Earlier this April, I had the pleasure of participating in two very different yet equally impactful meetings, both offering the chance to share findings from our field research in Malawi and introduce our new MSc in One Health in Tropical Disease at the LSTM. While the audiences varied, from veterinary public health experts to students and early-career professionals, the core message remained: research and education must work together to tackle zoonotic diseases in a changing world.
The first event was the ESCCAP Directors' Meeting in Malvern, UK, which brought together veterinary parasitologists and public health experts from 19 countries. I shared updates from our HUGS project in Malawi, where we uncovered high rates of caprine and bovine schistosomiasis, including zoonotic Schistosoma haematobium–mattheei hybrids. Our GPS-tracking and treatment trials showed how herd movement patterns shape exposure and reinfection risk, offering key insights into parasite transmission and control.
This meeting also provided the perfect opportunity to introduce our new MSc programme, especially in the context of veterinary and One Health training. It’s tailored to professionals, such as vets, biologists, and medics, who want to gain real exposure to tropical zoonoses often underrepresented in their education.
At the One Health Society event, I focused more on the educational aspects of the MSc, speaking with students from medicine, veterinary science, and public health about the course’s interdisciplinary approach. It combines classroom learning with field and lab-based training, and offers student project opportunities with LSTM partners in tropical countries like Malawi, Cameroon, Uganda, and Zanzibar. For students from tropical regions, the course supports development of locally relevant solutions, while others gain insight into global disease control systems.
Together, these two meetings highlighted how fieldwork, education, and policy can, and must, connect. Bridging the gap between Europe and the tropics, and between knowledge and action, is essential to building the next generation of One Health leaders.
Learn more about the MSc in One Health in Tropical Disease at LSTM