Our team comprises University of Liverpool researchers, and a wider network of government and academic partners, united in our commitment to promote One Health awareness, prioritisation and implementation in The Gambia.
Professor Eric Fèvre BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD
Lead Investigator
Eric Fèvre is Professor of Veterinary Infectious Diseases at the Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool and is jointly based at the International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
Prof Fèvre’s team (www.zoonotic-diseases.org; Twitter: @ZoonoticDisease) is a grouping of epidemiologists, ecologists, biologists, sociologists, veterinarians and medical practitioners who conduct One Health driven field studies to acquire a wider understanding of pathogen epidemiology to inform policy on optimal and cost-effective methods of disease control.
He obtained his BSc in Biology/Geography from the University of Bristol (UK), his MSc in Applied Parasitology and Medical Entomology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine. He worked for several years on the epidemiology of zoonotic trypanosomiasis in East Africa, before expanding his work to cover a wider range of zoonotic diseases in endemic areas well as an important body of work on the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance. He held a Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship from 2009-2012. The UK Research Councils, UK DFID, US Government, the European Union, the Fleming Fund and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health are currently the primary funders of the work in his team.
Prof Fèvre has been a member of several WHO advisory committees and technical advisory groups to the Government of Kenya. He is also a member of the Lancet Commission on One Health.
Dr. Tessa Cornell BVM&S, BSc (VetSci)
Lead Investigator
Tessa is a Co-Investigator on this University of Liverpool project Striving for One Health in Action in The Gambia.
Tessa’s PhD research (2019-2023) explored the epidemiology of Histoplasma in human and equid populations in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on The Gambia. In her role as national project coordinator for the Tackling Histoplasmosis research programme, Tessa led multiple observational studies across all regions of The Gambia, and was line manager for two field and lab teams. The team successfully collaborated with governmental and academic partners across human and animal health sectors, and embraced a community engagement approach throughout this research.
Tessa has adopted the One Health approach in both clinical and research positions. Her clinical experiences as a practicing vet, and an internship with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), informed her interests in developing practical, sustainable and context-specific disease prevention and control measures for field veterinary personnel.
Tessa’s special research interests include: infectious disease epidemiology at human-animal-environment interfaces; animal disease impact on human health and livelihoods; and research translation into context-specific policy to facilitate capacity building at the community level, and achieve equitable and sustainable outcomes.
Mr. Edrisa Nyassi
Research Assistant
Edrisa is the Research Assistant on this project exploring One Health awareness amongst stakeholders in The Gambia.
Mr Nyassi was a Research Associate for the University of Liverpool Tackling Histoplasmosis project (2019-2023), exploring risk factors for Histoplasma exposure and infection in the working equid population. He contributed to clinical examinations, clinical and environmental sampling, questionnaire data collection, and laboratory analysis. He led communications with study participants, and Regional Directors and Livestock Agents of the DLS, to facilitate project fieldwork activities. Edrisa also contributed to a qualitative study exploring antifungal use and access in The Gambia, by conducting interviews and focus group discussions with healthcare professionals, pharmacists and farmers.
Prior to this, Edrisa worked as an auxiliary veterinary intern at the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) The Gambia and served for three years at a regional Animal Health and Production clinic. During this period, he contributed to vaccination campaigns for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), peste des petits ruminants (PPR), Newcastle disease and rabies. In 2016, Edrisa collected field data for the National Livestock Census and was appointed as an outreach veterinary paraprofessional contact person. Edrisa joined the non-governmental organisation Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust in 2017 where he developed his understanding of diagnostic and treatment methods, sampling techniques and laboratory analysis, and contributed to a Glasgow University research project on equine trypanosomiasis.
