School of Public Health would like to inform that we organize a Lunch Time Seminar on “Strengthening One Health workforce to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats”. This seminar aims to introduce One Health approach, SEAOHUN and its role in Cambodia and in the region. Let’s work together to prevent and combat new, emerging, and re-emerging infectious disease threats.

• Date: September 01, 2018
• Time: 12.20PM-13.20PM
• Room: Phnom Kulen Room, the second floor of School of Public Health Building.

Title: Strengthening One Health workforce to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats

The spillover of infectious agents from animals to humans in recent decades has had a significant impact on the health of humans, animals, and our environment, and on the global economy. To minimize the impact of future pandemic threats, the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) was established in 2011, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Emerging Pandemic Threats program, to develop a well-prepared One Health (OH) workforce to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of infectious diseases. The OH workforce is fundamental to build a strong and sustainable health security. Since its establishment, SEAOHUN has expanded its network membership to include 67 universities and 120 faculties, as well as government agencies, in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

SEAOHUN has also built partnerships with universities in Cambodia and Myanmar. Members come from multiple disciplines connected to the health of humans, animals and the environment. Our educational programs promote and facilitate collaborative activities and projects among the four countries, plus Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar, with an emphasis on multi-sectoral, trans-disciplinary and trans-boundary partnerships. For our programs and activities, we have partnered with public and private education institutions, national governments, inter-governmental organizations, regional organizations, and international non-governmental organizations, to prepare today’s workforce to combat tomorrow’s infectious diseases.

Speaker’s profile

Dr. Vipat Kuruchittham has dedicated his life’s work to improve public health since 1999. Currently, he is the Executive Director of South East Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) Foundation aiming to link and empower a regional network of academic partnerships with government, national and regional stakeholders in Southeast Asia to generate social and intellectual capital on One Health against infectious and zoonotic diseases. He leads the SEAOHUN Secretariat to a) promote the development of One Health workforce for a sustainable and effective health security system, b) ensure the team effectively and efficiently implement regional activities to strengthen One Health workforce and build the next generation of One Health leaders in the Southeast Asia region, c) foster collaboration and synergy among the four One Health University Networks (OHUNs) in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, d) engage the other Southeast Asian countries to form OHUN and join SEAOHUN, and e) mobilize resources and build a strategic partnership with One Health partners.

Before joining SEAOHUN, Dr. Kuruchittham experienced working with over 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific in various capacities, including a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) professional, health informatician, researcher, and trainer in leading organizations such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO), and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is well-grounded academically and taught at the College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University. He also worked with Thai Ministry of Public Health to strengthen its national malaria control and elimination. Additionally, he worked to promote the harmonization of Southeast Asian higher education systems when serving as Deputy Director of SEAMEO RIHED (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development).

Dr. Kuruchittham holds a Ph.D. in Health Systems Engineering with a minor in public health, MSIE in Decision Science and Operations Research from University of Wisconsin – Madison, and MEng in Engineering Management from Cornell University.