Speakers
Dr. Latiffah Hassan
Dr Latiffah Hassan is a professor in veterinary public health epidemiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She researched and published widely in epidemiology of emerging diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Latiffah has over a decade experience in one health workforce capacity building, intersectoral engagements, project management, strategic planning, program curation and management of one health expertise and trainings in Malaysia. She provides consultative, expertise or leadership roles in various one health efforts in Southeast Asia. She has spoken and moderated in high-level forums and panel discussions organized by the European Union, FAO, WAOH and the Economist. She is the co-chair of Lancet Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover and is the Coordinator of Malaysia One Health University Network. Latiffah holds a DVM from Universiti Putra Malaysia and a PhD from Cornell University.
Dr. Lis Alban
Dr Lis Alban is since year 2000 affiliated as a Chief Scientist with the Danish Agriculture & Food Council (DAFC). DAFC is an organization that represents the entire agricultural business of Denmark – from the farmers to the processing industry. At DAFC, she undertakes epidemiological investigations and is responsible for the conduct of risk assessments primarily within food safety including antimicrobial resistance. Her main interest is surveillance and control of pig-borne hazards, and her work is used as support for decision-making. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Copenhagen and in that role, she acts as a supervisor or co-supervisor for Masters’ and PhD students. Her involvement in both academia and industry allows her to focus on identifying intelligent and cost-effective solutions to the challenges in current meat production. She prefers working using the Danish Model, which involves collaboration between stakeholders, academia and veterinary authorities. Lis Alban holds a DVM and a Ph.D. in veterinary epidemiology from University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Moreover, she is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Public Health and is on the Editorial Board of Preventive Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Masako Wada
Masako Wada is an early career researcher in veterinary epidemiology at EpiCentre, Massey University, New Zealand. Growing up in Japan, she developed a passion for veterinary medicine and obtained her DVM from Hokkaido University, Sapporo. She continued her academic journey and completed an MSc by Research at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a PhD at Massey University.
In recent years, Masako has dedicated her efforts to the development and application of a range of epidemiological tools. Her aims are to inform and support decision making, resource allocation, outbreak response, early warning systems, and climate change preparedness through the use of these tools. With her keen interest in artificial intelligence, Masako is taking a multidisciplinary approach and collaborating with her capable colleagues to integrate computer science to advance the field of veterinary epidemiology.
Dr. Sala Saketa
Dr Sala is the human health lead in advancing the One Health approach in the Pacific Community (SPC), an international development organization with 27 country and territory members and active in 20 sectors. Under her leadership the SPC One Health Working Group was established in 2022 comprising of members from various sectors including human health, animal health, aquaculture, land resources management, strategic planning and learning, human rights, and statistics for development. In 2018, Dr Sala the first Pacific One Health Consultative Meeting under the umbrella of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN). She has continued to advocate and galvanize resources towards One Health implementation within SPC and its members. In 2022, Dr Sala worked together with the One Health Working Group, WHO, School of Veterinary Science of Massey University, ESR New Zealand, Fiji National University to implement priority One Health Security projects in 5 Pacific countries. In November 2022, she participated in the panel discussion on ‘Operationalization of One Health’ at the 7th World One Health Congress in Singapore to share on the Pacific experience. Dr Sala has spoken in both in-country and international forums advocating for the use of the One Health approach. Dr Sala is a public health physician and medical epidemiologist working for more than 20 years in the Fiji Ministry of Health prior to joining SPC in 2015.
Dr. Sripad Sosale
Dr Sripad Sosale has worked in animal health in the Pacific for the past seven years. He currently works at The Pacific Community (SPC) as the Animal health and Production Adviser. Prior to this, Sripad worked as a large animal veterinary adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture in Fiji, supporting its Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign. He spent three years as the Chief Veterinary Officer for Solomon Islands. He is passionate about animal health and the vital role it plays in safeguarding public health for the people of the Pacific. Dr Sripad Sosale is a veterinarian who graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in 2012 and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in veterinary public health at the University of Melbourne.
Dr. Tony Goldberg PhD, DVM, MS (he/him/his)
Dr. Goldberg is Professor of Epidemiology and John D. MacArthur Research Chair at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the USA. He received his B.A. from Amherst College in 1990 in Biology and English, his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1996 in Biological Anthropology, and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and MS in Epidemiology in 2000 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Goldberg studies the ecology and evolution of emerging pathogens. His research program combines epidemiological study designs with laboratory-based methods in metagenomics to “hunt” for the causes of disease of unknown etiology. He uses methods in the social sciences to link the resulting data to root drivers of pathogen emergence, many of which hinge on human perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors. Dr. Goldberg is particularly interested in diseases that threaten wildlife and imperil ecosystem services, whether or not those diseases are zoonotic. His overarching goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of animals and people while helping to conserve the rapidly changing ecosystems we share.