GHI-Thailand 2016

Date         February 22-26, 2016

 

Venue      Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University

 

Instructors 

 

                Fernando Sampedro, PhD
                         Assistant Professor – Center for Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of

                         Minnesota

 

                Warangkhana Chaisowwong, PhD, MVPH, DVM
                        Deputy Director, Veterinary Public Health Centre for Asia Pacific
                        Lecturer, Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai

                        University, Thailand

               

Course description

 

         This course will provide the necessary risk- and science-based tools to evaluate and mitigate the microbial and chemical risks in a food production chain-from the farm until consumption. Participants will be divided in small interdisciplinary groups to mimic a real risk analysis team and develop a real-case scenario (different for each group). The attendants will follow the risk analysis process as an integral part of a science-based decision-making (risk prioritization, risk assessment, risk management and risk communication) to estimate and manage the food safety risks. The attendants will apply different qualitative (hazard analysis, decision matrices) and quantitative (risk prioritization, modeling and web-based software) tools by using a computer. The participants will present the main outcomes from the analyses and will evaluate possible mitigation options to reduce the risk in a cost-effective way.

 

Course goals and objectives

 

          The major goal of this course is to introduce the participants to real life applications of microbial and chemical risk assessment in foods to provide science-based answers to complex food safety issues in a multidisciplinary setting.

           Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

           • Apply the basics of risk analysis to provide science-based decisions 
           • Use qualitative and quantitative tools to estimate the risk 
           • Practice writing, reporting and communicating the results of a risk assessment
           • Practice problem solving with colleagues who have different backgrounds and areas of expertise 
 

Methods of instruction and work expectations
 

         This course combines lectures, practical exercises and one case-study. The case-study will comprise one final oral presentation. Students will be expected to spend about 1-2 hours reading materials and understanding how to use the different software tools before starting the course. 

 

         One case study will be assigned to each of the groups during the course. Last day all the groups will give an oral presentation. The goal of the presentation is to master the concepts learned to conduct a risk assessment and help students practice the risk communication skills.