Speaker: Dr Zahra Movahedi Nia
Date | Time: November 28, 2024 | 10:30-11:30 EDT
Organized by the OMNI-RÉUNIS HQP Organizing Committee – Dr. Joseph Baafi (Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador), Sanaz Gholizadeh (York University), Nolan Holder (York University) and IT support by Steven Chen (York University)
Venue: Vari Hall, York University, Keele Street Campus
Date | Time: November 15, 2024 | 1:00-4:00 EDT
Organized by the Y-EMERGE & CDM Register Here
We congratulate Dr. Zhu on his achievement on receiving the prestigious 2024 CAIMS-Fields Industrial Mathematics for his exceptional research in industrial mathematics. This achievement is a testament of Dr Zhu’s continued commitment to advancing mathematical modelling and understanding of pandemic dynamics that provided timely guidance for public health policy.
Read Here: 🔗 https://caims.ca/award/caims-fields-industrial-mathematics-prize
The One Health Modelling Network for Emerging Infections, Canada’s pioneering national modelling network on One Health, and the Centre of Disease Modelling (CDM) hosted their hybrid Annual Meeting 2023-2024 on February 20-21, 2024, at the inaugural CDM OMNI-RÉUNIS Lab located at York University. The event served as a platform to disseminate the collective work, research outcomes, achievements, and overarching impacts amassed over 2.5 years. The archive of the Annual Meeting is now accessible, with the pivotal discussions and insights exchanged during this gathering.
The event commenced with welcoming remarks from the OMNI-RÉUNIS Director, Huaiping Zhu (York University), and co-directors Hélène Carabin (Université de Montréal) and Mark Lewis (University of Victoria), setting the stage for a dynamic exchange of ideas. Followed by the Distinguished Lecture by Dr. John Amuasi from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, on the “Better One Health Amidst the Great Unknown” provided invaluable insights into the interconnectedness of one Health across different domains. Lecture available here.
With 30+ in-person and 50+ online attendees of the OMNI-RÉUNIS network, participants delved into various themes and initiatives to enhance understanding and response to emerging infectious diseases using the One Health approach and mathematical modelling. Key sessions included data management, risk of emergence and spillover, early warning systems, intervention, and control, offering a comprehensive overview of ongoing research and accomplishments within the network.
A highlight of the event was the CDM/OMNI-RÉUNIS lab opening ceremony, featuring esteemed speakers including Drs. Amir Asif (Vice president of Research, York University), Rui Wang (Dean of Science), Nicholas Ogden (Public Health Agency of Canada), Kumar Murty (The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences). Their addresses highlighted the importance of collaborative research efforts in mathematical modelling in addressing pressing public health challenges.
Next were the roundtable discussions led by Professor Zhu, who provided a forum for participants to explore strategies for fostering continued collaboration and innovation within the OMNI-RÉUNIS network.
“The network has aimed to enhance early warning capabilities for emerging infectious diseases using One Health approach. We have progressed through ongoing projects focused on data portal development and management. Our current focus is on optimizing the integration of these projects to support the development of early warning capacity for emerging infectious diseases effectively”
-Dr. Huaiping Zhu, OMNI-RÉUNIS & CDM Director, York University
Another notable session was the overview of the OMNI-RÉUNIS Super Spreader Seminar Series, organized by Highly Qualified Personnel (HQPs) Joseph Baafi from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Pei Yuan, Sanaz Gholizadeh, and Yi Tan from York University.
Pei Yuan (postdoc), Sanaz Gholizadeh (Phd), and Yi Tan (Phd) from York University presented their ongoing research highlights on predictive modelling and forecasting for mosquito abundance and the risk of West Nile virus, as well as the modelling and dynamics of monkeypox spillover from reservoir hosts to target hosts.
CDM and York University have key leaders who have been crucial in building OMNI-RÉUNIS. They include:
Funded with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and York University’s Faculty of Science, OMNI-RÉUNIS stands as a beacon of interdisciplinary research in the field of infectious disease modelling. As the network continues to evolve and grow, its impact will undoubtedly be felt far and wide, shaping a healthier and more resilient future for all.
As OMNI-RÉUNIS enters its next phase with a commitment to excellence and collaboration, it is poised to advance infectious disease modelling significantly. This 2023-2024 OMNI-RÉUNIS Annual Meeting celebrated past achievements. It showcased collective determination to address emerging infectious diseases through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.
This event was led by organizers Huaiping Zhu (York University), Dr. Hélène Carabin (Université de Montréal), Dr. Mark Lewis (University of Alberta), Natasha Ketter (York University), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (York University), and Shivika Adhwaryu (York University), with special thanks for IT support provided by Steven Chen (York University).
We are delighted to announce that our OMNI-RÉUNIS Director and Principal Investigator, Dr. Huaiping Zhu, was invited to take on the role of Co-Editor-in-Chief for the ‘One Health’ journal. This journal serves as the official publication of the International Federation for Tropical Medicine.
The mission of One Health journal is to provide a platform for rapid communication of high-quality scientific knowledge on inter- and intra-species pathogen transmission, bringing together leading experts in virology, bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, vectors and vector-borne diseases, tropical health, veterinary sciences, pathology, immunology, food safety, mathematical modelling, epidemiology, public health research and emergency preparedness.
The journal operates on a Gold Open Access model, and a fee is payable on acceptance of the paper. For detailed information, please refer to the guide for authors.
Submissions in the following categories are welcome:
We’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Hélène Carabin, our OMNI-RÉUNIS Co-Director and a professor at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and School of Public Health, has been elected to the prestigious US National Academy of Medicine (NAM) during their annual meeting on October 9. This is a tremendous honour in the fields of health and medicine, recognizing individuals with remarkable professional achievements and societal engagement.
Dr. Carabin is one of the very select groups of foreign experts to receive this honour among the 100 new members this year, including 10 from outside the United States. She joins 21 Canadians and 5 Quebecers who have been elected to NAM in the past and is the first affiliated with the University of Montreal.
Her work revolves around promoting “One Health,” emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. As the Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and One Health, she conducts research to understand and control zoonotic diseases, contributing to a broader awareness of the One Health concept. Congratulations to Dr. Hélène for this extraordinary achievement! To learn more, please visit the official page.
Check out our research page for details!
Thank you, and we look forward to learning from you!
Organized by the OMNI-RÉUNIS members – Dr. Bouchra Narsi (University of Montréal), Dr. Jane Parmley (University of Guelph), Dr. Kamal Raj Acharya (University of Guelph) and Shivika Adhwaryu (York University).
