Building bridges to join forces with the Infectious Disease One Health program
Dr. Chidiebere (Chidi) Onoh, joined the laboratory of VBS Associate Professor Roberta O'Connor as an intern in January to research natural products that function against Apicomplexan parasites. Specifically to determine anti - parasitic efficacy and pharmacokinetics of newly identified marine natural products that show activity against Apicomplexan parasites like Cryptosporidium parvum and Toxoplasma sp.
Dr. Onoh was recruited through the Infectious Disease and One Health program (IDOH). IDOH is a partnership of some of Europe's leading research-intensive universities in the field of infectious diseases and the "one health" concept. The three founding partners are Université de Tours, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Hannover Medical School.
Dr. Onoh obtained a Doctor of Veterinary medicine (DVM) degree from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in 2017. She practiced in a small animal clinic before deciding to further her studies in a research- intensive field relating to One Health.
When asked about her involvement with the IDOH program, Dr. Onoh explains, "As a veterinarian, I am enthusiastic about research focused on the integration of the knowledge of human and animal diseases to enhance the development of new diagnostics, therapies, and interventions. In the process of streamlining my research interest and consequently my professional path, I discovered the Infectious Disease and One Health (IDOH) program. The IDOH course structure, jointly organized by top three European universities, and its affiliation to research institutes attracted me to apply for the program. Being one of the 22 students selected in the 5th IDOH cohort, I am currently in the University of Minnesota for my internship, a compulsory component in the fourth semester of IDOH Master’s program."
