In May I was informed that the Board of Trustees at The Ohio State University approved my recommendation for promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure. All those in academia know the significance of this milestone and the feeling of validation that comes with it. I am immensely grateful and proud of this accomplishment and somehow even more motivated for the next ‘big win.’ Because in my line of work, the kind that focuses on teaching, outreach, knowledge generation, and service, my wins are anything but my own.

With this new title of Associate Professor comes another new title – one that encapsulates my work’s mission and what I hope to continue to build upon now that the foundation is firmly placed: my “lab” name. As an epidemiologist, I don’t have a formal laboratory with cutting-edge diagnostics. However, the definition of ‘laboratory’ is a room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research, or teaching. As such, I feel the term is fitting…and with that, I introduce the INTERFACE Lab (Interdisciplinary Training and Epidemiologic Research For Animals, Communities, and Environment).

INTERFACE Lab

Working at the interface of humans, animals, and the environment through capacity building, applied research, and community engagement

June 2022  – Representatives from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine co-facilitated Curriculum Assessment Training Workshops with the Royal University of Agriculture (Cambodia – June 9th), Khon Kaen University (Thailand – June 16-17), and the University of the Philippines, Los Baños (Philippines – June 21-22). The OSU representatives included Veterinary Public Health (VPH) Residents Dr. Andrea Bessler (Cambodia’s program manager), Dr. Samantha Swisher (Thailand), and Dr. Aminata Kalley (Philippines), and the VPH Program Directors, Dr. Armando Hoet and Dr. Amanda Berrian.

The workshops were conducted using the Assessment and Implementation of Day 1 Competencies (AID-1C) methodology, which evaluates the competency of new veterinary graduates based on the WOAH (formerly OIE) Recommendations on the Competencies of Graduating Veterinarians and Veterinary Education Core Curriculum Guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is to help veterinary educational establishments (VEEs) prepare their graduates to serve in their national veterinary services by providing a strong background in veterinary public health and preventive medicine. The AID-1C methodology was first developed by OSU faculty in collaboration with partners at the University of Gondar in Ethiopia in 2015.

During the recent workshops, faculty from the three host institutions were trained as AID-1C facilitators, in preparation for implementation of Curriculum Assessment Workshops at their universities in October 2022. Forty-two (42) other VEEs in SE Asia were also invited to select one representative to attend these events to receive coordinator training to implement the AID-1C process in their own institution. These workshop participants will be invited to attend as observers when Khon Kaen University and University of the Philippines – Los Baños conduct their curriculum assessments in October 2022, with the expectation that they will complete the AID-1C process at their own institutions the following year.

The facilitated AID-1C process is a component of the Day 1 Platform for Veterinary Education. The goal of the Day 1 Platform is to provide VEEs and faculty in low- and middle-income countries access to high-quality, peer-reviewed, modern teaching materials and techniques that can be readily adopted and adapted for specific teaching needs. Delivery of content is through an online platform available to qualified VEEs, with easy-to-download materials. Access to and use of the Day 1 Platform is facilitated through personalized support by qualified veterinary educators. The Day 1 Platform includes a fully tested Curriculum Evaluation Tool for WOAH Day 1 Graduating Veterinarian Competencies, designed at OSU to identify gaps in an individual VEE’s curriculum and highlight improvements needed to better meet the WOAH Day 1 Competencies.

Dr. Berrian examines the One Health schematic, most frequently represented as a classic Venn diagram, in this op-ed published in the Global One Health initiative September Newsletter.

In recognition of outstanding early career contributions and distinguished service to animal health and human health in the true spirit of One Health, Dr. Berrian was awarded the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society  (AVES) Early Career Professional Achievement Award. The award was presented during a virtual ceremony on August 2, 2021 and included AVES members and award recipients from academia, state and federal public health agencies, and military.

The mission of AVES is to advance the field of veterinary epidemiology and public health in the spirit of One Health through educational symposia and the recognition of leaders and students.

Dr. Amanda Berrian shares her journey as a One Health practitioner and discusses her role as a founder of one of the first student One Health Clubs in the world. We also explore the importance of One Health education initiatives. Knowing how to effectively communicate and network in a scientific, academic or professional setting is essential; we dive into key tips for communication and networking with both stakeholders and potential collaborators.

The 2020-21 Office of Outreach and Engagement Impact Research Grants seek to identify faculty or faculty-led teams that turn their attention outward, with the community, addressing a pressing public issue or shared problem. From 56 applications, Dr. Berrian was one of 12 faculty to have been awarded a $10,000 grant to continue work focusing on education, health, food security, learning outcomes, and/or models for university-community partnerships.

Dr. Berrian’s project, with support from DVM/MPH-VPH student Natassja Boham, will entail a comprehensive evaluation of the 2020 Global One Health Conference, entitled “Strengthening Global Resilience through One Health: A 2020 Vision for a Sustainable Future.” Guiding the conference evaluation will be the New Learning Theory that has been used in learning settings that provide new insight or point out the cumulative learning within a topic or research thread. The New Learning Theory employs a framework of active learning through submission of attendees’ evaluations during each portion of the conference. The evaluation will be divided into preconference, intra-conference, and post-conference tasks.  The conference will take place virtually, November 5-7, 2020.

Dr. Amanda Berrian, Assistant Professor in Veterinary Preventive Medicine and Associate Director of the Veterinary Public Health Program, was recently awarded a $136,500 grant from USDA’s Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowships Program for her project titled “Building the Next Generation Veterinary Workforce: A Professional Training Program to Protect the Nation’s Agriculture”. Dr. Armando Hoet will serve as Co-Investigator on this award.

The goal of this program is the production of three veterinary professionals with advanced technical training in agricultural biosecurity and the proficiency to share their expertise with the sectors involved in the implementation of biosecurity measures. To accomplish this goal, the program will deliver a rigorous, three-year post-doctoral fellowship training program that culminates in a Master of Public Health degree and eligibility for National Board Certification in Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/190915n.aspx

By Kaitlyn Mattson

Posted Aug. 28, 2019

Livestock in Ethiopia (Courtesy of Dr. Abbey Canon/CFSPH)

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded three veterinary colleges a grant for a two-year project to improve veterinary services in developing nations by advancing educational opportunities.

The project will work to identify and address issues related to the quality of veterinary teaching by developing a digital platform to store educational resources and teaching tools for faculty across the world.

“Our team believes that better-prepared veterinarians will improve animal health and productivity, food security, and public health at the local, country, and regional levels and improve the quality of veterinary services globally,” said Dr. Molly Lee, a veterinary specialist at the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The project includes the CFSPH, the College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Public Health at The Ohio State University, and the School of Veterinary Science and Institute of Education at Massey University in New Zealand.

The beginnings of this project came through the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Veterinary Education Twinning Project. The OSU veterinary college helped the University of Gondar College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences in Ethiopia conduct a review of its veterinary curriculum, which has been a sort of road map for the next phase of the project, said Dr. Amanda M. Berrian, assistant professor and associate director of the Veterinary Public Health Program at the OSU veterinary college.

“Together, we are taking what we have learned from our years of collaboration and developing learning materials to fill critical training gaps,” Dr. Berrian said. “We are aiming to create materials that consider the specific needs and resource challenges of developing countries, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.”

The project will involve the continued collaboration with the University of Gondar and the Royal University of Agriculture Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine in Cambodia. The resources on the platform will focus on management of herd health, epidemiology of infectious diseases, emerging diseases and disease management, outbreak investigation, biosecurity, products, nutrition, and animal welfare. The tools will be available for testing by the partner institutions in 2020.

“While our direct impact will be on the faculty and veterinary students at veterinary educational establishments, through increased efficiency of livestock and poultry production, reduction in animal diseases and reduction of zoonotic diseases, the ultimate beneficiaries will be animal owners and their families,” Dr. Lee said. “Another important component of this project is to develop a gender-sensitive curriculum as many of the caretakers and owners of small livestock are women who face gender inequalities at multiple levels of the value chain.”

The project team worked closely with the Gates Foundation during the planning stage and application process, Dr. Lee said. The team will continue to involve the foundation to ensure that the outcomes and the relationship are mutually beneficial.

Three colleges of veterinary medicine have received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a two-year project to improve veterinary services in developing countries. The project involves creation of a digital platform to house educational resources and teaching tools for use by veterinary faculty around the world. High quality veterinary services are critical to ensure the safety, quality, and availability of animal source foods, yet the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has found gaps in veterinary services in developing countries and has identified quality of veterinary education to be a major contributor to this problem.

Project partners from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH), The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Veterinary Medicine / College of Public Health, and Massey University (New Zealand) School of Veterinary Science and Institute of Education, will work collaboratively to identify and address the issues of quality veterinary teaching and learning. The US-based partners will develop and populate a digital platform with teaching tools and resources. These will align with a number of core competencies that are designated by the OIE as being essential for new veterinary graduates.

The digital platform will be designed in collaboration with the University of Gondar, College of Veterinary Medicine in Ethiopia, and the Royal University of Agriculture, Faculty of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine in Cambodia. This will ensure that the resources can be easily delivered and used by veterinary educational establishments in developing countries. The long term goal is to enable veterinary faculties around the world to select the most relevant components and modify the materials to meet their specific needs. The educational content will incorporate case-based learning in the classroom and be specifically relevant for veterinarians working with smallholder farmers. A self-guided evaluation tool aligned with OIE recommendations and core curriculum will also be available on the platform, which will allow veterinary schools to assess the proficiency of their veterinary graduates regarding OIE Day-1 Competencies.

The educational resources and teaching tools will initially focus on herd health management and infectious disease epidemiology, emphasizing emerging diseases, disease management, outbreak investigation, biosecurity, veterinary products, nutrition, and animal welfare. These resources will be tested by partner institutions in Ethiopia and Cambodia in 2020.

The CFSPH has developed and delivered online courses and content for veterinarians and veterinary students in the US and internationally for more than 15 years. In addition, OSU and Massey University have worked on successful “twinning” projects with universities in Africa and Asia. They bring considerable experience assessing curricula and working to improve teaching and learning in veterinary education establishments in the developing world.