global health

by Julie Becker , program assistant , City of Milwaukee Public Health Laboratory ; Sanjib Bhattacharyya , PhD , deputy director , City of Milwaukee Public Health Laboratory ; Steve Gradus , PhD , D ( ABMM ), director , City of Milwaukee Public Health Laboratory ; and Kwadwo Owusu-Ofori , PhD , operations manager , City of Milwaukee Public Health Laboratory

Pictured from l to r : Dr . Kwadwo Owusu-Ofori , Dr . Musa Melton , Dr . Lilian Akudo Okeke , Dr . Abisola Oladimeji , Dr . Sanjib Bhattacharrya , Bevan K . Baker , Dr . Steve Gradus , Dr . Paul Hunter , Dr . Anthony Azenabor , Dr . Mahmood Dalhat , Abel Olusola Idowu and Marisa Stanley . Photo by Nancy Hills , MHD Graphics

Marisa Stanley , Abel Olusola Idowu , Dr . Steve Gradus and Samuel Dawson ( background ) listen as Dr . Mahmood Dalhat discusses the group ’ s interest around public health preparedness and response . Photo by International Visitor Leadership Program , US Department of State

Recently , MHDL collaborated with the International Institute of Wisconsin to host a group of Nigerian public health officials participating in the US Department of State ’ s International Visitor Leadership Program ( IVLP )— an initiative that brings foreign leaders to the United States to engage with their professional counterparts in an exchange of ideas and best practices .

Since one of the group ’ s objectives for their visit was exploring public health preparedness and response , the MHDL was selected by the IVLP to cover Milwaukee ’ s 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak , and steps taken since then to safeguard the city ’ s water supply and monitor and assure water quality as a public health issue .

Visiting Nigerian doctors and epidemiologists included :

• Dr . Mahmood Dalhat , HIV coordinator for the Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Center

• Dr . Musa Melton , state team leader for the Borno State Polio Emergency Program

• Dr . Lilian Akudo Okeke , state field coordinator / epidemiologist for the National Veterinary Research Institute

• Dr . Abisola Oladimeji , field coordinator for the African Field Epidemiology Network .

Together we hope to strengthen laboratory system partnerships beyond our local jurisdictions , working toward building global health capacity and health equity internationally .

Commissioner Bevan K . Baker , FACHE , MHD ; Paul Hunter , MD , associate medical director , MHD ; and Marisa Stanley , MPH , MHD epidemiologist , as well as University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Biomedical Sciences professor and academic partner Anthony Azenabor , PhD , CS ( ASCP ) also shared information on preparedness , global health initiatives and research partnering .

The Nigerian visitors showed particular interest in MHD ’ s clinical , epidemiological and laboratory activities , including regulatory issues such the role of CLIA ; public health preparedness and response efforts for Zika and Ebola viruses ; and physicians roles . CDC ’ s concept of “ One Health ” that recognizes the health connections of humans , animals and the environment was also introduced .

“ We had a great opportunity to learn from our new colleagues and share some of our experiences . We hope to continue this relationship in the future ,” said Steve Gradus , PhD , D ( ABMM ) director of MHDL .

Along with MHDL , the group also visited the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Bureau of Communicable Diseases and Division of Quality Assurance , the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Urban Population Health . The group finished their tour at CDC before returning to Nigeria .

Dr . Musa Melton talks with Dr . Paul Hunter and Marisa Stanley following the meeting . Photo by International Visitor Leadership Program , US Department of State Historically , MHDL has hosted international visitors around the Cryptosporidium laboratory response , and general laboratory delegations , including the Botswana Ministry of Health in 2011 and researchers from the University of Lagos . Other global health activities of the MHDL have included collaborating on APHL ’ s Global Health and Workforce Development committees and Global Health Security Agenda ( GHSA ) initiatives ; participating in influenza molecular diagnostic testing workshops ; coaching Ministry of Health staff in Lesotho and Uganda ; and working with the Milwaukee-based Center for International Health . In the last three years MHDL has hosted two doctoral students from Lagos , including a Fulbright Scholar currently researching malarial parasite immunology and drug sensitivity . With this recent meeting comes the opportunity to further such collaborations .

“ We are proud to host this team of interdisciplinary global experts in Milwaukee ,” said Sanjib Bhattacharyya , PhD , deputy laboratory director . “ Together we hope to strengthen laboratory system partnerships beyond our local jurisdictions , working toward building global health capacity and health equity internationally .”