The recent withdrawal of international funding for global health has significantly impacted efforts to monitor infectious diseases and prepare for outbreaks. As the global health landscape evolves, establishing sustainable local expertise is crucial for the resilience of pathogen genomic surveillance networks. Regional programmes, enhanced through collaboration with global trainers, offer opportunities to build and strengthen these critical networks, ensuring they remain robust and responsive to emerging health threats.
From February 24 to 27, 2025, the Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI) Academy (through Duke-NUS Medical School and A*STAR, Singapore) and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco (CZ Biohub, based in USA) co-hosted a training workshop on the “Genomic Epidemiology of Viral Pathogens”. The workshop brought 32 participants from 16 countries—Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam—to Singapore to learn about genomic epidemiology for outbreak response. Beyond equipping them with knowledge, tools, and hands-on experience, the workshop aimed to foster a regional network of local expertise.
In this context, viral genomic epidemiology refers to the epidemiological study of the genetic material of viruses to gain insights into disease transmission and evolution, a critical aspect of outbreak preparedness and response. Throughout the workshop, participants engaged in case studies that illustrated the application of genomic epidemiology in real-world public health decision-making, from the analysis of sequences to the communication of findings.
Reflecting on the value of the workshop, Fatima Aziz, Research Manager at the Infectious Disease Research Laboratory at Aga Khan University, Pakistan, shared, "The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a significant shift towards genomic sequencing in my role. This workshop provided a fantastic opportunity to continue learning and building capacity. The interactive elements were particularly valuable, especially learning how to communicate with various stakeholders—during the pandemic, everyone seemed to speak their own language!"
This workshop was a landmark event for the Asia PGI Academy, setting several important firsts that reflect its growing impact in the region. It brought together the largest number of Asian country representative participants to date, fostering cross-border collaboration like never before. For the first time, past participants were invited back as part of the Academy’s ongoing learning programme, creating opportunities for continued growth and peer exchange. In another milestone, alumni and regional partners took on trainer roles, strengthening knowledge-sharing networks and reinforcing the Academy’s commitment to sustainable capacity building across Asia.
As a returning participant, Dr. Manjur Hossain Khan, Assistant Professor and Senior Scientific Officer at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control & Research and National Influenza Centre, Bangladesh, reflected, “I enhanced my knowledge with new tools and, importantly, built a network to share resources and challenges, enabling communication and input from others when facing problems.”
For Carlo Lapid, Senior Bioinformatics Specialist at the Philippine Genome Center, contributing as a trainer was an exciting opportunity. “Having overseen local training initiatives in the Philippines and participated in international workshops, I found it meaningful to be invited as a trainer to a regional workshop of this scale,” he said. “Pathogen surveillance is a global issue, so it is an endeavour that has to arise from collaboration and sharing.”
In today's landscape of diminished international global health funding, regional cooperation and innovative partnerships are more crucial than ever. Building sustainable local expertise through regional programmes, in collaboration with global trainers such as CZ Biohub, provides a path forward to continue strengthening regional pathogen surveillance networks.
“We need to look at what advancing public health technology might look like in the region in the absence of that international funding support – identifying venues and mechanisms for exchanging knowledge more deeply within the region,” concludes Dr. Patrick Ayscue, Senior Fellow at CZ Biohub. “Asia PGI is well suited to foster the growth of pathogen genomics expertise in the region. I look forward to working with Asia PGI and their partners to support training and the expansion of new technologies in ASEAN.”