Hosted by

• External speaker
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  Dr Marcus Makgabo Researcher and Leader of the One Health – Animal and Public Health and Biosecurity Centre of Excelle @ ARC-OVR

  Dr Makgabo is a Researcher and Leader of the One Health – Animal and Public Health and Biosecurity Centre of Excellence at the Agricultural Research Council–Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR), South Africa, and an Extraordinary Lecturer at the University of Pretoria. His research focuses on genomics, bioinformatics, molecular epidemiology, and One Health approaches to investigate vector-borne, zoonotic, and emerging infectious diseases. His work encompasses tick-borne pathogens, microbial genomics, microbiome analysis, pathogen discovery, and genomic surveillance of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) viruses. He leads nationally and internationally funded One Health programmes that strengthen disease surveillance, biosecurity, and outbreak preparedness, translating genomic data into evidence-based veterinary and public health interventions across Africa.

• External speaker
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  Dr Pricilla Mbiri University of Namibia

  Dr. Pricilla Mbiri is a highly skilled veterinarian and Senior Lecturer with 18 years of progressive experience at the intersection of animal health, public health, and academia. She has a special interest in One Health, holds a PhD in One Health and an MSc in Animal/Human/Ecosystem Health. Her career spans impactful national leadership in Rabies control and Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak response, Veterinary Public Health at Export abattoirs, and the advancement of Veterinary education at the University of Namibia. A dedicated mentor and researcher, she focuses on zoonotic diseases and on building bioinformatics capacity. Dr. Mbiri is committed to implementing practical, interdisciplinary One Health strategies to mitigate the spread of pathogens at the human-animal-environment interface.