Joint training on policy design using epidemiological evidence with Massey UniversityEpiCentre

From July 22 Wed to 23 Thu, 2026, a joint training workshop titled “Translating epidemiological
evidence for policy design” was held at the Rakuno Gakuen University (in a hybrid format), in
collaboration with Massey University EpiCentre, New Zealand, for young government officials,
researchers, and graduate students from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Asia-
Pacific Members.
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the Rakuno Gakuen University and EpiCentre at the Massey
University have been designated as the WOAH Collaborating Centres for Food Safety, and
Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, respectively; they have been commissioned by the
WOAH to undertake capacity building for personnel of WOAH Members and inter-center
networking.
This training program was a new initiative designed in response to requests—raised during a
veterinary epidemiology training course held at the Rakuno Gakuen University in 2023—for training
on policy formulation utilizing published epidemiological papers and epidemiological survey results.
This training program was supported by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries.
From EpiCenter, Center Director Professor Naomi Cogger and Researcher Dr. Masako Wada
visited Rakuno Gakuen University and paid a courtesy visit to the Dean of the School of Veterinary
Medicine and the Head of the Department (Photo 1). For the training, participants engaged in group
work—conducted both in-person and online—using a total of eight research papers: the first day
focused on animal health, and the second on food safety. They worked enthusiastically to formulate
policies by comprehensively utilizing diverse epidemiological evidence (Photos 2 and 3).

Photo 1. A courtesy visit to the Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Head of the
Department at the Rakuno Gakuen University (RGU) by the EpiCentre, Massey University. From
left, Lecturer Dr. Shingo Asakura, RGU, Dr. Masako Wada and Professor Naomi Cogger at the
EpiCentre, the Dean Professor Mitsuhiro Isaka, the Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine
Professor Hiroshi Ohta, and Professor Kohei Makita.

Photo 2. Lecturers and online/in-person participants of the training program

Photo 3. Groupworks by in-person participants