The first decentralized unit of the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) has recently been established in the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP). This unit, having Dr. Laurence Gleeson as its Chief (effective 22 February 2006), will be responsible for coordinating Transboundary Animal Diseases (TAD) regional programmes and activities, especially the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

Dr. Gleeson (Australian) holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science Degree (1968), a Master of Veterinary Science (1977) from Melbourne University, and a PhD from Cornell University, USA (1981). He commenced his career in veterinary medicine in 1969. He worked in the Victorian State Department of Agriculture as a veterinary laboratory diagnostician from 1981 to 1986. Thereafter, he joined the  Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO), Australian Animal Health Laboratory in the emergency animal disease response group and had two working periods in Thailand, one undertaking  Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) research with the Thai Department of Livestock Development and the other on secondment to the  World Organization for Animal Health (OIE ) as the regional coordinator for the Southeast Asia Foot and Mouth Disease (SEAFMD) Control Programme.

APHCA and the livestock group in RAP welcome Dr. Gleeson and ensure close collaborations with the ECTAD unit in related works on animal diseases and health in this region.