Dr. Gizachew Wubetu

2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Implementation Challenges of One Health Surveillance System - A Call from Concept to ActionEthiopia

Dr. Gizachew Wubetu is a research director at the Amhara Public Health Institute in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. He was the director-general of the institute from December 2016 to June 2019. Prior to this position, Gizachew worked at the University Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, as a professor, researcher, community service provider and consultant. He received his Ph. D in Medical Science from the University of Tokushima in Japan and his MSc in Medical Microbiology from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He is senior medical science and public health expert with more than 18 years of experience. Dr. Wubetu is the recipient of seven research grant awards and five training and best researcher certificates in national and international institutions. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Implementation Challenges of One Health Surveillance System - A Call from Concept to Action

One Health is defined as a collaborative, multispectral and transdisciplinary approach working at the local, regional, national and global levels with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment. This project aimed to bring coordination in the sectors of health, environment and agriculture through the One Health system. This workshop engaged thirty-five participants and ensured that all stakeholders had a shared vision and roadmap for implementing One Health for disease prevention, surveillance, response, preparedness and prevention and control activities in their current and future areas of focus in an integrated system. The workshop updated and capacitated the use of a multispectral, One Health approach to determine the zoonotic diseases of greatest national concern that are jointly addressed by a human, animal, and environmental health sectors. The workshop focused on the themes of Coordination and Collaboration; Preparedness and Response; Surveillance and Reporting; Policy, Advocacy and Communication; and Capacity Building. Prior to participating in the workshop, the participants’ highest score on a pre-test was 66%, and the lowest was 20% with an average group score of 74.2%. As a result of the project, results were improved to a high score of 94%, with the lowest score jumping up to 65%, and a group average score of 80.5%.   

IVLP Exchange Experience

Dr. Gizachew Wubetu was a participant in the IVLP Project Global Health Security - Combatting Infectious Diseases, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Cultural Vistas.

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually

Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Orlando, FL; Kalamazoo, MI; Houston, TX

"After my first IVLP virtual training, I understood the importance of One Health program for resource-limited countries like Ethiopia during the pandemic and beyond. I developed a workshop proposal to strengthen the implementation challenges of the One Health surveillance system from concept to action." - Dr. Gizachew Wubetu

Country: Ethiopia

Click here to go back to the IVLP Impact Awards Main Page