One Health is a worldwide initiative focused on increasing interdisciplinary collaboration between the fields of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental health. One Heath supports a holistic approach to research, education, and treatment to improve our understanding of the connections between humans, animals, and the environment. Its primary goal is to promote local, national, and global communication and cooperation between students, educators, and professionals from different fields to increase the knowledge base from which we can draw information to find solutions to complex issues. Some of the prominent organizations affiliated with One Health are the American Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Public Health Physicians, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. National Environmental Health Association (NEHA). Examples of One Health topics of interest include but are not limited to zoonotic disease, sustainability, food safety, climate change, energy-efficient engineering, and wildlife conservation.
As a masters student with a One Health emphasis, I researched zoonotic disease by studying the potential role that songbirds play in the transmission of Lyme disease. I also experienced One Health first-hand in a third world country when I traveled to the University of Trinidad and Tobago through an exchange program. While there, we explored the implications of One Health from veterinary, public health, and tourism perspective through working at a local spay and neuter clinic, visiting the national agricultural farms, and observing nesting leatherback sea turtles along the coast. In my short time as a One Health ambassador, I have experienced and learned about many successes of using the One Health approach, however, I have also seen to the incredible need and potential for it throughout the world. My goal is to share my passion for interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving by increasing awareness of One Health through experiential education and service.
Amanda Hill
Amanda Hill is a graduate of West Virginia University. She received her Bachelor degrees in Animal Science and Exercise Physiology in 2016 and her Masters in Animal Physiology in 2018. She is planning to attend veterinary school in the Fall of 2019 in hopes of pursuing a career in exotic and wildlife medicine with an emphasis on One Health-related research. She is the founder of the One Health Club at WVU, and she travels abroad to research and provide service specific to One Health topics including ecotourism, zoonotic disease, and disaster relief. She also volunteers at Ridgeway Farms and the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia (ACCA) based out of Cheat Lake Animal Hospital.