Meet our platform coordinator Elisabeth Rajala

Last changed: 28 August 2023

SLU Future One Health is strengthening its presence on all our campuses, in order to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations across faculties. Meet our new platform coordinator, Elisabeth Rajala, who is based at Campus Ultuna.

Hi Elisabeth! Who are you, and can you tell us a little about your background?

"I am a veterinarian and researcher with special focus on One Health issues such as the epidemiology of zoonotic infections, and antimicrobial resistance. My PhD focused on a zoonotic disease in Tajikistan, and I have since then mainly focused my research and capacity-building work in various low-income countries in Asia and Africa".

Portrait of a woman with shoulder-length red hair, wearing a light-coloured top under a black jacket. Photo.

Projects you are involved in for the moment?

"I am currently involved in a range of projects, from the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in Swedish pig production to urban livestock keeping in Ethiopia, and the effect of interventions using a One Health approach in the pork value chain in Vietnam to improve food safety. I am also a Challenge leader of the Sida-funded program AgriFoSe2030 with the ultimate goal to contribute to the sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia for improved food and nutrition security".

What are your assignments at the platform?

"I started the assignment as platform coordinator earlier this year and I am very much looking forward to supporting and strengthening SLU's interdisciplinary One Health research through activities, such as the One Health PhD course, that we will run again next year, the One Health Breakfast club, which is a very good network opportunity for our researchers, as well as our seed money calls to mention a few examples".