One Health Initiative

The more we learn, the more we understand that human health is deeply intertwined with the health of animals and the environment. The emerging field of study called One Health looks at human health in the context of these deep connections between people and the natural world, so we can find and deliver solutions that keep communities healthy.

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A Global Health Challenge

To meet the health challenges of a rapidly changing world, new strategies are needed, and the One Health approach sees the complex connections between human health, animal health, and environmental health. At the Zuckerman College of Public Health, we offer a range of programs to train the next generation of One Health researchers and public health professionals. We also conduct community-engaged, cross-disciplinary One Health research to meet the global health challenges of a rapidly changing world.

Building on One Health knowledge, we find ways to apply what we learn from research, to implement programs and policies that improve health and wellness for communities that are adversely affected by health threats connected to environmental and animal health.

As ecosystems shift due to human interaction or climate change, those shifts lead to altered patterns of disease transmission. Diseases that spread between animals and people – known as zoonotic infections – are common around the globe. The recent COVID-19 pandemic stands out as the most impactful example, yet it will not be the last. A One Health work force is needed to detect, respond, and prevent infectious diseases, epidemics, and pandemics in the U.S. and around the world.

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One Health Research

At the Zuckerman College of Public health, we have always understood public health within the context of social and environmental factors. Our recent public health focus on One Health affirms and enhances this approach. Our faculty, especially in the field of exposure science, have been conducting research that investigates the impacts of environmental pollution on human health for many years, working with tribes, farmworkers, firefighters, and many others in Arizona and globally.

Building on this experience and success, the college launched its new One Health Research Initiative (OHRI) in 2020 and recruited Frank von Hippel, PhD, to the Department of Community, Environment and Policy, to lead the OHRI. Frank brings a wealth of experience in One Health research, and leads research projects in the United States and globally. To engage impacted communities with the research and the outcomes, Frank employs a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach that brings community members into the process from start to finish.

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Outreach