GSBS student selected to study global disease threats
By Jan Jarvis
PhD candidate Santosh Thapa will get a global perspective on Ebola, dengue fever, antimicrobial resistance and other threats when he travels to Sweden to participate in a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control program.
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences student has been selected to attend the September program as a fellow of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. His research at UNTHSC focuses on tick-borne disease, but during the five-day observership program, Thapa will get see what other countries do regarding disease surveillance, public health decisions and infectious diseases.
“This is an opportunity for me to see what is new with disease control and prevention in Europe and from around the world,” Thapa said. “It will also provide me a platform to network among the experts and other participants across disciplines.”
Thapa is one of 10 people selected to take part in the program, which is a collaboration between the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Participants are selected based on degree, research, experiences, international collaboration and active engagement with a public health organization.
The program is designed to increase understanding of the European public health organization’s role, facilitate networking and acquaint observers with surveillance and epidemic intelligence systems.
Thapa is a graduate teaching assistant in GSBS’ Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Allen.
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