Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning

Health, Safety and Biosecurity

Barbados and the OECS face a health care environment that is becoming increasingly complex and costly to maintain.  The challenges presented by the health care environment demand that medical personnel engage in continuous learning, and that average citizens play a greater role in personal and familial and community health management.  As a response to societal needs and concerns, the Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning at the Cave Hill Campus offers a suite of continuing education and professional development courses to doctors, nurses and therapists, while offering beginners’ courses in the management of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the general public. The Centre also offers courses in health and safety, and sustainable building concepts for the building sector, as well as courses in Biosecurity and its relevance in the Caribbean context.

Health

[Biosecurity] Living a Wild Life Part 2: Wildlife, Zoonoses, Pandemics and One Health

[Biosecurity] Living a Wild Life Part 2: Wildlife, Zoonoses, Pandemics and One Health

Overview

The short course will seek to develop critical competencies in the scientific and practical understanding of biosecurity implications associated with wildlife hunting, wildlife trade and consumption and zoonotic disease transmission in public health.  These competencies will range from understanding the basic terminology, the critical nature of these human activities, the negative impacts on animal and human health and the environment and the potential interventions to mitigate against these impacts.
 

What will I Learn?

On successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the impacts of wildlife hunting, wildlife trade and wildlife consumption and their consequences.
  • Assess the public health and economic ramifications of these wildlife associated activities.
  • Analyse organizational risks and exposure to these activities.
  • Examine existing risks and red flags along with regional and global case studies.
  • Design appropriate risk mitigation strategies to safeguard lives and livelihoods.
  • Identify potential mitigation strategies to combat threats associated with wildlife hunting, wildlife consumption and wildlife trade in the Caribbean.

Who Should do this Course

  • Public Health Professionals (doctors, nurses, veterinary services, laboratory & Port Health personnel)
  • Agriculture, Wildlife & Environment Management Professionals
  • Legal Professionals
  • Economic Sector Professionals
  • Disaster & Risk Management Professionals
  • Logistics & Trade Professionals

Important Information

The goals of this short course/workshop are to:

  1. Foster participants’ understanding of the public health and animal health threats posed by wildlife hunting, wildlife trade and wildlife consumption in the Caribbean.
  2. Facilitate participants’ practical exploration of mitigation strategies to minimize the impacts of these activities in their day-to-day professional job execution.

At a Glance

  • Admissions Term: 2021/2022 Semester I
  • Date: September 2022
  • Time:
  • Duration: 5 weeks (20 hours)
  • Certificate Awarded: Professional Development Certificate of Competence
  • Capacity: 25
  • Cost: BDS$1400.00 / US$700.00

The following topics/concepts/theories/issues will be addressed:

  • Overview of Wildlife, Infectious Diseases and One Health
  • Public health, animal health and economic implications of these wildlife associated activities
  • Identifying systematic Wildlife Zoonotic Infection Risks
  • PESTHEEL & One Health Approaches to Zoonoses & Pandemics
  • Regional Mitigation Strategies against Zoonotic Transmission Risks

Participants do not need any formal undergraduate and/or postgraduate educational requirements.  However, participants should be currently operating in a relevant field including environment and wildlife management, public health, laboratory, economic, veterinary health, or as environmental officers and port health professionals. 
 

This course will adopt a Hybrid Flexible approach. It will be delivered through a combination of interactive lectures, online classroom discussions, and cooperative group work
 

Dr. Kirk Douglas is Director of the Centre for Biosecurity Studies at the University of the West Indies. He has specialised training in conducting research in Caribbean wildlife (rodents and migratory birds), virology, risk assessment, zoonotic disease transmission risk analysis and has over 100 citations from peer reviewed journal articles on biosecurity, public health, infectious diseases, viral haemorrhagic fevers and vector-borne diseases.