NETEC-Japanese Partnership a Model for International Collaboration on Special Pathogen Preparedness and Response

Share this article

A NETEC initiative to partner with global high-level isolation units took another step toward advancing U.S. and global special pathogens preparedness when delegates from NETEC traveled to Japan in June.

During a two-day meeting held at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) in Tokyo, delegates from NETEC met with Japanese colleagues from NCGM’s Disease Control and Prevention Center.

This visit marks the continued strengthening of NETEC’s relationship with its Japanese counterparts over the past year.

In September 2022, Dr. Hiromi Hibino, a medical officer from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), embarked on a year-long liaison with NETEC to gain insights from the U.S. approach to special pathogens readiness. This exchange aimed to help MHLW establish a network among high-consequence infectious disease treatment centers in Japan. The following month, Dr. Hibino and three delegates from NCGM visited the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, one of the 13 U.S Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (RESPTCs) that make up NETEC.

According to Dr. Jocelyn Herstein, Director of NETEC’s International Partnerships and Programs, the visit to Japan represents a significant milestone in the relationship between the two organizations.

“This trip allowed NETEC to better understand NCGM capabilities,” she said, “and highlighted the similarities in U.S. and Japanese systems for special pathogens preparedness, readiness, and response.”

On the first day, presenters gave an overview of NCGM’s role, training requirements and assessment strategies, criteria for and coordination of Japanese biocontainment units, and clinical research. 

The following day, the NCGM biocontainment unit team conducted drills to demonstrate their processes. NETEC colleagues at three RESPTCs were able to remotely observe a spill cleanup drill and join a tour of the NCGM biocontainment unit with the use of Avatour, a 360° remote collaboration platform. 

Angie Vasa, NETEC Director of Readiness Consultations and Metrics Development, said this was the first time NETEC had used the Avatour platform with an international partner. 

“It was a new and valuable experience for all of us: our NETEC colleagues in the U.S. were able to join a walking tour of the biocontainment unit and ask questions in real time,” she said. “And our partners at NCGM were able to demonstrate skills and get immediate feedback from NETEC observers.”

The Avatour platform unlocks opportunities to remotely tour biocontainment units and observe exercises and training to enhance sharing of processes and approaches among global biocontainment partners. 

But collaboration with Japanese partners doesn’t end in the biocontainment unit. In 2025, NCGM will merge with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) to form what representatives from the two organizations described as the “Japanese CDC.” This institution will be the coordinating body for a national system of high-consequence infectious disease treatment centers, which includes a tiered system of facilities, guidance and recommendations development, a clinical research network, and regional coordination and outreach. 

The timing aligns with NETEC’s implementation of the National Special Pathogens System of Care, a coordinated and standardized health care network of high-quality, patient- and community-centered care for patients suspected of or known to be infected by a special pathogen in the United States. 

NETEC anticipates there will be opportunities to learn from Japan’s approach and experience, and vice versa, as both countries shift toward a national system of care for special pathogens. This meeting was critical for laying the groundwork for future collaboration.

About the Participants 

NETEC participants included leadership from each of NETEC’s four core activities: Dr. Jocelyn Herstein, Director of International Partnerships and Programs; Angie Vasa, Director of Readiness Consultations and Metrics Development; Sharon Vanairsdale Carrasco, Director of Training and Education; Dr. Abbey Lowe, Chair of the Human Research Protections Workgroup for the Special Pathogens Research Network; and Stephanie Zechmann, Readiness Consultations Coordinator. 

Japanese participants included Dr. Norio Ohmagari, Director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center and the WHO Collaborating Center for Prevention, Preparedness, and Response to Emerging Infectious Diseases, and several other colleagues from the Disease Control and Prevention Center, including Dr. Shinichiro Morioka, Dr. Yukisama Matsuzawa, Dr. Sho Saito, Dr. Yutaro Akiyama, Dr. Mugen Ujiie, and Tomoko Tanuma. The team also met briefly with Dr. Norihiro Kokudo, President of NCGM.    

About NETEC 

NETEC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). We work in coordination with 13 U.S. Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (RESPTCs) to advance special pathogen readiness. 

NETEC’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.  

 In 2021, NETEC established the International Partnerships & Programs to advance U.S. and global special pathogens preparedness through international networking, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration among global high-level isolation units.

To learn more about NETEC International Partnership and Program activities, contact info@netec.org.