence-generating activities in humanitarian settings. The conference is hosted by the PREA research project and Ohio States Center for Bioethics.

OHEART mentors and mentees discuss individual development plans

On February 7, OHEART Program Director and GOHi Executive Director Wondwossen Gebreyes met with mentors and mentees to outline individual development plans of each trainee during their time in the United States. In addition, each trainee introduced research background and objectives to program mentors in short presentations.

GOHi monthly webinar series

"Challenges and opportunities for conducting collaborative clinical studies in LMIC፡Experience from the field" will be presented on Thursday, March 21, 9-10 a.m. EST and 4-5 p.m. Eastern Africa Time by Dr. Getnet Yimer, Global One Health initiative eastern Africa regional director. All are welcome to attend in person at A100H Sisson Hall (1920 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio) or join remotely through Zoom online.

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External News

February 15

GOHi Partner Featured in BBC Food Science Article

"Gene-edited animal plan to relieve poverty in Africa."

March 15

Call for Proposals The Engagement Scholarship Consortium

The conference will be held October 8-9 (Pre-Conference: October 6-7) in Denver, Colorado.

March 19

Veteran and Military Student Mentorship Program

New program aimed at mentoring undergraduate military and veteran students interested in pursuing a post graduate degree in a health or medical field. Information session will take place on March 19, 5 p.m. in 1160 College of Dentistry.

March 25

Institute for Population Research 2019 Seed Grant

Deadline for applications is Monday, March 25.

April 1

Abstract deadline for the third Planetary Health Annual Meeting

Join the Planetary Health Alliance and Stanford University for the third Planetary Health Annual Meeting on September 4-6, 2019 at Stanford University.

April 16-18

Vector Summit in Pittsburgh, PA

The annual Vector Summit will increase the capacity of local mosquito and tick management professionals to detect, prevent, prepare for and respond to vector-borne disease.

April 16-18

2nd Call for Papers: The 4th International Conference on Organization and Management 2019

This years conference theme is on Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, Governance and Sustainability and will take place in Abu Dhabi, June 12-13.

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