Faces of One Health

Science & Communications

Get to know our scholarship holders

Meet our fellow

Alfredo Acosta

who did research at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) between the middle of november and the middle of december 2022.

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Alfredo Acosta and I am an epidemiologist. I am from Quito, Ecuador.

What is your current position?

I have just finished my PhD at the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. I am a Visiting Professor at the National University of Loja and health advisor to the Galapagos Biosecurity Agency in Ecuador..

How did you enjoy your stay at the FLI and how did you like the City of Greifswald?

My stay was unforgettable. My research objective was to work in a One Health surveillance methodology, incorporating experiences from regions such as Latin America, Africa and Asia. Since the FLI has one of the best research groups in the fields of One Health, epidemiology and diagnostic, there is not a better place to develop this idea and explore further research interests. The city of Greifswald is unique, such a mixture of history and nature. I really enjoyed the winter, looking at the forest, the animals and the Baltic Sea.

The city of Greifswald is unique, such a mixture of history and nature. I really enjoyed the winter, looking at the forest, the animals and the Baltic Sea.

What is your background in One Health, and why would you like to work in this field?

I was introduced to One Health in the aftermath of the H1N1:2009 pandemic, known as swine flu. I was working in the National veterinary service, as a swine health coordinator when the pandemic started. We set up collaborative schemes be-tween the Ministry of Human Health, testing pigs and poultry from positive patients admitted to sentinel hospitals in Ecuador. We also coordinated with the Ministry of Environment on surveil-lance of migratory birds. I would like to work in this field because If all health problems could be approached from a One health point of view, disease surveillance and control would improve significantly.

I would like to work in this field because If all health problems could be approached from a One health point of view, disease surveillance and control would improve significantly.

Meet our fellow

Junior Bulabula Penge

who did research at the University Medicine Greifswald (UMG) in November 2022.

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Junior Bulabula-Penge, I am from the Democratic Rebublic of Congo and I am a medical doctor and microbiologist.

What is your current position?

I am currently a research assistant in microbiology at the Department of Virology in the “Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale” (INRB) and a member of the academic staff of the "Université Protestante au Congo" (UPC). I am a research and diagnostic supervisor at the Rodople Mérieux Laboratory of INRB-Goma

How did you enjoy your stay at the UMG and how did you like the City of Greifswald?

I learned a lot about the diagnosis of zoonoses from the head of the virology department. But also, with the epidemiology team of UMG. We also exchanged views on the problems of biological diagnosis in relation to animals, particularly in the context of SHIP activities. Greifswald is a beautiful city with many interesting places to visit. I didn't have time to see everything, but I would like to spend more time there.

Greifswald is a beautiful city with many interesting places to visit. I didn't have time to see everything, but I would like to spend more time there.

What is your background in One Health, and why would you like to work in this field?

My area of expertise is clinical microbiology and the surveillance and diagnosis of emerging and re-emerging diseases such as arboviruses (yellow fever, dengue, etc.) and viral haemorrhagic fever (Ebola). These diseases are mainly zoonoses. Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can be transmitted reciprocally between animals and humans. Through my stay in Greifswald, I would like to improve the understanding of the One Health concept, i.e. the interrelated health of humans, animals and the environment. I would like to work on the diagnosis of the components involved in One Health and present and conduct studies like the SHIP project in my country.

Meet our fellow

Ola Elbohy

who did research at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) in November 2022.

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Ola Elbohy and I am from Egypt.

What is your current position?

I am a PhD student at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK and also an Assistant Lecturer at the Virology Department, Mansoura University, Egypt.

How did you enjoy your stay at the FLI and how did you like the City of Greifswald?

The City of Greifswald is very beautiful, especially the city center. I enjoyed and learned a lot during my stay at the FLI institute. My colleagues were very helpful and the FLI has many facilities and equipment.

What is your background in One Health, and why would you like to work in this field?

Throughout my career so far, I have gained a comprehensive range of relevant laboratory skills, plus more specialised molecular biology experience. I have been fortunate to have an insight into different research areas and have therefore developed an interest specifically in infectious diseases. I am highly inquisitive, analytical, and passionate about biological science. I am very keen to advance my career and my experience to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of infectious diseases and develop vaccines for better animal welfare, health, and production. That makes me very interested in the One Health approach to protect humans and enhance animal welfare.

Meet our fellow

Mostafa Hassan

who did research at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) in September 2022.

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Mostafa, 34 years old and I am from Egypt. I have a family of a wife and two kids. Only recently I was awarded my PhD title in plasma physics from the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.

What is your current position?

I finished my doctoral studies in August 2022 at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. My current position is as “teaching assistant” at the Physics Department at the Ain Shams University, Egypt. I will apply for a promotion as a lecturer at Ain Shams University as I have been awarded my PhD.

How was your stay at the INP and how did you like the City of Greifswald?

My stay at the INP was great indeed. My research plan was to assemble and operate a DBD plasma source called wINPlasXXL that will be used for aquaculture water application. I was working with the researchers and engineers there. Everyone was very optimistic and helpful. I really enjoyed my short research stay there. Also, I liked the City of Greifswald, it is a quiet place where you can relax and meditate in nature.

What is your background in One Health, and why would you like to work in this field?

I found that it was a great opportunity to apply for the Travel Grants provided by One Health Research in Greifswald to do research at the INP. Since the INP has great scientific research groups who are working in the field of plasma-liquid interaction that was related to my PhD research.

Meet our fellow

Mahmoud Moustafa

who did research at the University of Greifswald between August and September 2022.

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Mahmoud Moustafa. I am from Egypt and completed my master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2022.

What is your current position?

I am currently working as an assistant lecturer at Mansoura University in Egypt. I teach various fields, such as phytochemistry, phytotherapy, chromatography, spectroscopy and quality control (general and clinical pharmacy).

What is your background in One Health, and why would you like to work in this field?

The One Health approach helps to protect the health of all living beings by bringing experts together to solve problems threatening humans, animals, and the environment. My area of expertise focuses on the discovery and development of new chemical compounds from natural sources such as plants, fungi and bacteria. I’m able to isolate these compounds because of my specific experience, but I want to learn how to screen their biological activities. I want to contribute to the discovery of biologically active substances to improve human health in the One Health approach.