About

The Centre

Human health, animal health and environmental health are not separate problems. They share pathogens, ecosystems, drivers and solutions. The most pressing health threats of our time, from pandemic-prone viruses to antimicrobial resistance to climate-sensitive disease, sit at the intersection of all three. The One Health Molecular Epidemiology and Genomics (EDGe) Centre at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus brings together expertise from across the Campus to conduct research, deliver training, and provide laboratory services in molecular epidemiology and genomics at that “One Health” interface. 

The EDGe Centre grew out of decades of molecular epidemiology, genomics, bioinformatics and infectious disease expertise at UWI St. Augustine Campus, including work that sequenced thousands of SARS-CoV-2 genomes across the Caribbean during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centre is hosted by the Faculty of Medical Sciences with the Faculty of Food and Agriculture as a primary partner, and incorporates the PAHO/WHO Reference Sequencing Laboratory at the UWI. We are the “plus” in TT ONE LAB+ : Trinidad and Tobago’s Pandemic Fund-supported initiative to build a One Health laboratory system for pandemic preparedness, prevention and response. We contribute research, training, and technical support that complements the diagnostic capacity being built at the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. 

Our Mission

To advance Caribbean resilience and preparedness for emerging diseases through cutting-edge molecular epidemiology and genomics research, training and laboratory support delivered in partnership with public health and veterinary institutions, within a One Health framework.

Funding

The Centre’s establishment and first three years of operation are funded primarily by the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund through “TT ONE LAB+ Strengthening Laboratory Capacity for One Health Surveillance in support of pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response”, a 3-year multisectoral collaborative project led by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Health, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and The University of the West Indies St. Augustine as the other Beneficiary Entities, and the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) as the Implementing Entity.