Vector-Borne Diseases Research Center
Head
Dr. Seyed Ahmad Hashemi
Specialist in Infectious and Tropical Diseases
Chancellor
Faculty Member
North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences
Email: a.hashemi@nkums.ac.ir
Duties and Responsibilities of the Director
- Developing the strategic plan for obtaining full approval of the center
- Designing annual operational plans and participating in ministry-related planning
- Organizing meetings of the center’s research council
- Promoting the translation of basic research into applied studies and commercialization of knowledge
History
The Vector-Borne Diseases Research Center is a governmental research entity that was granted preliminary approval in May 2013, based on the decision made in the 224th session of the Council for the Development of Medical Universities on May 13, 2013.
Goals
- Development and application of human knowledge in the field of vector-borne diseases.
- Conducting basic, epidemiological, and clinical research to improve the national healthcare system in response to the needs of the Islamic community.
- Collecting, organizing, and classifying relevant documents and articles, and publishing them.
- Training researchers in the field of vector-borne diseases.
- Encouraging and utilizing researchers in this domain.
- Establishing scientific collaboration with related domestic and international research and executive centers, and international organizations in accordance with the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Planning for increasing public awareness and knowledge to prevent vector-borne diseases.
- Participating in regional and national policy-making and planning in the field of vector-borne diseases.
Mission
The center focuses on the following research domains:
- Medical entomology and disease vectors
- Zoonotic diseases (transmissible between animals and humans)
- Parasitology and parasitic diseases
- Disease modeling and epidemiology
Vision
The center aims to become a national hub for research on vector-borne diseases by leveraging modern technologies, encouraging collaboration among faculty members, researchers, and students, and conducting cutting-edge basic and applied research in accordance with ethical principles, lawfulness, and human dignity.
Research Priorities (Vision 2025)
- The role of health education and public awareness in controlling vector-borne diseases
- Assessing public and health professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward vector-borne diseases
- Epidemiological studies of vector-borne diseases (e.g., malaria, leishmaniasis, hemorrhagic fevers, tularemia, etc.)
- Disease burden assessment
- Faunistic, biological, and ecological studies of vectors and arthropods (mosquitoes, sandflies, flies, fleas, ticks, scorpions, etc.)
- Biology and ecology of disease reservoirs
- Insecticide resistance in vectors
- Biological methods for vector control
- Evaluation of various vector control strategies
- Application of new technologies in vector control
- Epidemiology of bites and stings by arthropods and other venomous animals
- Evaluation of treatments for snake and scorpion envenomation
- Use of insects in wound healing (maggot therapy)
- Forensic entomology applications
- Use of medicinal plants for treatment and control of vector-borne diseases
- Vector-borne diseases in immunocompromised patients
- Biological effects of insect-derived products
- Environmental management in disease control
- Impact of development projects (e.g., dam construction, road building, urban expansion) on the spread of vector-borne diseases
- Role and cost-effectiveness of self-care in prevention of vector-borne diseases
- Residual pesticides in agricultural products
- Impact of pesticide use on vector resistance
- Epidemiology, treatment, and burden of zoonotic diseases, especially brucellosis, leptospirosis, and hydatidosis
- Epidemiology of other parasitic diseases
Research Focus Areas
- Medical Entomology and Vector-Borne Diseases
- Zoonotic Diseases
- Parasitology and Parasitic Infections
- Disease Modeling and EpidemiologyHead of the Research Center
Contact Information
Phone: +98 58 32297155 (Ext. 189)
Email: info@nkums.ac.ir
Address: North Khorasan Province, Bojnurd, Shahriar Street,
After Imam Ali Hospital, Faculty of Nursing,
Vector-Borne Diseases Research Center