College of Public Health

Developing collaborations across the globe

May 13, 2016 • Uncategorized

JoonLeeChungbukUniv

 

During a recent trip to South Korea in which he represented the UNTHSC College of Public Health (SPH), Joon Lee, PhD, Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, presented two of his research studies to scholarly and governmental audiences.

He spoke on “An Application of Entomology in Urban Social Environment” at Andong National University and also presented “An Integrative West Nile virus Vector Management-Case of Fort Worth, Texas, USA” to both Chungbuk National University and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While there, he was also hosted at the Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, where he learned about the government’s management system for food, air and water quality monitoring and response, along with their public risk communications system.

“Students at the two universities I visited were interested in learning about graduate study in the U.S. and the types of opportunities we offer through the UNTHSC MPH programs,” Dr. Lee said.

Dr. Lee’s work on West Nile virus prevention efforts in North Texas over the last several years, and his recent advice to local communities and the news media regarding growing Zika virus concerns, also led to meetings with high-ranking government officials during his visit, to explore opportunities for collaborative research and projects in the future.

“Following last year’s outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in South Korea – the largest virus spread outside the Arabian Peninsula, with potential death tolls for the disease of about 3-4 of every 10 patients diagnosed – the government is very interested in developing a vigilant system to detect and prevent future virus threats like Zika,” he said, “and I am hoping to get involved with these governmental institutions over the next few months, so we can work together on solutions for this current global public health concern.”