EcoHealth Alliance Part of a Consortium Awarded USAID Contract To Build Global Capacity for One Health
NEW YORK – October 9, 2019 – EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit working at the intersection of animal, environmental, and human health on a global scale, announced today the award of a U.S. Agency for International Development grant for the One Health Workforce–Next Generation. The goal of the One Health Workforce will be to fight public health emergencies globally by helping to develop and strengthen capacity to prepare for and respond to threats of zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance. It’s led by a consortium which includes the University of California, Davis; Columbia University; EcoHealth Alliance; and other public-private partners.
The One Health Workforce–Next Generation consortium will partner with existing university networks in Central and Eastern Africa and Southeast Asia to develop common curricula and provide practical field training for in-service medical, veterinary, and public health professionals and graduate students under the unified framework of One Health, with a goal of creating a new generation of health scientists prepared to combat recurring epidemics of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola, avian influenza, and Nipah virus. These networks will continue various partnerships formed through the USAID’s PREDICT program, which for 10 years sought to identify and increase capacity to respond to new and emerging disease threats in regions where threat is greatest.
“The One Health Workforce–Next Generation allows us to continue to work with many of our long-standing academic and government partners in Southeast Asia and Africa to strengthen public health systems by developing professional One Health training programs in regions at greatest risk of disease emergence,” EcoHealth Alliance Vice President for Science and Outreach Dr. Jonathan Epstein said.
The One Health Workforce–Next Generation will conduct One Health trainings, instructing government officials, industry stakeholders, and other officials on health connections such as the link between land-use change and disease emergence or wildlife conservation and human health.
“We’re incredibly proud of the work EcoHealth Alliance achieved with PREDICT over the last decade,” EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak said. “This is an opportunity to continue building sustainable capacity for pandemic prevention in the places of highest risk for disease emergence.”
The One Health Workforce–Next Generation is a part of the Emerging Pandemic Threats portfolio at USAID; work will begin this month. In addition to workforce trainings, it will also coordinate an international student internship program to help train the next generation of One Health professionals.
About EcoHealth Alliance:
Building on 45 years of groundbreaking science, EcoHealth Alliance is the premier nonprofit organization committed to a One Health approach to track the migration of deadly viruses from animals into humans. EcoHealth Alliance research has led to major breakthroughs on the origins and spread of new and emerging diseases like Ebola, SARS, MERS, and Nipah virus. EcoHealth Alliance works globally in hotspot regions where the threat of outbreaks is highest. Through innovations in research, training, capacity building, and policy initiatives, we develop tools and interventions to prevent pandemics and promote conservation.
Press contact: Robert Kessler, (646) 868-4711 or kessler@ecohealthalliance.org.