Dr Mohamed M. Sirdar officially joined the OIE Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa based in Gaborone (Botswana) on 10 May 2021 as a Antimicrobial Resistance Programme Officer.
This position has been made possible with the support of the Fleming Fund a United Kingdom (UK) Aid Programme of the British Department of Health and Social Care.
Mohamed’s mission is to support the implementation of the OIE Strategy on AMR at sub-regional and national levels.
He will form part of a continental and international network of OIE staff, working with colleagues in other Regional and Sub-Regional Representations and OIE Headquarters.
Mohamed is a graduate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Khartoum (Sudan). Dr Sirdar continued his studies and completed his MSc and PhD at the Epidemiology Section of the Faculty of Veterinary of Science, University of Pretoria (South Africa). His MSc project focused on food safety, specifically antimicrobial resistance and residues in animal products, while his PhD was on the epidemiology of foot-mouth-disease in the human-domestic animals-wildlife interface of South Africa.
Before joining the OIE, Mohamed was a Senior Veterinary Researcher (Epidemiology and Training) at the South African Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute (ARC-OVR) based in Pretoria. He was leading the Epidemiology and Training Unit of the ARC-OVR and coordinated training activities of the Institute.
Mohamed is looking forward to contributing to the overall implementation of the OIE mandate in relation to animal health, veterinary public health and welfare in the Southern Africa sub-region, in line with the OIE 7th Strategic Plan, with particular emphasis on promoting awareness of AMR and enhancing antimicrobial stewardship in the veterinary profession, assisting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and OIE Member Countries strengthen national drug regulatory authorities in the animal health sector and develop a One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use.
Dr Mohamed can be reached at: [email protected]
