By Katie Newcomb, GHI Communications Director…On August 8, 2023, more than 40 advisory members, GHI staff, and friends attended the Global Health Institute’s (GHI) Advisory Committee Meeting/Retreat at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The meeting goals were to share the work GHI has accomplished in the past year, highlight the vision moving forward, thank members for their continued contributions to GHI’s success, and request feedback on how GHI can continually advance the Wisconsin Idea through global action within GHI’s Five Strategic Focus Areas: emerging infectious diseases; human, animal & plant health; social, cultural, & economic equity; resource security: food, water & energy; and climate & land use change.
The event featured numerous speakers sharing slides and discussions of their work. They included the following:
GHI Director, Jorge Osorio; Welcoming & GHI One Health Center-India presentation: 2023 Advisory Mtg Jorge Osorio Slides.
GHI Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships & Development, Calyn Ostrowski: 2023 Advisory Mtg Calyn Ostrowski slides.
GHI Communications Director, Katie Newcomb: 2023 Advisory Mtg Katie Newcomb slides.
GHI Associate Research Professor, John Chan: 2023 Advisory Mtg John Chan slides.
Associate Professor, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Krishanu Saha sharing his work with Saha Lab and ongoing project discussions with UW-Madison Alumnus and Bharat Biotech Executive Chairman Dr. Krishna Ella and the GHI One Health Center – India.
Professor at the Department of Materials and Nanotechnology at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and GHI One Health Center-Colombia Co-Director, Juan Pablo Hernandez-Ortiz: 2023 Advisory Mtg Juan Pablo Hernandez slides.
Lecturer in the Departments of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, and Biological Sciences, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone; Project 1808 Founder and GHI One Health Center-West Africa Director, Alhaji N’jai: 2023 Advisory Mtg Alhaji N’jai slides.
WARF CEO Erik Iverson & Jorge Osorio discussing current and potential partnership opportunities
Principal Scientist, Infectious Disease Research, Diagnostics, Abbott, Mary Rodgers sharing GHI’s partnership with the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition: 2023 Advisory Mtg Mary Rodgers Abbott
Assistant Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiological Sciences Mostafa Zamanian sharing work with neglected tropical diseases: 2023 Advisory Mtg Mostafa Zamanian slides.
Professor, Department of Communication Arts, and Affiliate Faculty, Gender & Women’s Studies; and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies, Sara McKinnon sharing her work with Jorge Osorio, and Erin Barbato, Director of the Immigration Justice Clinic at UW-Madison’s Law School, on migration and safe passage in the Darien Gap: 2023 Advisory Mtg Sara McKinnon slides.
Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium PhD Student and Visiting Prof. Dionisio Ramirez at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in Spain, Rafael Castillo Sierra, sharing his work with Rebecca Alcock, a PhD student in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering: 2023 Advisory Mtg Rafael Sierra slides.
Hearing from three post-doctoral program Global Health Scholars: Olga Chaparro, Sebastian Diaz, and Lina Garzon regarding their work in Colombia and interacting with UW Mentors.
Viewing a video from Graduate Student Brody Andes, who shared his experiences this summer working with members of the GHI One Health Center-Colombia.
Advisory members were encouraged to reach out to GHI with their stories and ideas to help GHI continue building networks for interdisciplinary collaborations both on and off campus, connecting for potential grant support, and providing current and future opportunities for student exchanges. GHI looks forward to sharing more stories to help inspire today and tomorrow’s global health security innovators and leaders.