FROM OUR DIRECTOR
DearFriendsandColleagues,
Forthepastyear,I’vehadtheprivilegeofleadingoursmallbutmightyteamatUW–Madison’s GlobalHealthInstitute(GHI),whereourfocushasbeenexpandingtheWisconsinIdeainto globalactionthroughstrategicandcollaborativeoutreach,andbuildingourinnovativeOne HealthCenter(OHC)Network
Ouruniqueandsuccessfulapproachtoaddressingglobalhealth,throughaOneHealthfocusedlensoftransdisciplinaryandmulti-sectoralcollaborations,representsa transformativestepforwardinviewingandultimatelysolvingcomplexglobalhealth challengesaroundtheworld,andcontributestoUW–Madison’sstellarreputationasaworldrenownedacademicresearchinstitution We’vedoneamazingworkinashortperiodoftime tobuildournetworknotonlyacrosscampus,butacrosstheworld Wecontinuemoving forwardwithproactiveandpositivemomentumtoreachevenmoreareasoftheworldto connectusallundertheOneHealthumbrellaandareexcitedforthefuture!
GHI'sfivefocusareas emergingandinfectiousdiseases;climateandlandusechange; resourcesecurity,includingfood,water,andenergy;social,cultural,andeconomicequity;and human,animal,andplanthealth captureacomprehensiveviewofglobalhealth Thisholistic, OneHealth-basedapproachallowsustoleveragetheexpertiseofUW–Madison’s21schools andcollegesandisessentialinunderstanding,transforming,andtacklingtheintricate connectionsamonghealth,equity,andtheenvironment.
Werecognizetheinterconnectednessofthesefocusareasandtheimportanceof collaborationinmakingmeaningfulprogress Westrategicallyengagewithkeypartnersand collaboratorsinacademia,government,industry,NGOs,localcommunities,andphilanthropy becauseweknowdiscoveringandtransformingthepathtowardsglobalhealthsolutions requirestransdisciplinarycollaboration Whereothersseebarriers,weseeopportunity
Toemphasizeourcommitmenttowardstransdisciplinaryglobal-healthproblemsolving,GHI leda21-personUW–MadisondelegationtoColombiainSeptember2023 Asyouwillseein thisreportandonourwebsite,overthecourseoftheweek-longexcursionweintroduced campusmemberstotheGHIOneHealthCenter(OHC)-Colombiaandcollaboratorsat UniversidadNacionaldeColombia,experiencedthewonderofthecountryandAmazon, signedaMOUwithUniversidaddeAntioquia,connectedwithUW–Madisonalumnilivingand workinginColombia,andinspiredpossibilitiesforfutureacademicandindustrypartnerships
Harnessingthepositiveimpactsofthisdelegation,GHImadestrategicconnectionsin Mexico,SierraLeone,SouthAfrica,Rwanda,andIndiatoexpandourOneHealthNetwork. OurgoalsareinspiredbythepositiveoutcomesandmodelestablishedatourOHC-Colombia andincludebuildingprogramstodelivertangibleglobalhealthresults,offeringstudentsand traineeshands-onlearningexperiences,andprovidingresearcherswithinvaluableinsights intoreal-worldsettingsthatpositivelydeveloptheglobalhealthleadersoftodayand tomorrow Youcandiscovercurrentundergraduate,graduate,andpostdoctoralresearch storiesinthisreportandonourwebsite Wehopetheyinspireyoutoknowwhat’spossible Bymovingresearchoutofthelabandintoreal-worldsettings,GHIensuresinterventionsare evaluatedfortheirsocial,cultural,political,andenvironmentalimpacts Thispragmatic approachalignswiththeneedsoflocalcommunitieswhileaddressingbroaderglobalhealth goals TherippleeffectsofGHI'sworkgobeyondcapacity-buildingofpartnerlocationsand ultimatelybenefitWisconsinandtheentireworld
ThetransdisciplinaryworkofGHIisessentialinpromotinghealthequity,advancingglobal healthsecurity,andfosteringabetterandhealthierfutureforall Weareallconnected,and theresponsibilityofglobalhealthbelongstoallofus Thisisonlythebeginningof implementingtheWisconsinIdeainglobalaction Weareexcitedforwhatthefutureholds andinviteyoutojoinus
Gracias,andOn,Wisconsin!
Jorge Osorio, Director
ONE HEALTH CENTER NETWORK
GHI One Health Centers offer a framework to move research out of the lab into real-world settings When results are translated into action, partners can immediately assess the social, cultural, political, and environmental effects of each intervention Through these partnerships, UW–Madison students and trainees broaden their understanding of health and disease; researchers add depth and new dimensions to their projects, and the results benefit Wisconsin as well as the world.
Under GHI’s One Health strategic framework, the centers advance animal, human, and environmental health locally and globally in many ways:
Conducting and supporting research and surveillance across disciplines, including emerging infectious diseases, climate change, air quality, cancer, and more Providing early detection of important pathogens
Building capacity and advancing scientific training through state-of-the-art laboratories and research networks
Developing vaccines and protecting people, animals, and crops
Opening opportunities for UW faculty, staff and students, and Wisconsin and US industry
Addressing social issues related to One Health
With One Health Centers currently in Colombia and Sierra Leone, and plans for more global health sites and centers in India, Mexico, Rwanda, and South Africa, GHI offers opportunities for UW faculty, staff, students, and trainees to collaborate with local communities and colleagues in mutually beneficial partnerships
Through these strategic global health security partnerships, UW–Madison can share its knowledge and resources to advance scientific training, build capacity, and alleviate the burdens of disease and climate change Communities contribute Indigenous wisdom and local needs, and in-country colleagues and universities provide on-the-ground expertise and frame important questions for research and intervention activities.
LATIN AMERICA: COLOMBIA
GHIOneHealthCenter-Colombia(OHC-Colombia)isacollaboration betweenUW–MadisonandUniversidadNacionaldeColombia(UNAL) withfundingfromAbbottLaboratoriesandthegovernmentofColombia ItiscurrentlypartoftheAbbottPandemicDefenseCoalition,whichisa globalscientificandpublichealthpartnershipdedicatedtotheearly detectionof-andrapidresponseto-futurepandemicthreats
Growingoutofahalf-centuryofongoingcollaborationsinColombiato studytropicaldiseases,thecenter(formerlytheColombia-WisconsinOne HealthConsortium)wasestablishedin2018torecognizeandexplorethe deepconnectionsbetweenhuman,animal,andenvironmentalhealth
ThecenterworksinfiveregionsofColombia,includingtheAmazon,to strengthenlocalcapacitytodetectandmanagediseasesanddiscover pathogens ProjectshaveincludedsurveillanceofMansonellain Indigenouscommunitiesandofpathogenscausingfever,genomic surveillanceofSARS-COV-2andimmuneresponses,andmonitoringthe aerobiomeanditsassociationwithairpollution
AsamodelforotherGHIOneHealthCenters,OHC-Colombiacontinues tofacilitatemultidisciplinarycollaborationbetweenUW–Madison,UNAL, andlocalColombianorganizationsandunits,andtransformsthewayto lookatsolutionsforglobalhealthsecurityissuesanddeveloptheleaders oftodayandtomorrow
Thisyearthecenteropeneditsdoorstoexpandeducational opportunitiesforundergraduateandgraduatestudents,postdoctoral researchers,andwelcomeda21-persondelegationfromacrossUW–MadisoninSeptember2023
MigrationintheAmericasProject
OHC-ColombiaservesasaconnectorfortheMigrationintheAmericas Project,apolicyandresearchcollectivefocusedonassessingmigration policyanddevelopingwaystoreduceriskandharmtomakemovement andresidencesaferformigrantsthroughouttheWesternHemisphere In summerof2023,thisprojectwasawardedtwoyearsofResearchForward InitiativefundingthroughtheOfficeoftheViceChancellorforResearch andGraduateEducation.GHIDirector,JorgeOsorio,andGHIGlobal VirusNetworkVisitingScholar,KarlCiuoderis,havebeenworkingwith projectleadsSaraMcKinnon,ProfessorofRhetoric,Politics&Culturein theDepartmentofCommunicationArts,andFacultyDirectorofLatin American,Caribbean,andIberianStudies;andErinBarbato,Directorof theImmigrantJusticeClinicattheUniversityofWisconsinLawSchoolto tapintoOHC-Colombia’snetworkandbuildthefoundationofahealth clinicdesignedforspecimencollectioninNecoclí,Colombia,toaugment theemerginginfectiousdiseasesfocusareaoftheproject
Visitghi.wisc.edutolearnmoreaboutGHIOHC-Colombiaandthe MigrationinAmericasProject.
UW–MADISON DELEGATION TO COLOMBIA
GHI is an agent for collaboration, rooted in the Wisconsin Idea. Our One Health Centers are dynamic embodiments of what is possible for global health when multi-sector and multidisciplinary collaborations are formed, and ideas are put into action.
In September 2023, GHI led representatives from across UW–Madison’s campus on a visit to its OHC-Colombia to inspire ideas for future academic, industry, NGO, alumni, and government partnerships. Members of the 21-person delegation were able to see the OHC-Colombia in Medellín, and experience the richness of relationships across the Colombian campuses of Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) and Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA) with in-person meetings and tours.
The OHC-Colombia serves as the best practice for creating additional One Health Centers in strategic locations across the world Collaborations are the key to GHI’s ethos of moving the Wisconsin Idea into global action.
Members of the delegation represented the following schools and programs: UW Law School, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies, School of Pharmacy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Global Health Undergraduate Programs, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, International Division, Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, Department of Communication Arts, School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin School of Business
The takeaways from meeting with partners were vast, and it’s easy to see why OHC-Colombia serves as GHI’s blueprint for scaling its international One Health Network. Witnessing the impacts of research and educational opportunities afforded by UW–Madison’s strong partnerships, facilitated by the OHCColombia, sparked ideas for new collaborative offerings.
Read the full story on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.
LATIN AMERICA: MEXICO
UW–Madisonhasa50-year-longhistoryofpartnershipswith theUniversityofGuadalajara,Jalisco,Mexico Researchand educationalcollaborationshavebeengroundedinscientificand educationalsharedvalues,andaddressedsuchissuesasrural andurbansustainablecommunitydevelopment,biodiversity, conservation,plantecologyandtaxonomy,environmental education,andmore TheMigrationintheAmericasProject, whichstartedwithconnectionsinColombiaandtheDariénGap withthehelpofGHI,isalsoexpandingtheirresearchinMexico withhelpfromtheUniversityofGuadalajara.
ThroughtherelationshipwiththeOHC-ColombiaandAbbott Labs,GHIisworkingwithCentroUniversitarioTlajomulcoat UniversidaddeGuadalajara,HospitalCivildeGuadalajara,and localhealthcareinstitutionstoestablishvirusmonitoringand discoveryopportunitieswithinGuadalajara;thusopeningdoors forfacultytoshareinformationandideas
Toexpandconnectionsandlearnmoreaboutlocalhealth projectsandcapacity,GHIDirectorJorgeOsorio,GlobalVirus NetworkVisitingScholarKarlCiuoderis,andrepresentatives fromAbbottLabsvisitedtheCutlajoUniversidadde Guadalajaracampusandmetwithuniversityfacultytohear presentationsabouttheircurrentworkandcommunityhealth strategies Theteamalsometwithmedicalpersonnelandthe directorofHospitalCiviltopresentthevirusdiscoveryproject andignitecollaborationpossibilities.
Uponadditionalmeetings,anagreementwasmadethrough GHI’sconnectionswithAbbottLabstomoveforwardwiththe virusmonitoringanddiscoveryprojectinGuadalajara.
Todate,specimensforpathogensequencingatanAbbott PandemicDefenseCoalitionsite,andcorrespondingclinical data,hasbeensubmittedtoanelectroniccasereportform,and reportssummarizingthetestingresultsof300patientshave beenshared
Therelationshipcontinuestoflourishtoaddresslocalhealth challengesanddevelopinterdisciplinarystudieswhichlink human,animal,andenvironmentalhealth Theconnections expandbothGHIandUW–Madison’sglobalhealthnetworkand embodyGHI’smissionofputtingtheWisconsinIdeaintoglobal action.Welookforwardtoworkingtogethertohostfuture globalhealthconferencesandsymposiatoshareknowledge andinnovations
AFRICA: SIERRA LEONE
In July 2023, the GHI One Health Center-West Africa (OHC-WA) launched and signified the start of the Sierra Leone Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition Acute Febrile Illness Surveillance and Diagnostic research work with five major hospital sentinel sites in Freetown, including Connaught, 34 Military Hospital, Ola During Children’s Hospital, Choitrams and Rokupa, as well as the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory.
GHI OHC-WA partnered with Project 1808, the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, the Ministry of Health, University of Sierra Leone, and the Institut de Recherche en Santé de Surveillance Epidemiologique et de Formation (IRESSEF) Alhaji N’jai is the GHI OHC-WA Director, and Lecturer in the Departments of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and Biological Sciences, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, and is Founder and Chief Strategist for Project 1808, Inc, a nonprofit and Sierra Leone community-based organization Sierra Leone was especially impacted during the 2014 Ebola crisis, which, compounded by food insecurity, clean water access and climate change, can be a hotbed for infectious disease outbreaks. The GHI OHC-WA will strengthen the capacity for detection, identification, and characterization of epidemic pathogens, and also enable preparedness for an effective response.
Since its launch, GHI OHC-WA has collected and performed diagnostics on more than 300 febrile patient samples from hospitals across Freetown. Samples have been shipped to IRESSEF in Dakar, Senegal for pathogen sequencing GHI continues to pursue grant funding opportunities and has submitted a Gates Foundation Climate and Health proposal with Guinea and Liberia Co-PIs.
In October 2023, GHI Director Jorge Osorio and GHI OHCColombia Director Juan Pablo Hernandez Ortiz visited the OHCWA to expand Global and One Health initiatives and collaborations to establish platforms for pandemic preparedness, build capacity, and share information on emerging and infectious diseases within a network of committed scientists and researchers looking to make the world a healthier place and save lives
AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA
Inspring2023,GHIDirectorJorgeOsoriojoinedWisconsinAlumni ResearchFoundation(WARF)CEOErikIverson,UW–MadisonDepartment ofBiochemistryChairBrianFox,andIlluminaVicePresident,Operations,Bill ChecovichonatriptoSouthAfricatoexplorecollaborativeacademic opportunitiesatStellenboschUniversityforstudentsandfaculty
StellenboschUniversityisapublicresearchuniversityintheWesternCape provinceofSouthAfrica Oneoftheirleadinggenomicresearchprofessors isTuliodeOliveira,whoheadstheCentreforEpidemicResponseand InnovationanddiscoveredtheOmicronandBetavariantsofCOVID-19.He cametoUW–Madisoninthesummerof2024tomeettransdisciplinary faculty,tourcampus,andserveasafeaturedSteenbockLecturesspeaker.
Thespring2023visitalsoincludedtoursandmeetingswithAfrigen Biologics&Vaccines(atechnologyplatform-basedbiotechcompany), RichardGordon,DirectorofInternationalBusinessDevelopment,South AfricanMedicalResearchCouncil,andtheDesmondTutuHealth Foundation
Viewinglocalresearchtechnologies,meetingGordonandglobalhealth investigatorsinspiredOsorio HeenvisionedopportunitiesforGHIto expandtheWisconsinIdeaintoglobalactionthroughpostdoctoralandPhD programs.
GHIiscontinuingdiscussionswithStellenboschUniversity,UW–Madison CollegeofAgriculturalandLifeSciences,DepartmentofBiochemistry,and theSchoolofMedicineandPublicHealthDepartmentofPediatricsto developacademicopportunitiesforstudentandfacultyexchanges betweenUW–MadisonandStellenboschUniversitythatinclude postdoctoralandPhDprogramsinthefollowingareas:OneHealth,global health,datasciencesanddataecosystems,digitalandprecisionagriculture, dairyscience,agroecology,virology,anti-microbialandanti-fungal resistance,artificialintelligence,metabolicdisease,vaccines,and development
AdditionaldiscussionsaredevelopingaProgramofExcellencebetween StellenboschUniversityandGHIforcollaborativeandmultidisciplinary researchanddevelopmentforrespectivefaculty,staff,students,and trainees,withthepurposeofworkingonscientificstudiesandknowledge gapswithlocalcommunitiesandcolleaguesinmutuallybeneficial partnerships TobuildonGHI’sguidingprincipalsofembracingaglobal healthethicthatfostersdeeperunderstandingofthecomplex determinantsofhealthanddiseaseforpeople,animals,andecosystems throughaOneHealthmodel,theProgramwillidentifyappropriatealliances, agreementsandrelationswithindustry,publicandprivateentities,aswellas organizeseminars,workshops,conferences,andsimilaroutreachactivities forcapacitybuilding
AFRICA: RWANDA
GHI Director Jorge Osorio met with Rwanda Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, at the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting in Dakar, Senegal in August 2023. The meeting sparked additional opportunities for GHI to expand the Wisconsin Idea into global action
This initial meeting led to discussions with the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), University of Rwanda, Abbott Labs, World Bank, and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to develop pathogen surveillance, EID training, and capacity building opportunities within Rwanda.
Numerous high-consequence viral pathogens are endemic to Rwanda, such as Rift Valley fever virus, and bordering countries have been impacted by multiple Ebola virus outbreaks. However, there is very little infrastructure to diagnose and detect these pathogens As part of RBC’s participation in the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, they will conduct fever surveillance clinics at sites across the country These clinics will strengthen local capacity for performing molecular diagnostics, using reagents donated by Abbott Labs, and will also contribute to pathogen discovery efforts by identifying cases of fevers that are not caused by known pathogens.
There is a need in Rwanda to increase the health workforce trained in infectious disease, with limited specialists in this area currently practicing in the country Therefore, UW–Madison is working with the Rwandan Ministry of Health to establish a Clinical Infectious Disease Fellowship at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS). This two-year curriculum will be based upon the current Global Health Pathway in the Infectious Disease Fellowship within SMPH, and is led by Pathway Director, Dr. Dawd Siraj
Within the next year, UW–Madison GHI and Dr Siraj will work with the Ministry of Health to establish the curriculum at CMHS, with the goal of enrolling four physicians by June 2025.
INDIA
GHIOneHealth-IndiawasannouncedinFebruary2023,duringaMOU ceremonyinNewDelhiasacollaborationbetweenGHIandtheEllaFoundation, foundedbyDrKrishnaEllaandMrs.SuchitraElla.Dr.Ella,adecoratedUW–MadisonalumnusandGHIBoardMember,istheExecutiveChairmanofBharat Biotech,thebiotechnologycompanyresponsiblefordevelopingIndia’sCOVID19vaccine,CovaxinThecompanywasfoundedin1996byDrandMrsEllaMrs EllaisalsoonGHI’sboardandisBharatBiotech’sManagingDirectorGHI appreciatesDrandMrsEllafortheircontinuedtrustandsupport.
Sincetheannouncement,GHIhasbeenactivelypursuingdiscussionswithmany academic,industry,government,andNGOpartnerstobuildinnovativeresearch andcapacitybuildingforthesharingofknowledgebetweenUWexpertsand IndianstudentsHereareprojectsundervariousstagesofdevelopment:
NOVELRABIESVACCINEFORDOGS
Globally,rabiesisadevastatingdiseaseandresponsibleformorethan60,000 humandeaths,withapproximately15millionpeoplereceivingrabiespostexposureprophylaxisannually.InIndia,about20,000humandeathsoccureach yearbyrabiddogbitesTheJorgeOsorioLabintheDepartmentof PathobiologicalSciences,SchoolofVeterinaryMedicine(SVM),hasdeveloped andoptimizedanoralrabiesvaccinedeliverytechnology,whichcanprotect dogs,andultimatelyhumans,fromrabiesGHIpartneredwithSVM,theIndian CouncilofAgricultureResearch-IndianVeterinaryResearchInstitute,theIndian CouncilofMedicalResearch,theEllaFoundation,BioVet,andVaxTherato bringDr.SaminathanManitoUW–Madisontoassistintheconstructionand characterizationofnovelrecombinantraccoonpoxvirus(RCN)vectoredsubunitmosaicglycoproteinvaccine.Hewillworktodeterminethesafety, immunogenicityandprotectiveefficacyoftheRCNcandidateinmiceandoral baitfordogs
IMPROVINGACCESSTOCELL/GENETHERAPY
GHIissupportingBiomedicalEngineeringAssociateProfessorKrisSaha’sLab andworktodesignchimericantigenreceptorTcells(CART)productionto leverageexistinglarge-scaleviralproductioninfrastructure,utilizegrowing donorbloodsuppliesformanufacturingallogeneicproducts,andexplore advancedtechformanufacturingtoincorporateintoIndianpublichealth programsSahaiscurrentlyexploringpartnershipswithBharatBiotechto conductclinicalstudiesinIndia.
CENTEROFEXCELLENCE(CoE)ONSUSTAINABLERURAL DEVELOPMENTWITHTHESMSEHGALFOUNDATION
GHIispartneringwiththeSMSehgalFoundationtoenhancetheCoE’svision ofcatalyzingsustainablechangethroughpartnershipsandcollaborations,and driveknowledgemobilizationeffortsintheGlobalSouth.TheCoEwillbean interdisciplinaryinitiativefoundedonthe3Cprincipleofcollaboration, convergence,andcrosslearningInitiativesincludeknowledgemobilization, studentandfacultyexchanges,integrationofAIinsustainabledevelopment, andtechnologytransfers.
DAYANANDASAGARUNIVERSITY
InMay2024,GHIwelcomedDrACAshok,MedicalCollegePrincipal&Dean, DayanandaSagarUniversity,tocampusandarrangeddiscussionswithmultiple unitsforpotentialeducational&scientificcollaborationsinthefutureto promoteglobalhealthinWisconsinandtheworld
PARTNERSHIPS & OUTREACH
GHI’s active engagement in partnerships with international organizations, NGOs, industry, and other academic institutions worldwide enhances UW–Madison’s research opportunities, knowledge and technology exchange, joint funding opportunities, and the implementation of effective global health interventions. International partnerships enable GHI’s implementation of long-term projects with sustained impact, addressing root causes of health issues, and promote lasting change.
Our international partnerships provide a framework for addressing complex global health challenges more effectively and equitably GHI places a strong emphasis on addressing health disparities and promoting social justice in global health initiatives. Our global network of One Health Centers and programs actively engage local and global communities in research initiatives. This community engagement ensures that our research and interventions are culturally sensitive, sustainable, and responsive to the specific needs of diverse populations
GHI’s partnerships also focus on building capacity in partner countries by offering training programs, workshops, and educational opportunities. These initiatives aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of health professionals, researchers, and community leaders around the world.
In addition, GHI provides opportunities for public-private partnerships where we collaborate with private sector entities to jointly address global health issues. Industry partnerships, like GHI’s engagement in Abbott’s Pandemic Defense Coalition–the first industry-led global scientific and public health partnership dedicated to the early detection of and rapid response to future pandemic threats–offer shared resources, expertise, and funding to diagnose and track emerging infectious diseases Other biotechnology companies like BioVet and the Usona Institute partner with GHI to advance joint research initiatives for global health challenges ranging from mental health to rabies vaccine development.
As illustrated in this annual report, GHI has partners from different disciplines and regions bringing unique perspectives and methodologies, leading to more innovative and effective research outcomes By collaborating with international partners, GHI is given access to diverse populations and settings, enhancing the generalizability and relevance of research findings. Our partnered initiatives expand the Wisconsin Idea and raise awareness about critical health issues, influence public health agendas, and leverage the credibility and networks of UW–Madison.
60% sales increase for the first quarter of 2020
ACADEMIA
LatinAmerica: UniversidaddeAntioquia UniversidadNacionaldeColombia UniversidaddeGuadalajara,Mexico
Africa: KoinaduguCollege StellenboschUniversity UniversityofRwanda UniversityofSierraLeone
India: DayanandaSagarUniversity SSInstituteofMedicalSciences&ResearchCentre VisvesvarayaTechnologicalUniversity
INDUSTRY
LatinAmerica: AbbottLaboratories
Africa: AbbottLaboratories
India: BharatBiotech BioVet
GOVERNMENT
LatinAmerica: MinistryofScience,Technology,and InnovationoftheRepublicofColombia
Africa: MinistryofHealthandSanitation, SierraLeone NationalPublicHealthInstituteofLiberia RwandaBiomedicalCentre RwandaMinistryofHealth SierraLeoneMilitaryHospital34
India: IndianVeterinaryResearchInstitute MinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare IndianCouncilofAgricultureResearch IndianCouncilofMedicalResearch NationalInstituteofHighSecurity AnimalDiseases Pharmaceuticals&MedicalDevices BureauofIndia
NGO
LatinAmerica: MundoEsperanza
Africa: Bridge2Rwanda CapacityBuildingforHealthInformation SystemsandNutrition(CIIC-HIN) Project1808
India: SehgalFoundation
PARTNERSHIPS & OUTREACH
GHI welcomes opportunities to meet other global health practitioners to expand our collective network of global health research and resources This sharing of information and collaboration is fundamental to GHI’s growth and putting the Wisconsin Idea into global action
Here are the individuals and organizations we were honored to meet and look forward to continued dialogues to advance global health security
OUTREACH MEETINGS & VISITORS
Visitors from the University of Guadalajara
Visitors from Hôpital Général Idrissa Pouye/Grand Yoff (HOGIP) in Dakar, Sénégal, including Professeur Agrégé Médecine Légale Mohamed M Soumah
Dr. Richard Gordon, Director of International Business Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)
Outreach meetings with Afrigen Biologics Vaccines; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; UW–Madison Biochemistry Department; Stellenbosch University; Desmond Tutu Health Foundation
Visitors from King Faisal Hospital and the Ministry of Health, Rwanda
Jay Sehgal, Executive Vice President, Sehgal Foundation
Judge Belkis Izquierdo - Aty Seikuinduwa, Vice President & Magistrate, Special Jurisdiction for the Peace of Colombia
Juan Fernando Ramirez-Gil MD, PhD, Senior Officer, Director of Global Health Program Development, Sorbonne University
Dr Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman, Bharat Biotech
Dr A C Ashok, Medical College Principal & Dean, Dayananda Sagar University (DSU)
Donat Mugenga, Founder, African Academy for Careers (AAC)
Calyn Ostrowski moderates Center for South Asia’s 51st Annual Conference
Karl Ciuoderis, Jorge Osorio, Alhaji N’Jai at Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition Partners Meeting, Chicago
Jorge Osorio at Grand Challenges Annual Meeting Dakar, Senegal
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: UNDERGRAD
Over the 2023 summer term, UW–Madison students Brody Andes and Natalia Betancourt Rodriguez put the Wisconsin Idea into global action. As part of the One Health Center Summer Research Internship, the two worked at the GHI One Health Center (OHC)-Colombia genomic lab in Medellín. GHI
OHC-Colombia is a collaboration between the UW–Madison Global Health Institute and Universidad Nacional de Colombia with funding from Abbott Laboratories and the government of Colombia. There, they found potential learning opportunities everywhere they looked, from interacting with the One Health scientific team to visiting Indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon region.
“The spontaneity of it all was really exciting,” Brody elaborates. “You never knew what was going on that day or that week, but you knew it was going to be good content.”
Natalia adds to this by reiterating the full-cycle process of it all. They would learn about the origins of new pathogens, how the lab came to that discovery, and how to determine the consequences of these pathogens
“They’re looking at all the determinants of health,” Natalia specifies “That’s what global health is, right?”
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: HENRY ANDERSON GRANT
The Henry Anderson III Graduate Award supports graduate students pursuing research in environmental and occupational public health Preference will be given to students in the schools of Medicine and Public Health, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as those pursuing local and international environmental public health projects.
The 2023 Henry Anderson III Graduate Award was presented to Zoonosis As Multi-species Transgressions: Viruses & Foodways Amongst Indigenous communities, led by Aida Arosoaie, B.A., M.Sc., M.A., Doctoral Student, Department of Anthropology.
The 2024 Henry Anderson III Graduate Award was presented to A One Health Approach to Characterize Air Pollution, Aerobiome, and Acute Respiratory Illness in Medellin, Colombia, led by Jonathan Bryan, Research Specialist, Dr. Jorge Osorio Laboratory, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Learn more on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.
2024: Jonathan Bryan
2023: Aida Arosoaie
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: GRADUATE
LEONOR HIDALGO-CIRO
Leonor Hidalgo-Ciro is pursuing her PhD at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison She is also Research Assistant for her PhD advisor, Sara McKinnon, Professor of Rhetoric, Politics & Culture in the Department of Communication Arts, and Faculty Director of LACIS In this position, Hidalgo-Ciro is researching, writing papers, and sharing information.
On top of her PhD studies and research assistant tasks, Hidalgo-Ciro started a two-year appointment with UW–Madison’s Global Health Institute (GHI) in January 2024. At GHI, she works on her PhD projects while making interdisciplinary connections across campus and the world
For example, through her connections with Sara McKinnon and GHI, Hidalgo-Ciro began her research assistant efforts with the Migration in the Americas Project, led by McKinnon and Erin Barbato, Professor of Law and Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Jorge Osorio from GHI is also a contributor on the project, providing connections to academic, government, and NGO contacts in Latin America
MARIA STELLA LOPEZ CARVAJAL
Maria Stella Lopez Carvajal has always looked at the world through a multidisciplinary lens. Even as a young girl in Colombia, where she loved biology, math, and chemistry, she could see all the possibilities to a situation or problem and knew the intersection of synergies were where solutions could be found.
“One of my dreams when I was a child was to get enough knowledge to try to put together fields that people usually think of as different," shared Lopez Carvajal ”I like to act like a link. That's why I work in the field of artificial intelligence with biology and also incorporate engineering "
To get her start harnessing her love of knowledge, Lopez Carvajal left her hometown of Bucaramanga when she was 17 years old to earn both her Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering (2019), and Master's Degree in Analytical Engineering (2023), from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL), in Medellín.
Lopez Carvajal is harnessing her academic and professional backgrounds and translating it into her PhD efforts to develop a second-generation yellow fever vaccine with help from Jorge Osorio’s lab in the Pathobiological Sciences Department in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UW–Madison
When discussing her PhD work, Lopez Carvajal shares, "Data analytics is so useful for any field right now I like connecting the field of machine learning with biology. The idea is, with artificial intelligence and bioinformatic tools, to design a mRNA vaccine that is going to have the best coverage of the current yellow fever strain "
Lopez Carvajal anticipates her PhD project will take four years to complete. In the beginning, the thought was to split the time between UW–Madison and UNAL, but Lopez shares the richness of experience in Madison may change those plans. "In my PhD process, I have found there are so many people here with a lot of experience to reach out to and collaborate on projects. That is something that isn't as easy in Colombia. So, I like the idea to learn as much as I can and then transfer that knowledge for my country.”
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: POSTDOCTORAL
At GHI, we believe in the Wisconsin Idea and understanding solutions to global health issues begins with investing in local conversations The health of humans, animals, and the planet are tied together and we must see them as a whole GHI worked in partnership with the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) and the the GHI One Health CenterColombia (OHC-Colombia) to support three postdoc positions The three postdocs reflect three of GHI’s five strategic focus areas
OLGALUCIACHAPARROAFRICANO
has lived and worked in the Amazon and humid tropic regions in Central America for over 25 years Her focus has been on agri-food systems and strengthening the livelihoods of Indigenous and non-Indigenous rural communities
Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher focusing on the relationship between sustainable agriculture, agri-food systems, security, food sovereignty, and health within the Indigenous Emberá population who were displaced from the Colombia Pacific, especially from Choco, Risaralda. Her work aligns with one of GHI’s Five Strategic Focus AreasResource Security: Food, Water & Energy.
Chaparro Africano’s work focus is to identify the health status, food situation, and reasons for displacement of Indigenous Emberá populations, which include seeking health care and education, avoiding armed conflict, and suffering from socio-territorial issues (for example: gold mining, illicit crops)
Her UW–Madison mentors are Nancy Kendall, Professor of Educational Policy Studies in the School of Education, and Alberto Vargas, Associate Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS). Both are members of GHI’s Advisory Committee, and both have had a lasting impact on Chaparro Africano.
“Nancy recognizes, like me, the importance of involving the community in the research process and being respectful to build trust,” Chaparro Africano notes “And through his guidance and freedom, Alberto has motivated me to give my best and to believe and value what I do Alberto is a great person and teacher”
SEBASTIÁNDÍAZ’S
postdoctoral research focuses on gut microbiota of a Colombian Amazonian community in the process of urbanization. Specifically, Díaz works in the urban and rural areas of Leticia, a city located in the southern point of the Colombian Amazon His research highlights another GHI strategic focus area: Emerging Infectious Diseases.
His team worked with urban non-Indigenous and rural Indigenous populations, exploring their gut microbiota and parasite protists and worms, to make a meaningful discovery in urban areas of Leticia where
they are starting to see a loss of bacteria associated with non-processed traditional diets, which has already been the case in the urban areas outside of the Colombian Amazonian region. They also found rates of soil-transmitted helminth infections are low for both sites, something explained by the intensive deworming campaigns carried out by the national government.
Díaz highlights the willingness of his UW–Madison mentors in helping him while also giving him the freedom to research His mentors are Amie Eisfeld, Associate Research Professor, Jessica Hite, Principal Investigator, and Mostafa Zamanian, Associate Professor, all from the Department of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Eisfeld, Hite, and Zamanian are also members of GHI’s Advisory Committee
“Working with my UW mentors has been a great work experience,” Díaz recalls. “Although all the sequence data have been generated for them, they have given me all the freedom to explore the data and carry out the analysis, and later share the results with them in our meetings This has led to a wonderful journey with a constant exchange of opinions, experiences, and knowledge where we all learned a lot about this fascinating field of microbiome science”
LINAPAOLAGARZÓNGARZÓN’S
postdoctoral research focuses on attention and care practices for the management of vector borne diseases (VBD) in the Southern Colombian Amazon
Through conversations with healers, the Indigenous community of Puerto Esperanza, and public health professionals with the Department of Amazonas, Garzón and her team have evidenced low knowledge about VBD in this territory, especially Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis The Indigenous population identifies Malaria and Dengue, although it lacks the proper knowledge and resources to identify the symptoms and vectors of each disease.
Garzón and her team observed it is easier for children to appropriate and communicate information about VBD to their family and other members of their community. The advances in her project provide evidence pointing to the active role of the community and the articulation of their medical traditional practices to care guidelines are fundamental aspects for the effective management of VBD in the Southern Colombian Amazon Garzón’s project aligns with another one of GHI’s five strategic focus areas: Social, Cultural & Economic Equity.
Nancy Kendall is also Garzón’s UW–Madison mentor.
“It has been an enriching experience to have the support of my mentor in the postdoctoral program, ” Garzón says “I have learned from her background, especially in the area of education, and put her advice and comments into practice in the different activities I have done in the program. I have received her support in the revision of the activities scheduled for the program, the scope and outcomes of my research, the topics for potential papers, and my participation in academic events”
ReadtheirfullstoriesonGHI’swebsite,ghi.wisc.edu.
VISITING SCHOLARS
MARCIA PAOLA CHAPETON CASTRO
Marcia Paola Chapeton Castro, Nutritionist, Dietician and PhD Student in Public Health at Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)–Campus Bogotá, Interfaculty Program, is on her way to a thesis focused on community collaboration to achieve food sovereignty and improve healthcare. GHI was pleased to co-sponsor and welcome Marcia Paola Chapeton Castro to Madison for a short-term graduate program in the summer of 2023 to continue her studies and research.
Chapeton’s main research focus is finding ways to guarantee equal access to sustainable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food for communities in the Amazon region of Colombia and across the world For her, the key to ensuring food sovereignty is having each community she cooperates with feel wholly included in the process of recovering their traditional food systems
CELENY ORTIZ RESTREPO
In February 2024, Epidemiologist for the Secretary of Health, State of Antioquia, Colombia, Celeny Ortiz Restrepo, began her journey at the University of Madison–Wisconsin as a visiting scholar. The opportunity is a partnership between UW–Madison’s Global Health Institute (GHI) and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) to research and analyze emerging and infectious disease (EID) data from Colombia, with the goal of publishing manuscripts and submitting grant proposals.
With more than ten years of public health experience in Colombia, and through the help of GHI Director, Jorge Osorio, and her UW–Madison mentor, Sara McKinnon, LACIS Faculty Director and Professor of Rhetoric, Politics & Culture in the Department of Communication Arts, Ortiz made multidisciplinary connections across campus to learn, find, and add to EID projects with GHI and affiliates.
Read their full stories on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.
RESEARCH FELLOWS
KARLCIUODERIS
GrowingupintheColombiancountryside,KarlCiuoderisknewhe wantedtohelpanimals Hislovefordomesticanimalsgrewasthey delightfullysurroundedhimonhisfamily’sproperty.
Fromthatfoundation,Ciuoderiscultivatedacareertoworkonexactly whatfeelsrightandnowshareshisexpertisewithGHIandtheSchool ofVeterinaryMedicine(SVM) CiuoderiscametoUWinOctober 2023,asaGlobalVirusNetwork(GVN)Scholar,wherehetakesona varietyoftasks,includingcollaboratingwithfacultyandresearchersat UW–Madisonandacrosstheworld,writingandsubmittinggrant proposals,workingonscientificmanuscripts,andsupportingGHIin OneHealthefforts.
AsaGVNScholarwithGHIandSVM,Ciuoderisnotonlycontinueshis passionforresearchingemerginginfectiousdiseases,buthealso buildslifelongskillstotreasureinhisbusycareer Suchskillsinclude grantwriting,teamleading,andnetworking,whichheisalready startingtoputintopractice.Hehascontributedtohigh-levelgrant submissions,managedprojectsandteams,andbuiltmeaningful connectionswithfacultyandresearchersatUW–Madisonand institutionsacrosstheworld
DR.SAMINATHANMANI
ThroughfundingbytheIndianCouncilofMedicalResearchDepartmentofHealthResearch(ICMR-DHR)International Fellowshipsprogram,Dr SaminathanManicametoUW–Madisonin June2024 HisbackgroundasaresearcherattheIndianCouncilof AgricultureResearch-IndianVeterinaryResearchInstituteinBarelily, India,includesworkingonunderstandingthemolecularpathogenesis, diagnosisandvaccinesagainstrabiesvirus,bluetonguevirus,and canineadenovirusesaffectinglivestock,companion,andwildanimals
ForthenextyearhewillbesupportingGHIDirector,JorgeOsorio,in hislab,focusingonimprovingtheefficacyofthecandidatevaccinefor theirrecombinantraccoonpoxvirusvectored-mosaicrabiesvirus glycoproteinvaccinetechnology.Hisobjectivesincludeconstruction andcharacterizationofnovelrecombinantraccoonpoxvirus(RCN) vectored-subunitmosaicglycoprotein(MoG)vaccine;determining thesafety,immunogenicity,andprotectiveefficacyofnovelviralvectoredrecombinantsubunitrabiesoralvaccinecandidateinmice model;anddeterminingthesafety,immunogenicityandprotective efficacyofnovelviral-vectoredsubunitrabiesoralbaitvaccinein dogs.
SPONSORSHIPS
Global Health Conference of the Americas
Sept 13-15, 2023
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
PAHIO, Florida International University & Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work
Wisconsin in the World Book Launch
Oct 20, 2023
International Division
Condor Eagle Conference of the Americas
March 19, 2024
South Madison Partnership College of Engineering LACIS
Badger Salud
Sept 19, 2023
Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association
UW–Madison Psychedelic Symposium
Nov 2-3, 2023
Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances
The Many Facets of Love: Understanding Consciousness and Connection
May 16-17, 2024
Usona Institute
Makerspace Makeathon
Sept 29-Oct 1, 2023
College of Engineering
Global Day 2024:
Wisconsin & the World Feb 27, 2024 College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
CUGH 2024
March 7-10, 2024
Los Angeles, California
Politics and Realities of US Immigration
June 25-30, 2024
Migration in the Americas Project
19TH ANNUAL
GLOBAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM
325+ registered in-person & via livestream
High-level panelists & speakers
Vice Provost & International Division Dean, Frances Vavrus
SMPH Dean, Robert N Golden
Associate Professor of Endocrine Surgery, Kristin Long
Migration in the Americas Project Keynote Speakers
Over two dozen poster presenters
Advertised on WPR & Inside UW
ENGAGEMENT: TARGET3-4POSTSAWEEK JULY2023-JUNE2024
STAFF
Staff are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day operations of the Institute, including managing office and budget operations, identifying partnership and funding opportunities, planning events, directing communications, and supporting leadership and GHI initiatives.
Calyn
Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships and Development
Learn
Jorge Osorio Director
Kendall Buehl Communications Intern
John Chan Associate Research Professor
Karl Ciuoderis Global Virus Network Visiting Scholar
Katie Newcomb Communications Director
Ostrowski
Aslesha Shakya Accountant
Khushi Tanna Administrative Intern
Saminathan Mani ICMR Research Fellow
Sumudu Atapattu Law
Lyric Bartholomay Veterinary Medicine
Paul Block Engineering
Dominique Brossard Agricultural & Life Sciences
Bruce Christensen Veterinary Medicine
Katie Collins Nursing
James Conway Medicine & Public Health
Todd Courtenay Agricultural & Life Sciences
Lori DiPrete Brown Human Ecology
Amie Eisfeld Veterinary Medicine
Johanna Elfenbein Veterinary Medicine
Kevin Eliceiri Medicine & Public Health
Shelby Ellison Agricultural & Life Sciences
Ann Evensen Medicine & Public Health
Sundaram Gunasekaran Agricultural & Life Sciences Engineering
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Global Health Institute Advisory Committee includes faculty and staff members from across the UW–Madison campus, representing diverse units, from engineering to public health. These trusted advisors consult with GHI leadership on strategic direction, help advance the mission and vision of the Institute and serve as advocates for GHI and its programs.
Jeff Hartman Medicine & Public Health
Joel Hill Medicine & Public Health
Jessica Hite Veterinary Medicine
Li-Ching Ho Education
Krishnapuram Karthikeyan Agricultural & Life Sciences
Richard Keller Medicine & Public Health
Nancy Kendall Education
Karen Kopacek Pharmacy
Jennifer Kushner Agricultural & Life Sciences
Carolyn (Carey) McAndrews Letters & Science
Maria Moreno Letters & Science
Gregory Nemet La Follette School of Public Affairs
Susan Paskewitz Agricultural & Life Sciences
Jonathan Patz Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Wilmara Salgado Pabón Veterinary Medicine
Leigh Senderowicz Letters & Science
Ajay Sethi Medicine & Public Health
Kurt Sladky Veterinary Medicine
Marulasiddappa Suresh Veterinary Medicine
Janis Tupesis Medicine & Public Health
Alberto Vargas Latin American, Caribbean & Iberian Studies
Giri Venkataramanan Engineering
Claire Wendland Letters & Science
Mostafa Zamanian Veterinary Medicine
BOARD OF VISITORS
The Global Health Institute Board of Visitors brings together alumni, donors, and friends as trusted advisors to the GHI director. Members are charged with increasing awareness and visibility of the Institute and furthering connections with donors and prospective donors
Erik Iverson Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Steve Landry Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
John E. Lange United Nations Foundation
Elisabeth Patton Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Cambridge
Ann Behrmann American Academy of Physicians, ICATCH
Gopala Krishna Dasika Sandoz
Krishna Ella Bharat Biotech
Suchitra Ella Bharat Biotech
Luxme Hariharan Dayton Children’s Hospital
John Holton CHESS Health, SCI Solutions
(WARF)
Linda Vakunta City of Madison, WI
Victor Villacrez Mundo Esperanza
Mary Wilson Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Caroline Zellmer
Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2024-25
WEBINAR SERIES
SEPTEMBER 24
OCTOBER 29
NOVEMBER 19
DECEMBER 17
JANUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
MARCH 25
MAY 20
GLOBAL HEALTH
SYMPOSIUM’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY
APRIL 8, 2025
GHI TURNS 15 2026
