U Included in $185 Million Grant to Fight Emerging Pandemics
Experts from the University of Minnesota will soon be on the frontlines working to help developing countries better respond to emerging infectious diseases that pose a threat to human and animal health.
The University is part of a team that will implement a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cooperative agreement with funding up to $185 million.
U experts will travel to global hot spots--likely located in Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa--to participate in classroom and web-based education programs with in-country partners. The aim is to better respond to emerging zoonotic pandemics--diseases that can spread between animals and humans such as SARS, avian flu, or the Ebola virus.
Project RESPOND includes experts from several disciplines
The project, known as RESPOND, is headed up by faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine. But it also taps experts from various academic fields, including public health, nursing, medicine, education, and natural resources. SPH associate dean for education Debra Olson (pictured) will serve as associate director for the project and SPH professor Bill Toscano as a regional lead. SPH faculty members Claudia Munoz-Zanzi and Randy Singer will also contribute to the work.
"We're proud to be a part of this initiative," says SPH dean John Finnegan, who serves on the project's advisory committee. "Central to our school's mission is the notion that human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably linked and that efforts aimed at improving health must be global in scope."
The University is teaming up with Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), a Washington, D.C.-based development firm, and Tufts University. The team will work with U.S. government agencies, international organizations, and private industry.
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