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Outstanding One Health Program Established at Massey University – New Zealand Statement provided June 14, 2012 exclusively to the One Health Initiative website by*Dr. Joanna McKenzie   Recognising the importance of increased co-operation between animal and human health communities to meet future public health challenges, Massey University has embraced One Health collaborative approaches in multiple ways, including: collaborative research projects into food borne and zoonotic diseases, establishing co-joint staff positions with public health organisations to facilitate work at the animal-human interface, and delivering postgraduate epidemiology and public health training to both animal health and public health professionals.   The university is implementing a major programme: Regional Training in Human and Animal Health Epidemiology in South Asia, which aims to strengthen the epidemiology and biosecurity capacity of animal and human health professionals and institutions in seven South Asian countries, and to build the foundations for a One Health approach to zoonotic disease control.   The first phase of this programme delivered online co-joint Masters degrees in epidemiology and biosecurity to 67 physicians (Master of Public Health) and veterinarians (Master of Veterinary Medicine) in the region from June 2010 to September 2011. The second phase intends to further develop in-country and regional capacity in epidemiology and biosecurity by strengthening national institutions that are directly or indirectly responsible for the control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and other zoonoses, from December 2011 to December 2013.   The One Health concept will be operationalized by multi-disciplinary teams operating within ‘One Health Hubs’, which will act as Centres of Excellence in epidemiology and biosecurity through development of collaborative networks and investigations of priority zoonoses, and provision of specialised training. The seven participating countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This program is funded by the Avian and Human Influenza Facility (AHIF), a multi donor trust fund supported by the European Commission and administered by the World Bank. *Joanna McKenzie, PhD, MPVM, MANZCVS, BVSc Massey University One Health Project Activity Coordinator – EpiCentre http://www.onehealth.org.nz/   Institute of Veterinary, Anima and Biomedical Sciences 1 Burnside, R.D., 2, Papkura 2582, New Zealand