One Health is a concept that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. This idea is based on the belief that improving the health of all living things and our planet requires collaboration between experts from diverse fields to solve complex health problems. The One Health approach involves working together at local, regional, national, and global levels with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes for all.
Public health focuses on preventing illness and injury and promoting health within communities, regions, and countries. Issues relevant to both public health and One Health include zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, hunger, diet-disease linkages, biosecurity, occupational health and safety, pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, and global health issues impacted by climate change.
Collaboration is key to successfully understanding and addressing complex health issues comprehensively. Auburn University has a long history of bringing educators, researchers, students, and community members together to tackle health challenges. The College of Veterinary Medicine leads the One Health initiative, with seven other colleges involved: Nursing, Liberal Arts, Sciences and Mathematics, Human Sciences, Education, Agriculture and Forestry, and Wildlife and Environment. Transdisciplinary public health interventions have the potential to produce more successful and sustainable health outcomes.
The advancement of One Health requires professionals in human health (physicians, nurses, public health specialists, epidemiologists), animal health (veterinarians, paraprofessionals, agricultural workers), and environmental science (ecologists, wildlife biologists) to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate their efforts. Law enforcement, policymakers, agriculturalists, urban and rural communities, and pet owners also play crucial roles in a One Health approach.
Auburn University utilizes a One Health approach by involving experts in human, animal, and environmental health to understand and mitigate public health threats and to learn how diseases spread across species at the human-animal interface. By fostering interdisciplinary research and innovative educational strategies, Auburn is preparing the next generation of public health professionals for whatever challenges they may face.
This fall, the College of Veterinary Medicine will welcome its inaugural class in the Public and One Health (PAOH) undergraduate degree program. This unique public health program emphasizes One Health as its guiding principle, preparing graduates to proactively devise and implement solutions for local, regional, and global health issues. Eight different colleges at Auburn contribute important courses that cover topics such as health communication, data skills, social and behavioral health, disease ecology, environmental health, nutritional impact, and zoonotic diseases.
“We are hoping this program is an important way Auburn can meet a critical societal need, addressing complex health challenges in today’s interconnected world,” said Andrea Perkins, co-director of the PAOH program. Perkins also highlights the program’s focus on taking meaningful action to improve local and global health. “One Health is very focused on action: how we need to develop, implement, assess and modify. Ideally, we aim to promote more meaningful and actionable steps toward the long-term improvement of health,” she added. Students interested in health and health science are well-suited for this major. Graduates of this program will not only have the option to begin working in entry-level careers in public health but may also complete the course requirements necessary to apply for medical, veterinary, or other professional programs or graduate studies in public health or biomedical sciences.
Auburn also offers a graduate student opportunity in One Health through the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment’s One Health graduate certificate. This program is taught collaboratively with the College of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Auburn University’s commitment to One Health provides a unique platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative educational programs, preparing future generations to address the complex health challenges of our interconnected world.
