Happening Now
HSP Partner Dr. Javed Muhammed Helps Khyber Pakhtunkwa Government Establish COVID-19 Testing Sites
In Pakistan, our partner Dr. Javed Muhammad, Assistant Professor at University of Swabi, and Treasurer of the Pakistan Biological Safety Association (PBSA) is helping the Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KPK) government establish COVID-19 testing sites. One of the testing sites is being setup at Mufti Mehmood Memorial Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan. At this site, Dr. Muhammad, a microbiologist and expert in biosecurity and biosafety, has helped establish a complete PCR testing facility with separate reagents, … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
HSP Fellow Dr. Osama Shareef Leads Two Teams To Conduct Real-Time COVID-19 PCR Testing In Iraq
In the Kurdish region of Iraq, HSP Fellow Dr. Osama Shareef is leading teams at the ASA Hospital and Sarchner Center, both in Sulaymaniyah City, to conduct COVID-19 PCR testing. Between the two sites, they are running up to 545 tests daily, which is critical to Iraq's efforts to identify and contain the spread of the … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
HSP Director Releases Statement Calling For Global Action To End The Coronavirus Crisis After Deaths Surpass 100,000
Washington, DC - Today, Health Security Partners (HSP) Executive Director, Dr. Jason Rao released the following statement calling for coordinated action after COVID-19 or the novel Coronavirus claimed over 100,000 lives globally. Rao said, "On behalf of not only Myself, but of all of the HSP global network of partners, our deepest condolences go to the families and communities that have lost loved-ones because of this horrible pandemic. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through, … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
HSP Fellow Dr. Nawfal Al-Dujaili Holds Online Global Health Training With COVID-19 Focus In Iraq
This weekend, HSP Health Security Fellow Dr. Nawfal Al-Dujaili from the University of Kufa in Iraq held an online training session on global health security with a focus on COVID-19. There were 762 participants that attended the virtual event, comprised of professors and students from universities, as well as doctors and clinical staff from health centers across Iraq. After the lecture, Dr. Nawfal answered questions about what can be done to prevent COVID-19, when a vaccine would potentially … Continue Reading
March 27, 2020
HSP Fellow Supporting COVID-19 Response In Indonesia On Multiple Fronts
HSP Fellow Dr. Aroem Naroeni, Researcher and Biosafety Officer at the Virology and Cancer Pathobiology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, is helping to lead Indonesia's COVID-19 response on several fronts: Dr. Aroem's laboratory is one of the reference laboratories for diagnostic testing for COVID 19. In addition to conducting tests, she has instituted COVID-19 specific biorisk management procedures and practices and is also monitoring their health to prevent lab … Continue Reading
March 27, 2020
Dr. Gina Itchon Supports COVID-19 Infection Care In The Philippines
HSP collaborator Dr. Gina Itchon, Medical Officer IV at Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) and Associate Professor and Director of the Sustainable Sanitation Center, Xavier University, is supporting COVID-19 infection care at NMMC in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. In March, NMCC was designated as the hospital in the Northern Mindanao Region for quarantine and testing of persons who may be infected with the COVID-19 virus. In response to the emergency, staff updated Emergency Room SOPs. … Continue Reading
March 26, 2020
HSP Fellow, UVAS, Lahore, Pakistan Combat COVID-19
The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan has been proactive in combating COVID-19 in Pakistan. HSP Fellow Muhammad Ilyas Riaz and collaborator Dr. Sohail Raza assisted the Department of Microbiology, UVAS with putting on a seminar and walk to raise awareness of COVID-19 before any cases were diagnosed in Pakistan. The event was hosted in collaboration with the Institute of Public Health Lahore (IPH) on February 4, 2020; leadership from University of Education … Continue Reading
March 25, 2020
HSP Health Security Futures Fellows Conduct Infectious Disease And Waste Management Workshop In Pakistan
HSP Health Security Futures Fellows in Pakistan, Perbhat Ali and Anam Liaquat Ali, conducted a one-day workshop, "Infectious Diseases and Waste Management Plan: An Update," in collaboration with Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi on March 8, 2020. This workshop aimed to help the participants implement best practices for biological waste management in their home facilities. Healthcare professionals from the Dow University of Health Sciences and Civil Hospital Karachi attended the … Continue Reading
March 12, 2020
HSP Partners Supporting The COVID-19 Pandemic Response
HSP partners around the world are working tirelessly to strengthen capacity to prevent, detect and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the onset of the outbreak, our partners have been champions of health security, working to raise awareness, train health and laboratory professionals to enhance preparedness, and support the response to COVID-19 infections in their countries. We are inspired by the extraordinary initiative and commitment of our network of global partners and congratulate … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Supporting Policy Development For Sustainable Livestock Management In Pakistan
HSP has worked in collaboration with our local partner in Pakistan, the Association for Biorisk Management (ABM), to support the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government to develop and implement a livestock policy. The policy was approved in May 2018 and the finalization of an implementation plan is now underway. On Friday, February 07, the KP Livestock Department and ABM held a one-day consultative meeting to review the strategic and business plan for the policy. A total of 25 … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Important Biosafety Publications From HSP Partner In Pakistan
Longtime partner and colleague of HSP, Dr. Shamsul Arfin Qasmi recently co-authored two scholarly articles documenting biosafety and waste management practices and gaps in laboratories in Pakistan. These papers were a product of the HSP-supported project "Survey of Laboratory Acquired Infections and Waste Management in Biomedical and Research Laboratories of Pakistan." HSP is proud to support the work of Dr. Qasmi, who has been a champion in the fields of biosafety, biosecurity and waste … Continue Reading
February 24, 2020
Assessing Sample Transportation Methods In Mindanao, Philippines
Do you ever wonder how a sample given at your doctor's office ends up at the lab? In the United States, we have strict procedures regulated by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Department of Transportation. These procedures determine how a potentially infectious sample is packaged to how it is transported (i.e. air, overland). Without these precautions the courier and/or the receiver could be exposed and potentially infected. HSP and the Biorisk Association of the … Continue Reading
February 24, 2020
HSP Joins Fleming Fund Consortium To Address Antimicrobial Resistance In Pakistan
HSP along with Aga Khan University (AKU), Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), are part of a consortium supporting the Fleming Fund in Pakistan. The Fleming Fund is a £265 million UK aid investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The program is managed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, in partnership with Mott MacDonald, the Fleming Fund Grants Management Agent. Led … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Health Security Futures Fellowship Launches In Yemen
HSP's Health Security Futures Fellowship for Yemen kicked-off in January 2020 with two-day intensive workshops in the cities of Ibb and Sana'a, Yemen. The twelve new Fellows, six each in Ibb and in Sana'a, are undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in science in Yemen. Led by two local expert mentors in each city, the events explored topics in health security, such as bioterrorism, international governance frameworks, dual-use concepts, infectious disease, and culture of … Continue Reading
February 11, 2020
HSP Iraq Health Security Fellows Conduct Coronavirus Awareness Training For The University Sector
HSP Iraq Health Security Stewards Fellow, Arwa Mujahid Al-Shuwaikh conducted a one-day continuing education workshop, "Novel Coronavirus nCoV-2019: Prevention and Control," at Al-Nahrain University College of Medicine on February 5, 2020. The workshop provided faculty members, medical doctors, and employees from the university with valuable information about the outbreak, including control measures put into place by the Government of Iraq and internationally recommended measures for laboratory … Continue Reading
August 19, 2019
HSP Leads Military Medical Training In Indonesia
HSP Executive Director, Jason Rao and HSP team members traveled to Yogyakarta, Indonesia July 22-26 to lead a workshop, Fostering Health Security for the Indonesian Armed Forces. This workshop focused on training leaders of TNI's Yogyakarta branch, and covered topics such as laboratory safety and security. This video clip captures some of the footage from this first week of training. The team will be returning to Surabaya for additional trainings this … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
HSP Spotlight: Samreen Sarwar Attends UN Workshop
HSP Technical Advisor Samreen Sarwar will participate in the first "Global South Biosecurity Diplomacy Workshop" for young scientists hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) on August 3-4, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. At the workshop she will be part of a select group of 20 young scientists, chosen by UNODA through a competitive review process, from across the Global South working on topics related to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Expert speakers will … Continue Reading
May 28, 2019
HSP Iraq Fellows Translate AMR Dictionary Through Engaged Learning Exercise
During HSP's recent Fellowship Training Institute in Iraq, a group learning approach on the topic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was used, resulting not only in a better outcome, but a useful product for Iraq and the region. Using the publicly available AMR Dictionary, the class of 23 fellows was divided into four groups, and each group was assigned a couple of chapters. Groups read the assigned chapters, reviewed the links within the dictionary, and prepared a 15-minute presentation for … Continue Reading
May 23, 2019
Preparing For Brucellosis Control In Borena Zone, Ethiopia
May 9-16: HSP's Dr. Fanaye Dadi, a health educator and physician, and two members of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Dr. Eyasu Tigabu, and Mr. Negga Asamene recently traveled to Borena Zone in southern Ethiopia. Borena is home to a large pastoralist population where animals and humans live in close proximity and the zoonotic disease, brucellosis, is highly prevalent due to the local practice of drinking raw milk. HSP, EPHI, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … Continue Reading
May 07, 2019
Introducing New 2019 Health Security Stewards From Iraq!
Health Security Partners is thrilled to introduce the 2019 Health Security Stewards Fellows from Iraq! This cohort brings together researchers and faculty from universities across Iraq with expertise in clinical microbiology, public health and veterinary health. The Stewards Fellowship commenced with a Training Institute, held in Baghdad, Iraq on March 10-12. Throughout the event, the Fellows engaged with expert lecturers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Jordan and Iraq on topics … Continue Reading