DMP team provides high-containment training to international scientists

 

Drs. Dana Vanlandingham, professor of arbovirology, and Natalia Costa Ball, research assistant professor, (both with the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology (DMP) in the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State) presented the 2023 International High Containment Practices and Techniques Seminar in late April. Training in this program is sponsored by USDA APHIS International Services.

The program supported 14 veterinary and laboratory professionals from 14 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Morocco, Mozambique, Paraguay, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam) to learn to safely conduct research in a high containment environment during the week-long program.

"Recently, this program has been conducted in a virtual setting in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID, so it was really exciting to get to know these researchers over the course of the one-week program," Dr. Vanlandingham said. "We simultaneously learn from their research experiences while we share our knowledge of high containment best practices. We also really enjoyed showing them around K-State and Manhattan."

In the middle part of the photo collage, the entire group toured Manhattan's Sunset Zoo. Front row, from left: Dr. Natalia Costa Ball and Adrienne Pohl with K-State, with program participants: Anna Kekelidze, Georgia; Kerriel Green, Jamaica; Li-Hsuan Chen, Taiwan; Vu Huong, Vietnam; Ivy Gonzales, Philippines; Lalidia Ouoba, Burkina Faso; and Iolanda Monjane, Mozambique. Behind them, from left are Merieme Lahrach, Morocco; Sunghan Park, Korea; Laura Duarte, Paraguay; Erwin Miller, Guyana; Muflihanah, Indonesia; Kenya Suzuki, Japan; Missimawu Aholou, Benin; Dr. Dana Vanlandingham, and Susan Hettenbach, the last two with K-State. In the inset photos, the students make stops outside the veterinary college and visit Call Hall for ice cream, Colbert Hills clubhouse and the Flint Hills Discovery Center.

Activities included lecture, subject matter expert lectures and panel discussions, group presentations, and hands-on skills development along with tours of the LARC and the Liquid Galaxy experience available at Hale Library.

"I want to thank Dr. Costa Ball and DMP employees Adrienne Pohl and Susan Hettenbach who assisted with the training and planning in order to make this program possible," Dr. Vanlandingham said.

The group tours immersive movie experience at the Flint Hills Discovery Center.