HEALTH GEOGRAPHY AND POLICY GROUP
WHAT WE DO ?
The Health Geography Group is currently transitioning between ETH Zurich and the University of Gothenburg where we are based at the Faculty of Medicine. We work on diseases of global importance that impact animal production, human health, and the environment.
MAPS OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN ANIMALS
Our core focus is on mapping antimicrobial resistance rates in low- and middle-income countries. We use ensemble geospatial modeling in combination with point prevalence surveys published by the veterinary community across the world.
Is the largest open-access online repository for animal point prevalence surveys on antimicrobial resistance. See our video to share your survey with the community.
GEOGRAPHY OF RESISTANCE GENES IN FOOD PATHOGENS
We use publicly available genomic data to understand the spread of AMR genes in E.coli and Salmonella. Our objective is to identify associations between phenotypic resistance and resistance genes as well as the socio-economic drivers of their dissemination around the world.
ANTIMICROBIAL USE IN AQUACULTURE
Aquaculture is expected to surpass capture fisheries in the next 5 year. This has potentially important implication for the development of antimicrobial resistance. To anticipate this shift, and estimate the contribution of fish to the overall resistance problem we are currently reviewing the global trends in antimicrobial use in aquaculture. Picture wikipedia.org
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN PIG PRODUCTION IN THAILAND.
We study the spatial relationships between antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in animals using data from field surveys in Khon Kaen Province. In collaboration with Uppsala Agricultural University (SLU), we investigate how knowledge and attitudes of small and large-scale farmers influences the risk of colonization by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This project is funded by the JPI-AMR
Our work is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, The Branco Weiss foundation, and the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance.
WHO WE ARE?
Thomas Van Boeckel is a spatial epidemiologist working the University of Gothenburg as associate senior lecturer / assistant professor. He is also a visiting fellow at the One Health Trust. He has previously held positions at ETH Zurich, Princeton, Oxford, and obtained his PhD in from the Free University of Brussels.
Cheng Zhao is a PhD student working with computational methods to map antimicrobial resistance, and inform surveillance efforts. She has been previously involved in a few soil microbiological studies in the agricultural context. In general, she is fascinated by how agricultural activities change the microbial world, which in turn influences the human society
Nicola Criscuolo is a PhD student with a background in plant diversity and evolution. He uses multivariate statistical methods and builds interactive web applications to analyze large datasets. He is the developer of the resistancebank.org
Dan Schar is a veterinarian who recently started a PhD co-supervised by Thomas Van Boeckel at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) on the quantification of antimicrobial use (AMU) and resistance (AMR) in aquaculture.
Yu Wang is a Food Science student working as research assistant on antimicrobial resistance. She collects epidemiological data from the Chinese scientific literature for terrestrial animals and aquaculture.
Soushieta Jagadesh is an MD interrested in disease ecology. She works on COVID-19 and the geography of zoonotic disease emergence.
Ranya Mulchandani is an epidemiologist working as research assistant on the trends in antimicrobial resistance in animals raised for food in Europe.
Alex Morgan is a disease modeler working on the tranfer of antimicrobial resistance between animals and humans. He will be joining the group in April 2022.
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Gilbert Osena is microbiologist interested in geographic trends in antimicrobial resistance in Africa. He will join the group as PhD student at University of Gothenburg in spring 2023
JOIN THE GROUP
We welcome spontaneous applications from prospective PhD students, and postdocs.
FORMER TEAM MEMBERS
Joao do Couto Pires is a EUPHEM fellow at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Laura Huber is an assistant professor at Auburn University, AL, USA
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PUBLICATIONS
A complete list of publications of the group is available here.
Global trends in antimicrobial resistance in animals in low- and middle-income countries. Science 20 Sep 2019:
Vol. 365, Issue 6459.
Reducing antimicrobial use in food animals.
Science 29 Sep 2017:Vol. 357, Issue 6358.
Global trends in antimicrobial use in food animals.
PNAS May 5, 2015 112 (18) 5649-5654
Global antibiotic consumption 2000 to 2010: an analysis of national pharmaceutical sales data.
LID Volume 14, issue 8 August 2014, Pages 742-750
MEDIA
China's Love of Meat Is Driving Global Antibiotic Usage
Crucial antibiotics still used on US farms despite public health fears
A Plan To Reduce Antibiotic (Ab)use By The Global Meat Industry
Antibiotika: Sauberer, teurer, weniger!
How deadly is your butter chicken?
Three-quarters of antibiotics are used on animals. Here's why that's a major problem
Here's How to Cut Antibiotic Use in Animals
Pharmalot: Can the U.S. Really Curtail Antibiotic Use in Livestock and Thwart Superbugs?
What to expect from today's UN meeting on antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics to grow farm animals raise superbug risk
“We need to stop talking: we need to start acting”: The Global Superbug Crisis event in Westminster
