University of Sydney and PHFI Launch Joint One Health Program to Address Critical Health Challenges
New Delhi : The University of Sydney’s commitment of AU$100,000 towards research with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) will allow leading public health researchers in Australia and India to work together on pressing health issues including antibiotic resistance and the rise of infectious diseases.
The new funding will see the 15-year relationship between the two institutions expand from training public health professionals to researching emerging health threats in both countries. The program will now focus on four areas: disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, innovation (including vaccine development), and continued training of the next generation of health professionals.
Professor Antoine van Oijen, Associate Dean (Research) at the University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health and PHFI President Sanjay Zodpey formalized the new partnership in New Delhi, India on Saturday, 7 September.
Researchers from the University’s Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute also travelled to India to discuss how the two organizations can develop One Health initiatives — programs that consider the health of humans, the environment and animals in unison.
Representatives from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Investment New South Wales also attended these discussions. Indian organisations represented at the event included the Indian Council of Medical Research, India’s Centre for Disease Control, the World Health Organization’s India Country Office, IIT Delhi and PATH.
PHFI was established in 2006 as a platform for education, training, research and practice in public health. In the last decade it has grown as a think tank, and teaching and research institution.
“We bring world class strengths in multidisciplinary research to this relationship,” said the University’s Associate Professor Shailendra Sawleshwarkar, who has also been affiliated with PHFI since 2009. “It’s an approach that sees engineers, physicians, veterinarians and scientists working together to solve public health and One Health issues.
“PHFI’s capacity building program is creating a generation of health professionals that is second to none. Combined with India’s excellent reputation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, the workforce being built by PHFI is making India a global force in public health.”
The University of Sydney representatives who met with PHFI counterparts to discuss potential collaborations were:
- Professor Jamie Triccas – a bacteriologist whose research includes development of vaccines which can be rapidly deployed. He leads international consortia developing next-generation vaccines for COVID-19 and tuberculosis.
- Associate Professor Navneet Dhand – the Director of APCOVE, leading the training of veterinarians across the Asia Pacific region in the early detection of, and rapid response to, outbreaks of infectious disease.
- Dr Jocelyne Basseal – Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute’s Associate Director focusing on the institute’s external relations and partnerships.
- Associate Professor Shailendra Sawleshwarkar – a physician at Sydney Medical School with expertise in HIV, STIs and sexual health. He has delivered public health training and leadership programs for staff and students at PHFI since 2009.
- Associate Professor Victoria Brookes – an infectious disease epidemiologist from the Faculty of Science who researches evidence-based One Health, particularly for emerging and neglected infectious diseases such as Japanese encephalitis and rabies.
- Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski – a nanomedicine researcher from the Faculty of Medicine and Health who is developing nano-based solutions to overcome antimicrobial resistance and address unmet needs in One Health.
- Dr Carola Venturini from the School of Veterinary Sciences – an expert in antimicrobial resistance in animals and its One Health repercussions.
- Dr John-Sebastian Eden – a virologist who explores the evolution and molecular epidemiology of viruses, particularly those at the interface of human-animal health.
“While the details of this program are yet to be finalised, this partnership will bring people with a breadth of knowledge to the table,” said Professor van Oijen.
“Our expertise on the use of antibiotics in animals to pathogen genomics, One Health surveillance and the development of novel vaccines to treat increasingly prevalent diseases like Japanese encephalitis, are all highly complementary with the depth of public health experience at the Public Health Foundation of India.”
“With wide ranging expertise including basic sciences, public health, animal health and clinical care, Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute is perfectly placed to work with global partners on One Health programs.
“In India, PHFI delivers the most relevant public health research and education programs.”
Professor Zodpey said: “This extension of our relationship will bring the strengths of our two organizations, and our two countries, together, providing the launching pad for what I hope will be an enduring partnership of global standing.”