School
for Global Animal Health
$2.77 Million
Option
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WSU is seeking funding
to launch the new WSU School for Global Animal Health
to provide practical, innovative solutions to infectious disease challenges
through research, education, global outreach, and application of disease control
at the animal-human interface. The funding will secure senior,
internationally-recognized faculty, (two senior faculty positions) to strengthen
the school in the areas of animal-human disease transmission, disease
surveillance and global animal health policy. The School for Global Animal
Health will advance science, people, and policy to discover novel approaches for
disease intervention and delivery of preventive health care for animals and
humans. The school will be closely aligned with the Department of Global Health
at the University of Washington.
This $2.77 million option is a scaled-back version
of the original $6.4 million WSU request for the 2009-2011 Biennium. It provides
for 9.42 FTE per year, with $1.386 million requested per year (compared to the
original request of $3.2 million per year, funding 24.8 FTE).
The original
plan was two faculty clusters in each of four academic areas. The scaled back
plan is for one faculty cluster in each of three areas. That would be two
senior faculty members and a junior faculty member to lead the program in these
areas:
·
Zoonotic Disease Transmission
– provides new expertise in mapping routes of transmission of pathogens such as
E. coli, from animals and their environment to humans, with emphasis on
new strategies for blocking transmission. This faculty cluster will complement
the existing strengths in zoonotic disease control and vaccine development at
Washington State University.
·
Emerging Disease Surveillance
– provides unique new expertise in detection of emerging diseases at the global
level that threaten human and/or animal health within the state, and focuses on
development of novel testing procedures and screening methodology.
·
Global Animal Health Policy and Metrics
– provides needed expertise in measuring intervention outcomes and formulating
science-based policy to control
international spread of animal and zoonotic diseases.
This proposal is at
the forefront of the university’s strategic plan led by President Elson Floyd to
create research centers that are world-renowned and that bring direct benefits
to the state.
Infections transmitted from animals to humans account for
more than 70 percent of human infectious diseases, including emerging diseases
like Avian influenza and West Nile Virus, and those existing diseases which are
poorly controlled and not easily prevented such as
Salmonella and
E. coli.
Through its mission of providing innovative solutions to global
infectious disease challenges at the animal-human interface, the School for
Global Animal Health will advance science, people and policy to discover novel
approaches for disease intervention and delivery of preventive health care for
animals and humans.
State investment in this proposal has
already been matched by private and federal funding.
Through a $25 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a new
building with critical modern global animal health research space on the campus
of Washington State University will serve as the centerpiece for the School.
Increased State investment should prove to be a catalyst for still more
non-state funding.
Expected Outcomes for the
State: This budget
request addresses two primary strategic Priorities of Government –
“Improving the Health of Washingtonians”
and “Improving the Economic Vitality of Businesses and Individuals.”
It is expected that full funding will:
·
enhance global health partnerships among Washington’s premier state, federal and
private institutions
·
solidify the leadership of the State of Washington in global health through
development of interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research and graduate
education
·
transform current strengths at Washington State University into preeminence in
the control of infectious diseases at the animal-human interface by catalyzing
new federal and private investment
·
mitigate the impacts of infectious diseases such as avian flu, foodborne
diseases and foot and mouth disease on animal and human health, the food supply
and agricultural markets through development of novel methods of intervention at
the animal-human interface and
·
improve global
competitiveness of Washington State in the animal and human health sectors.
For more information:
Larry Ganders, Assistant to the President, 360-280-6320
