Here I am reviewing some class materials with students in the “Food Safety and Food Borne Diseases” course, as part of the Summer One Health Institute.
by Bayleyegn Molla, DVM, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor and International Programs Coordinator
Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine
Our hope is to establish ongoing collaborative relationships–not just during the One Health Summer Institute, but well in to the future. We hope to be able to build a mutually beneficial partnership between faculty and students at Ohio State and University of Gondar, which will help leverage expertise and open opportunities for all.
For participants from Ethiopia, this experience can bring the world-class knowledge and expertise of Ohio State to address important public health problems, though training and ongoing working relationships. Partners at the University of Gondar bring a wealth of knowledge about local priorities and infrastructure.
Research and practice priorities are well organized in thematic areas with an emphasis on team-based research.
For faculty from Ohio State, this partnership offers the opportunity to explore and help develop solutions to tropical diseases, wildlife and environmental issues, and to apply new approaches in a different culture and region. This opportunity helps expand the capabilities for students trained through the University of Gondar and faculty to use this knowledge to address important issues in Ohio, in our country, and throughout the world.
It is very rewarding to see this partnership in action in the One Health Summer Institute. Students and faculty from nursing, public health, veterinary medicine, basic sciences, and human medicine have been discussing important problems such:
- Food-borne illnesses
- MRSA prevention
- Cervical cancer
- Zoonotic diseases
More importantly, these workshops explore potential ways to work together in the coming months and years.
The “One Health” framework is an excellent foundation on which to build this partnership, because it relies on contributions from a range of scientific experts and the active engagement of students in workshop sessions.
Being from Ethiopia originally, and now as a faculty member at Ohio State, it is tremendously rewarding to see the engagement of both universities in an effort to improve health.