MIRAMAR, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug 29, 2018–The One Health Research Foundation (OHRF) announces its formation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, its inaugural Board of Trustees along with its mission to “improve human, animal and environmental health in the Caribbean and other tropical areas of the world through support of integrative, multidisciplinary research and innovation.”

Established in 2017, the One Health Research Foundation is based in Miramar, Florida, with an office at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) in St. Kitts. RUSVM contributes to the Foundation and provides research space in its new Research and Pathology Building and office space on campus. The Foundation was organized for charitable research and training purposes and its charitable activities will be both in the United States and abroad, with a special focus on the Caribbean.

“The One Health Research Foundation (OHRF) aims to be recognized as a premier charitable organization that promotes and advances a One Health, trans-disciplinary approach to address societal needs,” said Dr. Robert Bergquist, MD, PhD, OHRF Board President. “OHRF provides support to qualified scientists and students, partners and programs through grants for research, innovation and training, primarily aimed at security in relation to zoonotic, vector-borne and other infectious/parasitic diseases, food and feed safety, ecosystem health and health with reference to human/animal interactions.”

The OHRF Board ensures that all programs supported by the foundation receive regular reviews for effectiveness and impact in an effort to maximize the resources provided. OHRF invites and makes public reports of outcomes and results of engagements in order to share data on program impact in the communities served.

Directors for the One Health Research Foundation are:

Dr. Robert Bergquist, MD, PhD (President)World Health Organization/World Bank/UNDP/UNICEF Special Programme for Research and Training on Tropical Diseases (retired) and Editor-in Chief, , Brastad, Sweden

Dr. Modesto Cruz, MD, PhD (Secretary)Director, Research Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology (IMPA), Professor, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (USAD), Dominican Republic

Dr. Ray Kaplan, DVM, PhD, DACVM, DEVPCProfessor of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, Georgia, USA

Dr. Hazel Laws, MBBS, MPHChief Medical Officer, Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies

Dr. Christopher Oura, BVetMed, MSc, PhD, MRCVSProfessor of Veterinary Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Dr. Stanley White, PhD (Treasurer)Dean St. Kitts Satellite Campus, Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica, West Indies

To learn more about the One Health Research Foundation, including ways to make a donation and research projects, please visit: http://www.ohresearchfoundation.org/.

One Health Research Foundation 2300 SW 145th Avenue, Suite 200 Miramar, Florida, USA 33027 Tel: (+1) 754-208-4613

About One Health Research Foundation

The One Health Research Foundation, established in 2017, is based in Miramar, Florida with a Caribbean office at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts and Nevis. The mission of the One Health Research Foundation is to improve human, animal and environmental health in the Caribbean and other tropical areas of the world through support of integrative, multidisciplinary research and innovation. The Foundation was organized for charitable research and training purposes. Its charitable activities will be both in the United States and abroad, with special focus on the Caribbean. One Health Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity organization comprised of a Board of Directors which meets at least twice a year to review and set policies, procedures and budgets and to oversee the grant making process. All program funding and philanthropic resources come from grants, gifts and contributions from publicly supported organizations, governmental units and general public. The Foundation will support Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and partner institutes’ Faculty and OHRF Research Fellows and Scientists to secure externally funded research grants as well as providing grants to fulfil its mission based on donations. The Foundation utilizes RUSVM’s Institutional Review Board and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and its own Scientific Advisory Board for ethical and scientific review of proposals considered for support. RUSVM contributes an office on its campus to the Foundation and donates time of its faculty and staff who serve as the Foundation’s officers. For more information visit: http://www.ohresearchfoundation.org/.