UW–Madison Global Health Institute

EXPANDING THE WISCONSIN IDEA

ANNUAL REPORT FY 7/1/2023 - 6/30/2024

01 | Annual Report 2023-2024

FROM OUR DIRECTOR

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

For the past year, I’ve had the privilege of leading our small but mighty team at UW–Madison’s Global Health Institute (GHI), where our focus has been expanding the Wisconsin Idea into global action through strategic and collaborative outreach, and building our innovative One Health Center (OHC) Network.

Our unique and successful approach to addressing global health, through a One Healthfocused lens of transdisciplinary and multi-sectoral collaborations, represents a transformative step forward in viewing and ultimately solving complex global health challenges around the world, and contributes to UW–Madison’s stellar reputation as a worldrenowned academic research institution. We’ve done amazing work in a short period of time to build our network not only across campus, but across the world. We continue moving forward with proactive and positive momentum to reach even more areas of the world to connect us all under the One Health umbrella and are excited for the future!

GHI's five focus areas—emerging and infectious diseases; climate and land use change; resource security, including food, water, and energy; social, cultural, and economic equity; and human, animal, and plant health—capture a comprehensive view of global health. This holistic, One Health-based approach allows us to leverage the expertise of UW–Madison’s 21 schools and colleges and is essential in understanding, transforming, and tackling the intricate connections among health, equity, and the environment.

We recognize the interconnectedness of these focus areas and the importance of collaboration in making meaningful progress. We strategically engage with key partners and collaborators in academia, government, industry, NGOs, local communities, and philanthropy because we know discovering and transforming the path towards global health solutions requires transdisciplinary collaboration. Where others see barriers, we see opportunity.

To emphasize our commitment towards transdisciplinary global-health problem solving, GHI led a 21-person UW–Madison delegation to Colombia in September 2023. As you will see in this report and on our website, over the course of the week-long excursion we introduced campus members to the GHI One Health Center (OHC)-Colombia and collaborators at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, experienced the wonder of the country and Amazon, signed a MOU with Universidad de Antioquia, connected with UW–Madison alumni living and working in Colombia, and inspired possibilities for future academic and industry partnerships.

Harnessing the positive impacts of this delegation, GHI made strategic connections in Mexico, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Rwanda, and India to expand our One Health Network.

Our goals are inspired by the positive outcomes and model established at our OHC-Colombia and include building programs to deliver tangible global health results, offering students and trainees hands-on learning experiences, and providing researchers with invaluable insights into real-world settings that positively develop the global health leaders of today and tomorrow. You can discover current undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral research stories in this report and on our website. We hope they inspire you to know what’s possible.

By moving research out of the lab and into real-world settings, GHI ensures interventions are evaluated for their social, cultural, political, and environmental impacts. This pragmatic approach aligns with the needs of local communities while addressing broader global health goals. The ripple effects of GHI's work go beyond capacity-building of partner locations and ultimately benefit Wisconsin and the entire world.

The transdisciplinary work of GHI is essential in promoting health equity, advancing global health security, and fostering a better and healthier future for all. We are all connected, and the responsibility of global health belongs to all of us. This is only the beginning of implementing the Wisconsin Idea in global action. We are excited for what the future holds and invite you to join us.

Gracias, and On, Wisconsin!

Jorge Osorio, Director

02 | Annual Report 2023-2024

ONE HEALTH CENTER NETWORK GHI One Health Centers offer a framework to move research out of the lab into real-world settings. When results are translated into action, partners can immediately assess the social, cultural, political, and environmental effects of each intervention. Through these partnerships, UW–Madison students and trainees broaden their understanding of health and disease; researchers add depth and new dimensions to their projects, and the results benefit Wisconsin as well as the world.

Under GHI’s One Health strategic framework, the centers advance animal, human, and environmental health locally and globally in many ways: Conducting and supporting research and surveillance across disciplines, including emerging infectious diseases, climate change, air quality, cancer, and more Providing early detection of important pathogens Building capacity and advancing scientific training through state-of-the-art laboratories and research networks Developing vaccines and protecting people, animals, and crops Opening opportunities for UW faculty, staff and students, and Wisconsin and US industry Addressing social issues related to One Health With One Health Centers currently in Colombia and Sierra Leone, and plans for more global health sites and centers in India, Mexico, Rwanda, and South Africa, GHI offers opportunities for UW faculty, staff, students, and trainees to collaborate with local communities and colleagues in mutually beneficial partnerships.

Through these strategic global health security partnerships, UW–Madison can share its knowledge and resources to advance scientific training, build capacity, and alleviate the burdens of disease and climate change. Communities contribute Indigenous wisdom and local needs, and in-country colleagues and universities provide on-the-ground expertise and frame important questions for research and intervention activities.

03 | Annual Report 2023-2024

LATIN AMERICA: COLOMBIA

GHI One Health Center-Colombia (OHC-Colombia) is a collaboration between UW–Madison and Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) with funding from Abbott Laboratories and the government of Colombia.

It is currently part of the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, which is a global scientific and public health partnership dedicated to the early detection of-and rapid response to-future pandemic threats.

Growing out of a half-century of ongoing collaborations in Colombia to study tropical diseases, the center (formerly the Colombia-Wisconsin One Health Consortium) was established in 2018 to recognize and explore the deep connections between human, animal, and environmental health.

The center works in five regions of Colombia, including the Amazon, to strengthen local capacity to detect and manage diseases and discover pathogens. Projects have included surveillance of Mansonella in Indigenous communities and of pathogens causing fever, genomic surveillance of SARS-COV-2 and immune responses, and monitoring the aerobiome and its association with air pollution.

As a model for other GHI One Health Centers, OHC-Colombia continues to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration between UW–Madison, UNAL, and local Colombian organizations and units, and transforms the way to look at solutions for global health security issues and develop the leaders of today and tomorrow.

This year the center opened its doors to expand educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and welcomed a 21-person delegation from across UW– Madison in September 2023.

Migration in the Americas Project OHC-Colombia serves as a connector for the Migration in the Americas Project, a policy and research collective focused on assessing migration policy and developing ways to reduce risk and harm to make movement and residence safer for migrants throughout the Western Hemisphere. In summer of 2023, this project was awarded two years of Research Forward Initiative funding through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. GHI Director, Jorge Osorio, and GHI Global Virus Network Visiting Scholar, Karl Ciuoderis, have been working with project leads Sara McKinnon, Professor of Rhetoric, Politics & Culture in the Department of Communication Arts, and Faculty Director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies; and Erin Barbato, Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School to tap into OHC-Colombia’s network and build the foundation of a health clinic designed for specimen collection in Necoclí, Colombia, to augment the emerging infectious diseases focus area of the project.

Visit ghi.wisc.edu to learn more about GHI OHC-Colombia and the Migration in Americas Project.

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UW–MADISON DELEGATION TO COLOMBIA GHI is an agent for collaboration, rooted in the Wisconsin Idea.

Our One Health Centers are dynamic embodiments of what is possible for global health when multi-sector and multidisciplinary collaborations are formed, and ideas are put into action.

In September 2023, GHI led representatives from across UW– Madison’s campus on a visit to its OHC-Colombia to inspire ideas for future academic, industry, NGO, alumni, and government partnerships. Members of the 21-person delegation were able to see the OHC-Colombia in Medellín, and experience the richness of relationships across the Colombian campuses of Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) and Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA) with in-person meetings and tours.

The OHC-Colombia serves as the best practice for creating additional One Health Centers in strategic locations across the world. Collaborations are the key to GHI’s ethos of moving the Wisconsin Idea into global action.

Members of the delegation represented the following schools and programs: UW Law School, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies, School of Pharmacy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Global Health Undergraduate Programs, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, International Division, Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, Department of Communication Arts, School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin School of Business.

The takeaways from meeting with partners were vast, and it’s easy to see why OHC-Colombia serves as GHI’s blueprint for scaling its international One Health Network. Witnessing the impacts of research and educational opportunities afforded by UW–Madison’s strong partnerships, facilitated by the OHCColombia, sparked ideas for new collaborative offerings.

Read the full story on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.

05 | Annual Report 2023-2024

LATIN AMERICA: MEXICO

UW–Madison has a 50-year-long history of partnerships with the University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Research and educational collaborations have been grounded in scientific and educational shared values, and addressed such issues as rural and urban sustainable community development, biodiversity, conservation, plant ecology and taxonomy, environmental education, and more. The Migration in the Americas Project, which started with connections in Colombia and the Darién Gap with the help of GHI, is also expanding their research in Mexico with help from the University of Guadalajara.

Through the relationship with the OHC-Colombia and Abbott Labs, GHI is working with Centro Universitario Tlajomulco at Universidad de Guadalajara, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, and local health care institutions to establish virus monitoring and discovery opportunities within Guadalajara; thus opening doors for faculty to share information and ideas.

To expand connections and learn more about local health projects and capacity, GHI Director Jorge Osorio, Global Virus Network Visiting Scholar Karl Ciuoderis, and representatives from Abbott Labs visited the Cutlajo Universidad de Guadalajara campus and met with university faculty to hear presentations about their current work and community health strategies. The team also met with medical personnel and the director of Hospital Civil to present the virus discovery project and ignite collaboration possibilities.

Upon additional meetings, an agreement was made through GHI’s connections with Abbott Labs to move forward with the virus monitoring and discovery project in Guadalajara.

To date, specimens for pathogen sequencing at an Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition site, and corresponding clinical data, has been submitted to an electronic case report form, and reports summarizing the testing results of 300 patients have been shared.

The relationship continues to flourish to address local health challenges and develop interdisciplinary studies which link human, animal, and environmental health. The connections expand both GHI and UW–Madison’s global health network and embody GHI’s mission of putting the Wisconsin Idea into global action. We look forward to working together to host future global health conferences and symposia to share knowledge and innovations.

06 | Annual Report 2023-2024

AFRICA: SIERRA LEONE

In July 2023, the GHI One Health Center-West Africa (OHC-WA) launched and signified the start of the Sierra Leone Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition Acute Febrile Illness Surveillance and Diagnostic research work with five major hospital sentinel sites in Freetown, including Connaught, 34 Military Hospital, Ola During Children’s Hospital, Choitrams and Rokupa, as well as the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory.

GHI OHC-WA partnered with Project 1808, the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, the Ministry of Health, University of Sierra Leone, and the Institut de Recherche en Santé de Surveillance Epidemiologique et de Formation (IRESSEF). Alhaji N’jai is the GHI OHC-WA Director, and Lecturer in the Departments of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and Biological Sciences, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, and is Founder and Chief Strategist for Project 1808, Inc, a nonprofit and Sierra Leone community-based organization.

Sierra Leone was especially impacted during the 2014 Ebola crisis, which, compounded by food insecurity, clean water access and climate change, can be a hotbed for infectious disease outbreaks.

The GHI OHC-WA will strengthen the capacity for detection, identification, and characterization of epidemic pathogens, and also enable preparedness for an effective response.

Since its launch, GHI OHC-WA has collected and performed diagnostics on more than 300 febrile patient samples from hospitals across Freetown. Samples have been shipped to IRESSEF in Dakar, Senegal for pathogen sequencing. GHI continues to pursue grant funding opportunities and has submitted a Gates Foundation Climate and Health proposal with Guinea and Liberia Co-PIs. In October 2023, GHI Director Jorge Osorio and GHI OHCColombia Director Juan Pablo Hernandez Ortiz visited the OHCWA to expand Global and One Health initiatives and collaborations to establish platforms for pandemic preparedness, build capacity, and share information on emerging and infectious diseases within a network of committed scientists and researchers looking to make the world a healthier place and save lives.

07 | Annual Report 2023-2024

AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA In spring 2023, GHI Director Jorge Osorio joined Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) CEO Erik Iverson, UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry Chair Brian Fox, and Illumina Vice President, Operations, Bill Checovich on a trip to South Africa to explore collaborative academic opportunities at Stellenbosch University for students and faculty.

Stellenbosch University is a public research university in the Western Cape province of South Africa. One of their leading genomic research professors is Tulio de Oliveira, who heads the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation and discovered the Omicron and Beta variants of COVID-19. He came to UW–Madison in the summer of 2024 to meet transdisciplinary faculty, tour campus, and serve as a featured Steenbock Lectures speaker.

The spring 2023 visit also included tours and meetings with Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines (a technology platform-based biotech company), Richard Gordon, Director of International Business Development, South African Medical Research Council, and the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation.

Viewing local research technologies, meeting Gordon and global health investigators inspired Osorio. He envisioned opportunities for GHI to expand the Wisconsin Idea into global action through postdoctoral and PhD programs.

GHI is continuing discussions with Stellenbosch University, UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, and the School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Pediatrics to develop academic opportunities for student and faculty exchanges between UW–Madison and Stellenbosch University that include postdoctoral and PhD programs in the following areas: One Health, global health, data sciences and data ecosystems, digital and precision agriculture, dairy science, agroecology, virology, anti-microbial and anti-fungal resistance, artificial intelligence, metabolic disease, vaccines, and development.

Additional discussions are developing a Program of Excellence between Stellenbosch University and GHI for collaborative and multidisciplinary research and development for respective faculty, staff, students, and trainees, with the purpose of working on scientific studies and knowledge gaps with local communities and colleagues in mutually beneficial partnerships. To build on GHI’s guiding principals of embracing a global health ethic that fosters deeper understanding of the complex determinants of health and disease for people, animals, and ecosystems through a One Health model, the Program will identify appropriate alliances, agreements and relations with industry, public and private entities, as well as organize seminars, workshops, conferences, and similar outreach activities for capacity building.

photo courtesy Paul Escalante / UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry

08 | Annual Report 2023-2024

AFRICA: RWANDA GHI Director Jorge Osorio met with Rwanda Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, at the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting in Dakar, Senegal in August 2023. The meeting sparked additional opportunities for GHI to expand the Wisconsin Idea into global action.

This initial meeting led to discussions with the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), University of Rwanda, Abbott Labs, World Bank, and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to develop pathogen surveillance, EID training, and capacity building opportunities within Rwanda.

Numerous high-consequence viral pathogens are endemic to Rwanda, such as Rift Valley fever virus, and bordering countries have been impacted by multiple Ebola virus outbreaks. However, there is very little infrastructure to diagnose and detect these pathogens. As part of RBC’s participation in the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, they will conduct fever surveillance clinics at sites across the country. These clinics will strengthen local capacity for performing molecular diagnostics, using reagents donated

by Abbott Labs, and will also contribute to pathogen discovery efforts by identifying cases of fevers that are not caused by known pathogens.

There is a need in Rwanda to increase the health workforce trained in infectious disease, with limited specialists in this area currently practicing in the country. Therefore, UW– Madison is working with the Rwandan Ministry of Health to establish a Clinical Infectious Disease Fellowship at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS). This two-year curriculum will be based upon the current Global Health Pathway in the Infectious Disease Fellowship within SMPH, and is led by Pathway Director, Dr. Dawd Siraj.

Within the next year, UW–Madison GHI and Dr. Siraj will work with the Ministry of Health to establish the curriculum at CMHS, with the goal of enrolling four physicians by June 2025.

09 | Annual Report 2023-2024

INDIA

GHI One Health-India was announced in February 2023, during a MOU ceremony in New Delhi as a collaboration between GHI and the Ella Foundation, founded by Dr. Krishna Ella and Mrs. Suchitra Ella. Dr. Ella, a decorated UW– Madison alumnus and GHI Board Member, is the Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, the biotechnology company responsible for developing India’s COVID19 vaccine, Covaxin. The company was founded in 1996 by Dr. and Mrs. Ella. Mrs. Ella is also on GHI’s board and is Bharat Biotech’s Managing Director. GHI appreciates Dr. and Mrs. Ella for their continued trust and support.

Since the announcement, GHI has been actively pursuing discussions with many academic, industry, government, and NGO partners to build innovative research and capacity building for the sharing of knowledge between UW experts and Indian students. Here are projects under various stages of development: NOVEL RABIES VACCINE FOR DOGS Globally, rabies is a devastating disease and responsible for more than 60,000 human deaths, with approximately 15 million people receiving rabies postexposure prophylaxis annually. In India, about 20,000 human deaths occur each year by rabid dog bites. The Jorge Osorio Lab in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), has developed and optimized an oral rabies vaccine delivery technology, which can protect dogs, and ultimately humans, from rabies. GHI partnered with SVM, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Ella Foundation, BioVet, and VaxThera to bring Dr. Saminathan Mani to UW–Madison to assist in the construction and characterization of novel recombinant raccoonpox virus (RCN) vectoredsubunit mosaic glycoprotein vaccine. He will work to determine the safety, immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the RCN candidate in mice and oral bait for dogs.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO CELL/GENE THERAPY GHI is supporting Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Kris Saha’s Lab and work to design chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR T) production to leverage existing large-scale viral production infrastructure, utilize growing donor blood supplies for manufacturing allogeneic products, and explore advanced tech for manufacturing to incorporate into Indian public health programs. Saha is currently exploring partnerships with Bharat Biotech to conduct clinical studies in India.

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (CoE) ON SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT WITH THE S M SEHGAL FOUNDATION GHI is partnering with the S M Sehgal Foundation to enhance the CoE’s vision of catalyzing sustainable change through partnerships and collaborations, and drive knowledge mobilization efforts in the Global South. The CoE will be an interdisciplinary initiative founded on the 3C principle of collaboration, convergence, and cross learning. Initiatives include knowledge mobilization, student and faculty exchanges, integration of AI in sustainable development, and technology transfers.

DAYANANDA SAGAR UNIVERSITY In May 2024, GHI welcomed Dr. A.C. Ashok, Medical College Principal & Dean, Dayananda Sagar University, to campus and arranged discussions with multiple units for potential educational & scientific collaborations in the future to promote global health in Wisconsin and the world.

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PARTNERSHIPS & OUTREACH GHI’s active engagement in partnerships with international organizations, NGOs, industry, and other academic institutions worldwide enhances UW–Madison’s research opportunities, knowledge and technology exchange, joint funding opportunities, and the implementation of effective global health interventions. International partnerships enable GHI’s implementation of long-term projects with sustained impact, addressing root causes of health issues, and promote lasting change.

Our international partnerships provide a framework for addressing complex global health challenges more effectively and equitably. GHI places a strong emphasis on addressing health disparities and promoting social justice in global health initiatives. Our global network of One Health Centers and programs actively engage local and global communities in research initiatives. This community engagement ensures that our research and interventions are culturally sensitive, sustainable, and responsive to the specific needs of diverse populations.

GHI’s partnerships also focus on building capacity in partner countries by offering training programs, workshops, and educational opportunities. These initiatives aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of health professionals, researchers, and community leaders around the world.

In addition, GHI provides opportunities for public-private partnerships where we collaborate with private sector entities to jointly address global health issues. Industry partnerships, like GHI’s engagement in Abbott’s Pandemic Defense Coalition–the first industry-led global scientific and public health partnership dedicated to the early detection of and rapid response to future pandemic threats–offer shared resources, expertise, and funding to diagnose and track emerging infectious diseases. Other biotechnology companies like BioVet and the Usona Institute partner with GHI to advance joint research initiatives for global health challenges ranging from mental health to rabies vaccine development.

As illustrated in this annual report, GHI has partners from different disciplines and regions bringing unique perspectives and methodologies, leading to more innovative and effective research outcomes. By collaborating with international partners, GHI is given access to diverse populations and settings, enhancing the generalizability and relevance of research findings. Our partnered initiatives expand the Wisconsin Idea and raise awareness about critical health issues, influence public health agendas, and leverage the credibility and sales increase for the networks of UW–Madison.

60%

first quarter of 2020

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ACADEMIA

Latin America: Universidad de Antioquia Universidad Nacional de Colombia Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico Africa: Koinadugu College Stellenbosch University University of Rwanda University of Sierra Leone India: Dayananda Sagar University SS Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre Visvesvaraya Technological University

INDUSTRY

Latin America: Abbott Laboratories Africa: Abbott Laboratories India: Bharat Biotech BioVet

GOVERNMENT

Latin America: Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Republic of Colombia Africa: Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone National Public Health Institute of Liberia Rwanda Biomedical Centre Rwanda Ministry of Health Sierra Leone Military Hospital 34 India: Indian Veterinary Research Institute Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Indian Council of Agriculture Research Indian Council of Medical Research National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India

NGO Latin America: Mundo Esperanza Africa: Bridge2Rwanda Capacity Building for Health Information Systems and Nutrition (CIIC-HIN) Project 1808 India: Sehgal Foundation

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PARTNERSHIPS & OUTREACH GHI welcomes opportunities to meet other global health practitioners to expand our collective network of global health research and resources. This sharing of information and collaboration is fundamental to GHI’s growth and putting the Wisconsin Idea into global action.

Here are the individuals and organizations we were honored to meet and look forward to continued dialogues to advance global health security.

OUTREACH MEETINGS & VISITORS

Visitors from the University of Guadalajara

Dr. Richard Gordon, Director of International Business Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)

Outreach meetings with Afrigen Biologics Vaccines; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; UW–Madison Biochemistry Department; Stellenbosch University; Desmond Tutu Health Foundation

Visitors from Hôpital Général Idrissa Pouye/Grand Yoff (HOGIP) in Dakar, Sénégal, including Professeur Agrégé Médecine Légale Mohamed M. Soumah

Visitors from King Faisal Hospital and the Ministry of Health, Rwanda

Jay Sehgal, Executive Vice President, Sehgal Foundation

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Judge Belkis Izquierdo - Aty Seikuinduwa, Vice President & Magistrate, Special Jurisdiction for the Peace of Colombia

Juan Fernando Ramirez-Gil MD, PhD, Senior Officer, Director of Global Health Program Development, Sorbonne University

Dr. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman, Bharat Biotech

Dr. A.C. Ashok, Medical College Principal & Dean, Dayananda Sagar University (DSU)

Donat Mugenga, Founder, African Academy for Careers (AAC)

Karl Ciuoderis, Jorge Osorio, Alhaji N’Jai at Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition Partners Meeting, Chicago

Calyn Ostrowski moderates Center for South Asia’s 51st Annual Conference

Jorge Osorio at Grand Challenges Annual Meeting Dakar, Senegal

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: UNDERGRAD Over the 2023 summer term, UW–Madison students Brody Andes and Natalia Betancourt Rodriguez put the Wisconsin Idea into global action. As part of the One Health Center Summer Research Internship, the two worked at the GHI One Health Center (OHC)-Colombia genomic lab in Medellín. GHI OHC-Colombia is a collaboration between the UW–Madison Global Health Institute and Universidad Nacional de Colombia with funding from Abbott Laboratories and the government of Colombia. There, they found potential learning opportunities everywhere they looked, from interacting with the One Health scientific team to visiting Indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon region.

“The spontaneity of it all was really exciting,” Brody elaborates. “You never knew what was going on that day or that week, but you knew it was going to be good content.”

Natalia adds to this by reiterating the full-cycle process of it all. They would learn about the origins of new pathogens, how the lab came to that discovery, and how to determine the consequences of these pathogens.

“They’re looking at all the determinants of health,” Natalia specifies. “That’s what global health is, right?”

Read the full story on GHI’s website: ghi.wisc.edu.

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: HENRY ANDERSON GRANT The Henry Anderson III Graduate Award supports graduate students pursuing research in environmental and occupational public health.

Preference will be given to students in the schools of Medicine and Public Health, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as those pursuing local and international environmental public health projects.

The 2023 Henry Anderson III Graduate Award was presented to Zoonosis As Multi-species Transgressions: Viruses & Foodways Amongst Indigenous communities, led by Aida Arosoaie, B.A., M.Sc., M.A., Doctoral Student, Department of Anthropology.

2023: Aida Arosoaie

The 2024 Henry Anderson III Graduate Award was presented to A One Health Approach to Characterize Air Pollution, Aerobiome, and Acute Respiratory Illness in Medellin, Colombia, led by Jonathan Bryan, Research Specialist, Dr. Jorge Osorio Laboratory, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Learn more on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.

2024: Jonathan Bryan

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: GRADUATE LEONOR HIDALGO-CIRO Leonor Hidalgo-Ciro is pursuing her PhD at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also Research Assistant for her PhD advisor, Sara McKinnon, Professor of Rhetoric, Politics & Culture in the Department of Communication Arts, and Faculty Director of LACIS. In this position, Hidalgo-Ciro is researching, writing papers, and sharing information.

On top of her PhD studies and research assistant tasks, Hidalgo-Ciro started a two-year appointment with UW– Madison’s Global Health Institute (GHI) in January 2024. At GHI, she works on her PhD projects while making interdisciplinary connections across campus and the world.

For example, through her connections with Sara McKinnon and GHI, Hidalgo-Ciro began her research assistant efforts with the Migration in the Americas Project, led by McKinnon and Erin Barbato, Professor of Law and Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Jorge Osorio from GHI is also a contributor on the project, providing connections to academic, government, and NGO contacts in Latin America.

MARIA STELLA LOPEZ CARVAJAL Maria Stella Lopez Carvajal has always looked at the world through a multidisciplinary lens. Even as a young girl in Colombia, where she loved biology, math, and chemistry, she could see all the possibilities to a situation or problem and knew the intersection of synergies were where solutions could be found.

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“One of my dreams when I was a child was to get enough knowledge to try to put together fields that people usually think of as different," shared Lopez Carvajal. ”I like to act like a link. That's why I work in the field of artificial intelligence with biology and also incorporate engineering."

To get her start harnessing her love of knowledge, Lopez Carvajal left her hometown of Bucaramanga when she was 17 years old to earn both her Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering (2019), and Master's Degree in Analytical Engineering (2023), from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL), in Medellín.

Lopez Carvajal is harnessing her academic and professional backgrounds and translating it into her PhD efforts to develop a second-generation yellow fever vaccine with help from Jorge Osorio’s lab in the Pathobiological Sciences Department in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UW–Madison.

When discussing her PhD work, Lopez Carvajal shares, "Data analytics is so useful for any field right now. I like connecting the field of machine learning with biology.

The idea is, with artificial intelligence and bioinformatic tools, to design a mRNA vaccine that is going to have the best coverage of the current yellow fever strain."

Lopez Carvajal anticipates her PhD project will take four years to complete. In the beginning, the thought was to split the time between UW–Madison and UNAL, but Lopez shares the richness of experience in Madison may change those plans. "In my PhD process, I have found there are so many people here with a lot of experience to reach out to and collaborate on projects.

That is something that isn't as easy in Colombia. So, I like the idea to learn as much as I can and then transfer that knowledge for my country.”

Read their full stories on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS: POSTDOCTORAL

At GHI, we believe in the Wisconsin Idea and understanding solutions to global health issues begins with investing in local conversations. The health of humans, animals, and the planet are tied together and we must see them as a whole. GHI worked in partnership with the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) and the the GHI One Health CenterColombia (OHC-Colombia) to support three postdoc positions. The three postdocs reflect three of GHI’s five strategic focus areas.

OLGA LUCIA CHAPARRO AFRICANO has lived and worked in the Amazon and humid tropic regions in Central America for over 25 years.

Her focus has been on agri-food systems and strengthening the livelihoods of Indigenous and non-Indigenous rural communities.

Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher focusing on the relationship between sustainable agriculture, agri-food systems, security, food sovereignty, and health within the Indigenous Emberá population who were displaced from the Colombia Pacific, especially from Choco, Risaralda. Her work aligns with one of GHI’s Five Strategic Focus Areas Resource Security: Food, Water & Energy.

Chaparro Africano’s work focus is to identify the health status, food situation, and reasons for displacement of Indigenous Emberá populations, which include seeking health care and education, avoiding armed conflict, and suffering from socio-territorial issues (for example: gold mining, illicit crops).

Her UW–Madison mentors are Nancy Kendall, Professor of Educational Policy Studies in the School of Education, and Alberto Vargas, Associate Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS). Both are members of GHI’s Advisory Committee, and both have had a lasting impact on Chaparro Africano.

“Nancy recognizes, like me, the importance of involving the community in the research process and being respectful to build trust,” Chaparro Africano notes. “And through his guidance and freedom, Alberto has motivated me to give my best and to believe and value what I do. Alberto is a great person and teacher.”

SEBASTIÁN DÍAZ’S postdoctoral research focuses on gut microbiota of a Colombian Amazonian community in the process of urbanization.

Specifically, Díaz works in the urban and rural areas of Leticia, a city located in the southern point of the Colombian Amazon. His research highlights another GHI strategic focus area: Emerging Infectious Diseases.

His team worked with urban non-Indigenous and rural Indigenous populations, exploring their gut microbiota and parasite protists and worms, to make a meaningful discovery in urban areas of Leticia where

1 9 | Annual Report 2023-2024 they are starting to see a loss of bacteria associated with non-processed traditional diets, which has already been the case in the urban areas outside of the Colombian Amazonian region. They also found rates of soil-transmitted helminth infections are low for both sites, something explained by the intensive deworming campaigns carried out by the national government.

Díaz highlights the willingness of his UW–Madison mentors in helping him while also giving him the freedom to research. His mentors are Amie Eisfeld, Associate Research Professor, Jessica Hite, Principal Investigator, and Mostafa Zamanian, Associate Professor, all from the Department of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Eisfeld, Hite, and Zamanian are also members of GHI’s Advisory Committee.

“Working with my UW mentors has been a great work experience,” Díaz recalls. “Although all the sequence data have been generated for them, they have given me all the freedom to explore the data and carry out the analysis, and later share the results with them in our meetings. This has led to a wonderful journey with a constant exchange of opinions, experiences, and knowledge where we all learned a lot about this fascinating field of microbiome science.”

LINA PAOLA GARZÓN GARZÓN’S postdoctoral research focuses on attention and care practices for the management of vector borne diseases (VBD) in the Southern Colombian Amazon.

Through conversations with healers, the Indigenous community of Puerto Esperanza, and public health professionals with the Department of Amazonas, Garzón and her team have evidenced low knowledge about VBD in this territory, especially Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis. The Indigenous population identifies Malaria and Dengue, although it lacks the proper knowledge and resources to identify the symptoms and vectors of each disease.

Garzón and her team observed it is easier for children to appropriate and communicate information about VBD to their family and other members of their community. The advances in her project provide evidence pointing to the active role of the community and the articulation of their medical traditional practices to care guidelines are fundamental aspects for the effective management of VBD in the Southern Colombian Amazon. Garzón’s project aligns with another one of GHI’s five strategic focus areas: Social, Cultural & Economic Equity.

Nancy Kendall is also Garzón’s UW–Madison mentor.

“It has been an enriching experience to have the support of my mentor in the postdoctoral program,” Garzón says. “I have learned from her background, especially in the area of education, and put her advice and comments into practice in the different activities I have done in the program. I have received her support in the revision of the activities scheduled for the program, the scope and outcomes of my research, the topics for potential papers, and my participation in academic events.”

Read their full stories on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.

20 | Annual Report 2023-2024

VISITING SCHOLARS MARCIA PAOLA CHAPETON CASTRO Marcia Paola Chapeton Castro, Nutritionist, Dietician and PhD Student in Public Health at Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)–Campus Bogotá, Interfaculty Program, is on her way to a thesis focused on community collaboration to achieve food sovereignty and improve healthcare. GHI was pleased to co-sponsor and welcome Marcia Paola Chapeton Castro to Madison for a short-term graduate program in the summer of 2023 to continue her studies and research.

Chapeton’s main research focus is finding ways to guarantee equal access to sustainable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food for communities in the Amazon region of Colombia and across the world. For her, the key to ensuring food sovereignty is having each community she cooperates with feel wholly included in the process of recovering their traditional food systems.

CELENY ORTIZ RESTREPO In February 2024, Epidemiologist for the Secretary of Health, State of Antioquia, Colombia, Celeny Ortiz Restrepo, began her journey at the University of Madison–Wisconsin as a visiting scholar. The opportunity is a partnership between UW– Madison’s Global Health Institute (GHI) and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) to research and analyze emerging and infectious disease (EID) data from Colombia, with the goal of publishing manuscripts and submitting grant proposals.

With more than ten years of public health experience in Colombia, and through the help of GHI Director, Jorge Osorio, and her UW–Madison mentor, Sara McKinnon, LACIS Faculty Director and Professor of Rhetoric, Politics & Culture in the Department of Communication Arts, Ortiz made multidisciplinary connections across campus to learn, find, and add to EID projects with GHI and affiliates.

Read their full stories on GHI’s website, ghi.wisc.edu.

21 | Annual Report 2023-2024

RESEARCH FELLOWS KARL CIUODERIS Growing up in the Colombian countryside, Karl Ciuoderis knew he wanted to help animals. His love for domestic animals grew as they delightfully surrounded him on his family’s property.

From that foundation, Ciuoderis cultivated a career to work on exactly what feels right and now shares his expertise with GHI and the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM). Ciuoderis came to UW in October 2023, as a Global Virus Network (GVN) Scholar, where he takes on a variety of tasks, including collaborating with faculty and researchers at UW–Madison and across the world, writing and submitting grant proposals, working on scientific manuscripts, and supporting GHI in One Health efforts.

As a GVN Scholar with GHI and SVM, Ciuoderis not only continues his passion for researching emerging infectious diseases, but he also builds lifelong skills to treasure in his busy career. Such skills include grant writing, team leading, and networking, which he is already starting to put into practice. He has contributed to high-level grant submissions, managed projects and teams, and built meaningful connections with faculty and researchers at UW–Madison and institutions across the world.

DR. SAMINATHAN MANI Through funding by the Indian Council of Medical ResearchDepartment of Health Research (ICMR-DHR) International Fellowships program, Dr. Saminathan Mani came to UW–Madison in June 2024. His background as a researcher at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Barelily, India, includes working on understanding the molecular pathogenesis, diagnosis and vaccines against rabies virus, bluetongue virus, and canine adenoviruses affecting livestock, companion, and wild animals.

For the next year he will be supporting GHI Director, Jorge Osorio, in his lab, focusing on improving the efficacy of the candidate vaccine for their recombinant raccoon poxvirus vectored-mosaic rabies virus glycoprotein vaccine technology. His objectives include construction and characterization of novel recombinant raccoonpox virus (RCN) vectored-subunit mosaic glycoprotein (MoG) vaccine; determining the safety, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy of novel viralvectored recombinant subunit rabies oral vaccine candidate in mice model; and determining the safety, immunogenicity and protective efficacy of novel viral-vectored subunit rabies oral bait vaccine in dogs.

Find more information on our website, ghi.wisc.edu.

22 | Annual Report 2023-2024

SPONSORSHIPS Global Health Conference of the Americas Sept 13-15, 2023 Cartagena de Indias, Colombia PAHIO, Florida International University & Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work

Badger Salud Sept 19, 2023 Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association

Makerspace Makeathon Sept 29-Oct 1, 2023 College of Engineering

Global Day 2024: Wisconsin & the World Feb 27, 2024 College of Agricultural & Life Sciences Wisconsin in the World Book Launch Oct 20, 2023 International Division

Condor Eagle Conference of the Americas March 19, 2024 South Madison Partnership College of Engineering LACIS

UW–Madison Psychedelic Symposium Nov 2-3, 2023 Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances

The Many Facets of Love: Understanding Consciousness and Connection May 16-17, 2024 Usona Institute

CUGH 2024 March 7-10, 2024 Los Angeles, California

Politics and Realities of US Immigration June 25-30, 2024 Migration in the Americas Project

23 | Annual Report 2023-2024

OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS LAUNCHED OCT 2023 PAGE VIEWS (OCT-JUNE): 36,515 TOP PAGE VIEWS 6000

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NEW BROCHURE DISTRIBUTED AT ALL EVENTS

NEWSLETTER UPDATED GRAPHICS & LINKS PAST ISSUES ON WEBSITE REFRESHED LIST OPEN RATE = 34% CLICK TO OPEN RATE = 4.5%

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OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

Social Media STAFF, BOARD, & ADVISORY BRANDING TEMPLATES MORE GHI, CAMPUS, & PARTNER NEWS/UPDATES INCREASED POSTING & ENGAGEMENT: TARGET 3-4 POSTS A WEEK

JULY 2023-JUNE 2024

POSTS: 538 POST IMPRESSIONS: 102,809 POST REACH: 40,271

19TH ANNUAL GLOBAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM 325+ registered in-person & via livestream High-level panelists & speakers Vice Provost & International Division Dean, Frances Vavrus SMPH Dean, Robert N. Golden Associate Professor of Endocrine Surgery, Kristin Long Migration in the Americas Project Keynote Speakers Over two dozen poster presenters Advertised on WPR & Inside UW

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Webinars New branding graphic Timely topics with high-level UW–Madison & sector experts Targeted outreach for increased engagement & YouTube views

YOUTUBE VIEWS:

REGISTRATIONS: 600

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26 | Annual Report 2023-2024

STAFF Staff are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day operations of the Institute, including managing office and budget operations, identifying partnership and funding opportunities, planning events, directing communications, and supporting leadership and GHI initiatives.

Jorge Osorio Director

Kendall Buehl Communications Intern

John Chan Associate Research Professor

Karl Ciuoderis Global Virus Network Visiting Scholar

Saminathan Mani ICMR Research Fellow

Katie Newcomb Communications Director

Calyn Ostrowski Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships and Development

Aslesha Shakya Accountant

Khushi Tanna Administrative Intern

Learn more about GHI staff on our website: GHI.WISC.EDU

27 | Annual Report 2023-2024

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Sumudu Atapattu Law Lyric Bartholomay Veterinary Medicine Paul Block Engineering Dominique Brossard Agricultural & Life Sciences Bruce Christensen Veterinary Medicine Katie Collins Nursing James Conway Medicine & Public Health Todd Courtenay Agricultural & Life Sciences Lori DiPrete Brown Human Ecology Amie Eisfeld Veterinary Medicine Johanna Elfenbein Veterinary Medicine Kevin Eliceiri Medicine & Public Health Shelby Ellison Agricultural & Life Sciences Ann Evensen Medicine & Public Health Sundaram Gunasekaran Agricultural & Life Sciences Engineering

The Global Health Institute Advisory Committee includes faculty and staff members from across the UW–Madison campus, representing diverse units, from engineering to public health. These trusted advisors consult with GHI leadership on strategic direction, help advance the mission and vision of the Institute and serve as advocates for GHI and its programs.

Jeff Hartman Medicine & Public Health

Susan Paskewitz Agricultural & Life Sciences

Joel Hill Medicine & Public Health

Jonathan Patz Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

Jessica Hite Veterinary Medicine Li-Ching Ho Education Krishnapuram Karthikeyan Agricultural & Life Sciences Richard Keller Medicine & Public Health Nancy Kendall Education Karen Kopacek Pharmacy Jennifer Kushner Agricultural & Life Sciences Carolyn (Carey) McAndrews Letters & Science Maria Moreno Letters & Science Gregory Nemet La Follette School of Public Affairs

Wilmara Salgado Pabón Veterinary Medicine Leigh Senderowicz Letters & Science Ajay Sethi Medicine & Public Health Kurt Sladky Veterinary Medicine Marulasiddappa Suresh Veterinary Medicine Janis Tupesis Medicine & Public Health Alberto Vargas Latin American, Caribbean & Iberian Studies Giri Venkataramanan Engineering Claire Wendland Letters & Science Mostafa Zamanian Veterinary Medicine

28 | Annual Report 2023-2024

BOARD OF VISITORS The Global Health Institute Board of Visitors brings together alumni, donors, and friends as trusted advisors to the GHI director.

Members are charged with increasing awareness and visibility of the Institute and furthering connections with donors and prospective donors.

Krishna Ella

Suchitra Ella

Ann Behrmann

American Academy of Physicians, ICATCH

Luxme Hariharan

Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech

Dayton Children’s Hospital

Erik Iverson

Steve Landry

John E. Lange

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Linda Vakunta

Victor Villacrez

City of Madison, WI

Mundo Esperanza

United Nations Foundation

Mary Wilson

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Gopala Krishna Dasika Sandoz

John Holton

CHESS Health, SCI Solutions

Elisabeth Patton

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

Caroline Zellmer

Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease

29 | Annual Report 2023-2024

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 2024-25 WEBINAR SERIES

SEPTEMBER 24 OCTOBER 29 NOVEMBER 19 DECEMBER 17 JANUARY 28 FEBRUARY 25 MARCH 25 MAY 20 GLOBAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

APRIL 8, 2025 GHI TURNS 15

2026

30 | Annual Report 2023-2024

CONTACT US ADDRESS & EMAIL:

UW–Madison Global Health Institute 1050 Medical Sciences Center 1300 University Avenue Madison, WI 53706 globalhealth@ghi.wisc.edu

WEBSITE:

BROCHURE:

ANNUAL REPORTS:

ANNUAL REPORT

FY 2023-24