The School supported the participation of Dr. Rico Ancog in the France Excellence Summer on OneHealth approach to fight antimicrobial resistance held in the headquarters of the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) in Montpellier, France, last July 2018. Dr. Ancog is an assistant professor and UP Scientist III at the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the UPLB’s focal person for CIRAD GREASE Research Network for emerging risks in Southeast Asia where UPLB is an associate member.

As a champion of multi- and inter-disciplinary approach, SESAM is investing on how OneHealth/EcoHealth approaches/frameworks could be effectively operationalized for a more holistic understanding of the environmental challenges besetting agro-ecosystems. The growing concerns on negative impacts of unregulated agricultural activities has necessitated the interest of utilizing multi- and interdisciplinary approaches and tools to systematically contain potentially large-scale epizootics, prevent spillover of zoonotic bacteria into the food chain, and ultimately to ensure sustainable livestock production. A growing concern on emerging risks and zoonotic diseases warrants a deeper understanding of its environmental underpinnings for a more proactive planning and effective interventions implementation.

After the training, Dr. Ancog is expected to help in coordinating with CIRAD and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in initiating OneHealth/EcoHealth Initiative Platform for Southeast Asia where various modalities are to be implemented to benefit SESAM students and researchers such as through the training-workshop by the last quarter of 2018 and research projects in 2019.