WSUT: Do you know where additional funding for the school will come from?
President Elson S. Floyd: “We are working aggressively to secure funding from the Legislature and other sources as well.”
WSUT: Do you have a target date for the school to open?
Palmer: “With the recent approval of the Board of Regents, we will now begin operating as a school. Although we are building off a base of expertise within the CVM, to meet our mission we will need to incorporate additional expertise in economics, international outreach, communications, animal health policy and other areas.”
WSUT: Will all SGAH research be carried out in Pullman?
Palmer: “The school will do research in Pullman … but will place a high priority on integration with ongoing global health efforts led by institutions within the state. We have formal research programs in place with the Washington Vaccine Alliance — including the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, UW, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, PATH, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the Infectious Disease Research Institute.”
WSUT: Is the WSU School for Global Animal Health one of a kind?
WSUT: What are some of the diseases the SGAH will be targeting?
GP: “WSU researchers are working to develop vaccines against some of the most debilitating animal pathogens in the tropics, including tickborne diseases such as Anaplasma and Babesia. Other researchers are studying and monitoring pathogens such as E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria, which infect both people and animals.”
$25M Gates Foundation grant