Emerging Pandemic Threats Program
PREDICT • RESPOND • PREVENT • IDENTIFY
October 2012 RESPOND Update
SEAOHUN One Health Core Competency Regional Workshop
October 2-4, 2012, Bangkok, Thailand
Karin Hamilton joined colleagues from Tufts University and Training Resources Group in hosting
the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) One Health Core Competency
(OHCC) Regional Workshop for 3 days in Bangkok. Twenty-nine faculty members from the 14
faculties of SEAOHUN worked in mixed country tables to harmonize the country level
(Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam) domains into regional domains with examples of
competencies within each agreed upon domain. The group also discussed how to communicate
the One Health message with colleagues, students, stakeholders, etc as well as how to use the
OHCC and domains in their various university programs.
Above left: Participants worked in small groups to discuss strengths and areas of opportunity in
their respective faculties based on the OHCC domains. Above right: “Collaboration and
partnership” domain group poses together for a photo.
Above left: Participants from all four countries giving a sign together for One Health. Above
right: Participants laugh as they give each other brief Thai massages during an icebreaker at the
beginning of the workshop.
October 2012
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Above: Participants and facilitators at the SEAOHUN OHCC Regional Workshop.
Veterinary Public Health Residency program development
October 8, 2012, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Karin Hamilton met with Veerasak Punyapornwithaya at Chiang Mai University Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine to review the draft program guide for the upcoming Veterinary Public
Health residency program at CMU FVM. The guide was revised ahead of further meetings with
stakeholders, the veterinary education council, and intergovernmental agencies.
Jimma Intra-University Workshop Drives One Health Implementation
October 28, 2012 Ethiopia
Early on a Sunday morning, teaching faculty and deans representing departments of zoology,
statistics, behavioral science, environmental health, veterinary medicine, pathology, nursing,
community based education, environmental science and technology, population and family
health, animal science, agriculture and medical science came together to implement One
Health at Jimma University in South Western Ethiopia. While the meeting held three main
objectives; (1) to update on OHCEA activities to date, (2) to lay out plans for incorporation of
One Health concepts into different curriculums at the university and (3) receive a training on
One Health Advocacy – the most important output was bringing together faculty from different
disciplinary specialties to be part of an inclusive process of implementing the One Health
approach. UMN’s Mac Farnham led an interactive discussion on One Health Advocacy,
highlighting One Health Leadership Competencies developed at a Bellagio meeting in 2010 and
some of the challenges and opportunities of implementing One Health. The ‘Minnesota Model’
of One Health implementation, supported by strong connections and partnerships between the
university, state departments of health, agriculture and natural resources, as well as private
sector was an area of keen interest of faculty interested to know how a similar model might be
adapted in Ethiopia. Faculty were especially interested in specifics of training opportunities
available with OHCEA US university partners and how they can participate.
October 2012
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Above left: Mac Farnham and Jimma University faculty enjoy the health break. Above right:
Jimma university faculty gathered at the Central Jimma Hotel for the Intra-University One
Health faculty meeting.
One Health Workshop
October 30-31, 2012, Kampala, Uganda
Sylvia Wanzala returned home to Kampala, Uganda and in her role as a One Health resident,
organized a One Health Workshop that was held at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal
Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB) Makerere University. The workshop brought together
participants from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries (MAAIF), School
of Public Health, agricultural colleges, School of Nursing, the Ministry of Health (MOH), local
government, laboratories, and the Department of Disease Control and Environmental health.
Case studies on Brucellosis and Ebola were discussed in the context of the workshop’s theme:
Deepening the Practice of One Health Approach. Sylvia also met with personnel from MAAIF to
discuss potential projects for the One Health residents, resulting in draft proposals.
EcoHealth 2012: 4th Biennial Meeting of the International Society of
Ecology and Health
October 15-18, 2012 Kunming, China
Dominic Travis and Katey Pelican represented the University of Minnesota at the 4th Biennial
Meeting of the International Society of Ecology and Health held in Kunming, China this year.
Dominic presented “Ten Years of Ecosystem Health in Gombe National Park, Tanzania”. Katey
presented “Universities as One Health/EcoHealth ‘Game Changers’: Demonstrating How PublicPrivate-Academic Partnerships Can Advance Transdisciplinary Approaches”. Eleven SEAOHUN
and four OHCEA participants were supported by RESPOND to present at the conference as well.
Fred Kwizera, a student from Umutara Polytechnic Veterinary School in Rwanda, made his first
trip outside of Africa on his first plane flight ever to attend the EcoHealth conference and
present on the One Health Student Club that he formed with fellow students under the
October 2012
Emerging Pandemic Threats Program
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mentorship of Umutara and UMN faculty. Numerous UMN faculty members were co-authors
on 8 other posters and talks presented by SEAOHUN and OHCEA colleagues as listed at the end
of the update.
Above: Dominic Travis and Katey Pelican from UMN pose for a group photo with RESPOND
colleagues from the SEAOHUN and OHCEA networks.
Manuscript submitted to Ecohealth Journal
October 2012, UMN
Carolyn Garcia from UMN and co-authors Caroline Ryan, Robert Kibuuka, James Gashumba,
Ann Apio, Edmond Bukenya, Francis Mbuza from Rwanda, submitted a manuscript titled
“Challenges and Opportunities to Implementing a One-Health Approach to Zoonotic Disease
Response in North Eastern Rwandan Higher Educational Institutions” that is now under review
with the EcoHealth journal.
American Public Health Association annual meeting
October 27-31, 2012, San Francisco, California
Carolyn Garcia and Cheryl Robertson attended the APHA meeting where Carolyn presented a
poster titled “Strengthening the One Health Approach to Emerging Pandemic Threats through
University Partnerships: Examples from Africa and Southeast Asia”. Cheryl, Linda Halcon, and
Linda Olson Keller from the UMN School of Nursing were co-authors on the poster. Please see
a PDF of the poster at the end of this update.
Asian Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine annual meeting/
Asian Pacific Veterinary Conference
October 10-12, 2012 Bangkok, Thailand
Dominic Travis and Karin Hamilton attended the first Asian Pacific Veterinary Conference
(APVC) held in conjunction with the 5th Asian Federation of Laboratory Animal Science
October 2012
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Associations Congress, the 6th Thai Association for Laboratory Animal Science Congress, and the
5th Meeting of the Asian Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (ASZWM). The North American
Veterinary Conference partnered with SEAOHUN member, Mahidol University Faculty of
Veterinary Science, to host the APVC. Dominic and Karin were invited to speak at both the
APVC and the ASZWM, in addition to presenting on behalf of RESPOND/Tufts colleague, Felicia
Nutter, who could not attend. Presentations included “One Health Perspectives from Africa”
and “ One Health Success Stories from North America” at the APVC and “Wildlife Disease
Surveillance in Africa”, “Wildlife Veterinary Medicine: North American Context”, and “Whale
Medicine” at the ASZWM.
Photographs were not allowed in the conference rooms during presentations so the only
pictures we have are of cultural Thai Night event which was similar to our MN state fair. Above
left: Karin Hamilton aims at the bull’s eye. Above right: Dominic Travis pauses for a photo with
a Thai colleague before shooting a bow and arrow at balloons.
Report on outbreak response capacity building and development of
One Health university networks under OCHEA
October 2012, University of Minnesota
Michael Mahero worked with Ugandan colleagues, Dr. Anna Rose Ademun Okurut and Dr. Paul
Ssajjakambwe, to create a report on their recent visit to UMN. Over two weeks, they
participated in an exchange program to establish outbreak response capacity building and
development of One Health university networks. The team participated in the development of a
proposal for a regional diagnostic lab to be based in Uganda, planned for the set up and
collaborative use of a histopathology scanner, and briefly rotated through various areas of
interest within the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the CVM. Paul, Rose, and Michael also toured
the joint MN Departments of Agriculture and Health laboratories, discussed the East African
Regional Laboratory (EARL) concept with VDL and UMN RESPOND leadership, and learned
about the use of the Aperio system at the UMN Medical School. Dr. Rose Ademun made a
presentation at the CVM titled “Anthrax outbreak investigation and response in Queen
Elizabeth National Park in Uganda; A stimulus to a culture of One Health disease investigation
approach; Sharing experience.”
October 2012
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Above left: Rose learns about the Aperio system at the Medical School. Above center: Michael
and Paul at the MDA/MDH laboratories. Above right: Rose, CVM Dean Trevor Ames, and Paul.
Above left: Rose gives a presentation at the CVM. Above right: Paul visits various areas of the
VDL.
Discovering an important interface for the One Health approach at
Akagera National Park, Rwanda
October 24, 2012, Rwanda
Making use of a new university bus for an eager opportunity to learn about One Health in a real
life context, Mac Farnham accompanied students and teaching faculty from Umatara
Polytechnique in Northeastern Rwanda to the Akagera National Park to discover an important
interface between human, livestock, wildlife, and the environment. In a world where an ever
increasing human population demands more livestock for food and animal products, along with
more land and water to support both livestock and human populations in areas where land and
water are limited, the pressure and competition for those resources from human, livestock, and
wildlife populations highlights a complex global challenge. This interface, interaction, and
interconnectedness between populations is theorized to be one of the main drivers increasing
risk of emerging diseases through contributing to emergence, amplification and globalization of
infectious agents. While the theory and convincing examples (like SARS, Tuberculosis,
Brucellosis, West Nile Virus, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, H1N1 & H5N1 Influenza viruses among
others) are there, it takes a hands-on approach to begin to appreciate the global effects of local
issues and challenges.
October 2012
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Above left: Group stops just outside park entrance to look for zebra herding in with cattle.
Above right: Group gathered for photo on termite mound.
Above left: New electrified fencing being installed to separate livestock, humans and wildlife.
Above right: Young herder and an Ankole steer.
Ecohealth 2012 Conference Abstracts:
Ejobi F, Bender J, Farnham M, Hamilton K, Pelican K, Rwego I, Tamale A, Travis DA, Wanzala S.
Developing one health practitioners through applied, problem-based training: A ‘One Health
Residency’ model.
Hung N-V, Travis DA, Pfeiffer D, Chotinun S, Zinsstag J, Grace D, Siriaroonrat B, Wilcox B.
Framing the problem of emerging zoonotic disease risk using a one health approach.
Kallayanamitra C, Potapohn M, Hamilton K, Steele J, Punyapornwithaya V. Assessing Hill Tribe
Zoonotic Disease Risk Associated with Livestock Production: Population EcoHealth
Vulnerabilities and Emerging Food-Borne and Zoonotic Parasitic Diseases in Asia.
Kwizera F, Kibuuka R, Umwiza Gahizi I, Ryan C, Garcia C. EcoHealth Student Club”: A Model of
Inter-Professional Collaboration to Strengthen Surveillance, Preparedness, and Response to
Infectious Zoonotic Threats.
October 2012
Emerging Pandemic Threats Program
PREDICT • RESPOND • PREVENT • IDENTIFY
Pelican K, Conrad P, Epstein J, Farnham M, Hatch D, Johnson CK, Mazet J, Nzietchueng S,
O’Brien T, Pappaioanou M, Pekol A, Rwego I. Universities as One Health/EcoHealth ‘Game
Changers’: Demonstrating How Public-Private-Academic Partnerships Can Advance
Transdisciplinary Approaches.
Potapohn M, Kreausukon K, Robert CS, Robert L, Unahalekhaka A, Lirtmunlikaporn S, Steele J,
Hamilton K, Apidechkul T, Wilcox B. Borderland Highlander Ethnic Minorities of Northern
Thailand in Transition: Livelihoods, Livestock, and Human Health.
Saenna P, Toan LQ, Hung N-V, Hamilton K, Chotinun S, Ngamwongsatit P, Sangmaneedet S,
Steele J, Unahalekhaka, A, Wilcox B. Food Safety and Emerging Foodborne Pathogens in
Thailand and Viet Nam.
Travis DA, Lonsdorf EV, Gillespie TR, Lipende I, Murray C, Terio KA, Kinsel MJ, Raphael J, Wilson
M, Pusey AE, Hahn BH. Ten Years of Ecosystem Health in Gombe National Park, Tanzania.
October 2012