Dr Wim van der Poel (the new coordinator EPIZONE) hands Theme 2 over to Alessandro Cristalli. Alessandro Cristalli is a veterinarian working in the office for international co-operation of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe).

 

"I graduated from the University of Bologna and then worked for about three years at the R&D unit of a veterinary pharmaceutical industry, further developing my interest in vaccines and vaccination, mainly applied to avian species. I received a post-graduate diploma in Veterinary Public Health from the University of Bologna and I still dedicate part of my effort to formal studies.

 

I left my previous position to do field works as a consultant for the development sector with a special concern for issues of sustainability. I have worked both in Italy and in developing countries pursuing the goal of integration of scientific approaches with the more holistic approach of rural development disciplines. I worked for about two years for the OIE/FAO AI Reference Laboratory at the IZSVe, combining laboratory works with field activities on Avian Influenza vaccination. Subsequently, an office for international co-operation was established at the IZSVe and I am its current coordinator. I am now conducting field research on AI and other animal diseases in Myanmar and Vietnam.

 

My personal aspiration is to make science solve problems and implement applied research. The issue of integrating scientists amongst and with specialists in other sectors is a theme that I genuinely believe strategic to improving the effectiveness of EU and other scientific institutions".