The International Congress on Pathogens at the Human Animal Interface (ICOPHAI) is composed of scientists and policy-makers from Brazil, the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Thailand, and many other countries in South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The congress is designed to bring together world experts in One Health every other year. The inaugural congress was held in 2011 in Ethiopia. The second congress was held in 2013 in Brazil. It is clear that zoonotic diseases impose huge burdens to people globally and with a much higher burden on tropical regions particularly such as sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. The next congress will be in 2015 in Thailand.
Ohio State is a founding member of ICOPHAI. Professor Wondwossen Gebreyes, DVM, director of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Global Health Programs, serves as ICOPHAI president. Additional Ohio State faculty who are One Health experts serve as presenters and members of the ICOPHAI organizing committee. For information on the previous 2013 congress, visit http://icophai2013.org/home.
Ohio State veterinary student Christine Widmann shares her research with Professor Daniel Asrat of Addis Ababa University while at the ICOPHAI 2013 poster session.