Mekong One Health Innovation Program (MOHIP)

Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Institute for Global Health are collaborating on the Mekong One Health Innovation Program (MOHIP), a three-year initiative (2022-2025) funded by the U.S. Department of State. This project aims to enhance health security in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam by promoting a One Health approach. It connects U.S. health experts with Mekong researchers to foster a regional health security network. Key activities include monthly webinars, a short course on health security, funding for relevant research, and a research symposium in the project’s final year.

Through these efforts, MOHIP aims to strengthen partnerships, support health policy development, and build a sustainable network for ongoing research and health solutions in the region. Collaborators include One Health University Networks in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Program and Activities

The Mekong One Health Innovation Program (MOHIP) is comprised of three key programmatic activities:

• Activity 1

  Create a transnational network of Mekong and U.S. researchers and practitioners working on health security, employing the One Health approach.

  • Establish relationships with One Health researchers, educators, practitioners, and other stakeholders within the three MOHIP countries.
  • Conduct virtual educational webinars on health security and One Health-related topics and help connect the U.S. and Mekong researchers and practitioners.
  • Create a web platform to enable communication and networking among One Health researchers/practitioners.
• Activity 2

  Determine gaps and challenges in health security and One Health facing the lower Mekong sub-region and develop a needs-based course on “Health Security, One Health, and Zoonoses.”

  • Assess gaps and challenges in health security and One Health education and research in the lower Mekong sub-region.
  • Develop a “Health Security, One Health, and Zoonoses” course.
  • Offer the “Health Security, One Health, and Zoonoses” course.
• Activity 3

  Provide funding for research projects grounded in the One Health approach to strengthen health security in the lower Mekong sub-region.

  • Develop a methodology for proposal review and selection.
  • Select and fund the research projects that meet the criteria and funding priorities.
  • Connect the selected projects’ PIs with experts at Michigan State University.
  • Monitor and evaluate research projects.
  • Disseminate research findings through publications, messaging campaigns, webinars, and research symposiums among stakeholders in Mekong and beyond.