Spring 2025 One Health Newsletter one health Section Of The American Public Health Association

Mitigating Wildfire Impacts on Health: A Call for a One Health Approach

By Camellia Russell

APHA One Health Supporter

In early January 2025, wildfires erupted in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas of Los Angeles County, California. They were fueled by the dry weather conditions and the unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds that were gusting, at times, up to 100mph. Reports have estimated that the fires burned up to 40,000 acres of land, destroyed up to 16,000 structures, and are directly responsible for at least 29 human deaths (1,2). This disaster stands as a stark reminder of the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, which scientists link to climate change and environmental factors (3). The fires did not distinguish between gender, age, race, or ethnicity - they affected everyone. In addition to the tragic loss of life, thousands of residents were displaced, and entire communities were devastated. Survivors may also continue to experience long term emotional and psychological distress.

In the aftermath of these wildfires, there are many challenges facing the community at large. One major concern is physical health: from exacerbating chronic respiratory issues to triggering acute inflammatory responses and increasing asthma attacks (4). These effects are not limited to the immediate aftermath but also include long-term health risks caused by carcinogens in the smoke and increased air pollution (3,5).

Another important consideration during the recovery from this (and any other) disaster is the mental health burden placed on residents and responders alike. It is not unusual for individuals to experience heightened levels of stress and anxiety during these times. Feelings of powerlessness and uncertainty can lead to higher rates of depression and social isolation when left untreated, and can have serious and long-term effects on adults and children (3). From a health systems perspective, the increased need and demand for mental health services, coupled with the already limited number of resources in the field, may lead to provider stress and burnout. Additionally, limited services can exacerbate health disparities, as individuals with greater resources may secure access to care more easily, while historically underserved populations often face significant barriers to obtaining necessary services.

Emergency response to disasters of this scale take a significant physical and mental toll on the region. However, preparedness efforts can help mitigate these impacts, especially for predictable seasonal events like wildfires. A One Health approach, involving local, state, and federal agencies, should prioritize not only wildfire prevention and emergency response strategies but also enhanced air quality monitoring and expanded mental health support services.

References

1. Kajita E, Chang K, de Leon V, et al. Notes from the Field: Emergency department use during the Los Angeles county wildfires, January 2025. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2025;74(3):40-42.
2. CAL FIRE. The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; 2025. Accessed January 29, 2025. https://www.fire.ca.gov
3. Hertelendy AJ, Howard C, Sorensen C, et al. Seasons of smoke and fire: Preparing health systems for improved performance before, during, and after wildfires. Lancet Planet Health. 2024;8(8):e588-e602.
4. Hidden costs of wildfire smoke, ash, and debris exposure. UCLA Health.org. Published January 23, 2025. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/hidden-costs-wildfire-smoke-ash-and-debris-exposure
5. Heft-Neal S, Gould CF, Childs ML, et al. Emergency department visits respond nonlinearly to wildfire smoke. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023;120(39):e2302409120.

One Health Spotlight Featuring Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP

One Health Initiative Co-Founder

Advisor and Research Scholar

Dr. Laura H. Kahn is a physician, policy researcher, educator, and author. She received her nursing degree from the University of California, her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, her Masters in Public Health degree from Columbia University and her Masters in Public Policy degree from Princeton University. For almost 20 years, she contributed as a Research Scholar at Princeton University and is a co-founder of the One Health Initiative. She is an avid writer on the topic of One Health with her most recent book, One Health and the Politics of COVID-19, published in 2024.

1. How does One Health apply to your current roles, and why is it important?

The One Health concept informs everything I do. I am currently an independent One Health consultant. I use the multi-dimensional matrix tool that I developed to analyze the complex issues that we face in the 21st century. I write One Health policy pieces for clients, and I write books using the One Health concept. For example, in October 2024, I published the book, One Health and the Politics of Covid-19, which used the concept to examine the history, science, and politics of coronaviruses, focusing on SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. In 2016, I published the book, One Health and the Politics of Antimicrobial Resistance.

2. How did you first become interested in One Health as a concept, and what was your career pathway like to lead you to your current work?

I began studying for my Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP) at Princeton University in the fall of 2001, which was the year of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent anthrax letter attacks. These two events changed the trajectory of my career. During my graduate studies, I took Professor Frank N. von Hippel’s Prevention Against Weapons of Mass Destruction course, which focused on nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament, and I wrote my final paper on the challenges of detecting a smallpox bioterrorist attack. When I completed my MPP degree, I asked Professor von Hippel if I could join his group and work on biodefense. He agreed and became my mentor, and I joined the Program on Science and Global Security in the fall of 2002. During this period, I began researching bioterrorist agents and discovered that most were zoonotic (pathogens of animals that spread to humans). Yet, in my policy research, I found that physicians and veterinarians, as well as departments of health, agriculture, and the environment, rarely, if ever, communicated or collaborated with each other. This was a problem because the zoonotic pathogens did not distinguish between humans and other animals even though we separate ourselves from the other species. Our institutions and funding streams reflect those arbitrary separations. In April 2006, I published the article, Confronting Zoonoses, Linking Human and Veterinary Medicine, in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. This article helped to launch the One Health Initiative. It has been very gratifying to be one of the early One Health champions and to see the concept being embraced worldwide.

3. What is your favorite part about working in One Health, and what is your favorite example (or fun fact) of One Health?

Growing up, my dream was to be a veterinarian since I always loved animals. As a kid, I was very skilled at giving my German shepherd puppy her deworming pills, so I figured that I would be a natural! But there were few schools of veterinary medicine, and competition was extremely fierce to get accepted. Instead, I set my sights on nursing school and eventually human medicine. My interests, however, never changed, and I am delighted to have a broad range of wonderful colleagues including many veterinarians whom I call friends.

I think broadly, and I have always been more interested in preventing disease than in treating it. Nursing school emphasized patient education and advocacy. Medical school stressed specialization and understanding the human body as a series of organ systems, but there was not one organ system that interested me over another. I preferred seeing humans as whole beings and did not want to dedicate my career to treating organ systems. Schools of public health focus on the needs of human populations. The One Health concept promotes seeing patients of all species as complete individuals, parts of populations, and as residents of planet Earth. It allows us to make interdisciplinary connections and to see how the pieces fit together into a whole entity.

4. What is one of the major One Health issues that you are working on?

There are so many “wicked” challenges that we face in the 21st century that it is hard to choose only one to work on. I have a new website, where I write blogs in addition to the other work that I do. I am developing different One Health strategies, so stay tuned!

5. Do you have any words of advice for readers wanting to become more active in One Health?

The opportunities to use the One Health concept are endless!

Everyone can use the One Health concept in their work. For example, we need architects, engineers, and builders to design and construct healthy homes and buildings that incorporate nature and provide pure air as well as protection against fires, winds, and floods. We need farmers, agriculturalists, and plant pathologists to ensure that our food supply is safe and secure in a changing climate. We need civil engineers to improve our cities to make them greener and healthier. We need people to work in reducing and recycling wastes as well as providing green energy that does not emit dangerous greenhouse gases.

One Health clubs are forming at schools, colleges, and universities. Students who are interested in One Health should join one. If their school does not have one, then they should create one and help spread the word. One Health Day and One Health Month provide excellent opportunities to get involved.

One Health is much more than preventing the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases. It has evolved to become a strategy for global health, sustainability, and survival.

The One Health Section appreciates your time and service, Laura! Thank you!

Integrating One Health to Address Health Disparities in Urban Settings

By Preet Kukreja

APHA Action Board Member & One Health Supporter

With rapid urbanization, health disparities can be aggravated by highly dense populations living near narrowing green areas, high levels of ambient pollution, and growing inequities in healthcare access. These interconnected challenges create compounded risks — such as heightened exposure to environmental toxins, reduced mental well-being, and barriers to preventive care — that disproportionately burden marginalized communities. To effectively address these pressing urban environmental challenges, it is essential to adopt interdisciplinary strategies and sustainable solutions that bridge human, animal, and environmental health. Our One Health community can contribute to initiatives that relate to expanding green spaces for improving public health, strengthening surveillance of zoonotic diseases to prevent outbreaks, and addressing socioeconomic health disparities to promote health equity.

Urban Green Spaces

As a step towards healthier cities, green spaces go beyond the aesthetic nature and help maintain community members’ physical and mental well-being, especially in densely populated urban areas. Research consistently shows that access to parks and natural environments reduces stress, improves mood, increases physical activity, and minimizes the risk of urban heat island effects, air and noise pollution levels, and ultimately rates of chronic illnesses (1,2). Yet, in many cities, particularly those with marginalized communities, green spaces are scarce. As urbanization accelerates, prioritizing the integration of green spaces into urban planning becomes a critical strategy to mitigate health disparities and foster resilience against environmental challenges.

Surveillance for Zoonotic Disease Control in Cities

Zoonotic diseases, as observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, have higher transmission risks due to the frequent interaction between humans and animals in urban settings (3). Climate change and habitat fragmentation alter vector habitats and human exposure risks, including Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Also, increased animal-human interactions in informal markets and other high-risk urban environments around the globe underscores the need for collaboration among veterinarians, public health professionals, and environmental scientists to enhance proactive disease surveillance (4). These collaborations can integrate data sources on human, animal, and environmental health to establish early warning systems, such as monitoring avian influenza in live poultry markets, which forecast outbreaks by identifying patterns in pathogen spread (e.g., spikes in animal infections or environmental shifts that enable transmission). Such systems enable authorities to detect emerging threats earlier and mobilize targeted preventive measures, like temporarily closing high-risk markets or vaccinating at-risk animal populations.

Policies to Address Socioeconomic Disparities

Health disparities in urban settings mirror general socioeconomic inequalities, as poorer communities bear a disproportionate share of disease burdens, frequently with overcrowded and polluted environments with limited access to care. Policies aimed at improving housing, ensuring access to healthcare services, and addressing environmental injustices are critical to reducing health inequities in urban settings (5). By addressing the root causes of these disparities, such as poverty and systemic inequities, policymakers can create more inclusive urban environments that promote health and well-being for all residents.

Building healthier and more equitable cities remains an application-oriented goal, not a theoretical exercise, and One Health principles should underpin urban planning and public health strategies. Public health professionals and policy makers can meaningfully impact health inequities through novel community applications such as green spaces, surveillance systems, and policy development. We can ensure that cities are places where health is a right and not a privilege – one that is afforded universally through collaboration and sound policy. Let us now take concrete steps toward building cities embracing the interconnectivity of human, animal, and environmental health.

References

1. Jennings V, Gaither C. Approaching environmental health disparities and green spaces: an ecosystem services perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015;12(2):1952-1968.
2. Galea S, Vlahov D. Urban health: evidence, challenges, and directions. Annu Rev Public Health. 2005;26(1):341-365.
3. Zhou P, Yang XL, Wang XG, et al. A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature. 2020;579(7798):270-273.
4. Ramachandran A, Aggarwal D. One Health approach to address zoonotic diseases. Indian J Community Med. 2020;45(5):6-10.
5. Marmot M, Friel S, Bell R, Houweling TA, Taylor S. Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Lancet. 2008;372(9650):1661-1669.

Bacterial Biofilm: A Persistent One Health Challenge

By Ranju Kafle and Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah

APHA One Health Supporters

Close to 60% of the public health burden of infectious diseases is associated with bacterial pathogens (1). These pathogens are found not only in wounds, but on medical implants, manufacturing equipment, on food-processing surfaces, and in contaminated water sources (2,3). Due to these numerous potential pathways of infection, the treatment and prevention of complex biofilms are of great importance for human, animal, and environmental health (4). Biofilms are complex structures of microbial communities that function to permit bacteria to multiply and communicate with each other. As these biofilms grow, they develop protective matrices of extracellular polymeric substances which act as effective barriers against both antimicrobial treatments and environmental stressors. These combined traits make our efforts at the eradication of life- and health-threatening bacteria increasingly difficult (5).

Research estimates that of the total number of human bacterial infections recorded in a year, biofilms are linked to or contribute to as much as 80% of the burden (1). Animal health is critically challenged by this unique form of microbial life, as animals are at risk of frequent exposures to infectious diseases over their lifetimes, and bacterial biofilms are particularly resistant to immune system responses and antibiotic treatments (4). Further exacerbating the complexity in these systems is the natural sensitivity of biofilms to environmental stressors. Increases in temperature and pressure have both been shown to trigger further proliferation of the structures and strengthen their resistance to eradication efforts (6). Common bacterial pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, many of the Salmonella serovars, and Escherichia coli are among those that are able to create biofilms and survive in surface water in and around agricultural products for up to four weeks (3).

Further, biofilms exhibit remarkable resistance to elimination through mechanical removal, antimicrobial therapies, and a range of common treatments (2,6). This is also an inheritable trait, as their internal structures also function to facilitate the transfer of antibiotic-resistant genes among bacterial cells. In turn, when left to propagate over several days, biofilms have proven resistant to some of the most common cleaning solutions (i.e., sodium hypochlorite and quaternary ammonium compound-based antimicrobials). These persistent traits are exacerbating the global rise in antibiotic resistance (2,6). Routine cleaning, surface disinfection, and maintenance of appliances through robust hygiene protocol is still a proactive approach toward biofilm mitigation in a variety of environments, as sanitizers and enzymes prevail as a mechanism for interfering with biofilm development (6). However, advanced technologies such as antimicrobial coatings with nanoparticles, and biocontrol agents like bacteriophages, bacteriocins, and biosurfactants are increasingly being utilized in modern food and agricultural industries to eradicate existing biofilms and prevent their attachment and accumulation through surface tension (6).

Combating this persistent and prevalent microbial challenge requires a holistic One Health approach. Biofilms possess several protective traits that make combating them in even individual production and processing sites difficult. Since our agricultural processing and food production are intertwined and connected across the country, this introduces even more of a challenge for current and future efforts at prevention and eradication. And last but certainly not least, as the impacts of climate change continue to take effect, rising temperatures and weather pattern changes are factors that will need to be factored into addressing biofilm proliferation in these (and other) industries. What is apparent from research at this time is that reducing the public health burden of bacterial biofilms requires a reliance on existing methods and the willingness and ability to embrace novel technologies (6).

References

1. Scallan E, Hoekstra RM, Mahon BE, Jones TF, Griffin PM. An assessment of the human health impact of seven leading foodborne pathogens in the United States using disability-adjusted life years. Epidemiol Infect. 2015;143(13):2795-2804.
2. Asefaw S, Aras S, Kabir MN, Wadood S, Chowdhury S, Fouladkhah AC. Public health importance of preventive measures for Salmonella Tennessee and Salmonella Typhimurium strain LT2 biofilms. Microbiology Research. 2023;14(2):714-726.
3. Kabir MN, Aras S, Wadood S, Chowdhury S, Fouladkhah AC. Fate and biofilm formation of wild-type and pressure-stressed pathogens of public health concern in surface water and on abiotic surfaces. Microorganisms. 2020;8(3):408.
4. Jacques M, Aragon V, Tremblay YD. Biofilm formation in bacterial pathogens of veterinary importance. Anim Health Res Rev. 2010;11(2):97-121.
5. Fouladkhah A, Geornaras I, Sofos JN. Biofilm formation of O157 and Non‐O157 Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli and multidrug‐resistant and susceptible Salmonellatyphimurium and Newport and their inactivation by sanitizers. J Food Sci. 2013;78(6):M880-6.
6. Fouladkhah A. Bacterial biofilms: A persisting public health challenge. Research Outreach. 2020. Accessed January 25, 2025. https://researchoutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Aliyar-Fouladkhah.pdf

Haiku Tribute to One Health

By Elizabeth Sommers

APHA One Health Member and Supporter

APHA 2024 Recap

By Anna Makaretz

APHA One Health Section Program Planning Co-Chair and Awards Chair 

APHA 2024 was held from October 27-30, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the overarching theme of the conference was “Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science.” The One Health Section’s scientific program featured a wide variety of oral presentations and posters that spoke to this theme, with 4 poster sessions (35 posters) and 6 oral sessions (including 1 collaborative session) featuring 23 oral presentations. Researchers and practitioners representing 14 countries and 24 U.S states (including the District of Columbia), presented on a wide variety of One Health topics. Presentations featured One Health work being done by local and regional health departments, national and international agencies, nonprofit organizations, healthcare organizations, and academia.

Our opening oral session, “2089.0 - One Health, Many Voices: Multisectoral Partnerships and Community Engagement in One Health,” highlighted examples of collaborative One Health work in which multisectoral partnerships and community engagement were recognized as critical to success. Presentations included a proposed approach to control Yellow Fever outbreaks in Uganda (Emmanuel Mensah and colleagues), examples of One Health initiatives in action in nomadic pastoralist communities in Kenya (Abukar Siraj and colleagues), and discussions of the importance of multisectoral partnerships in One Health initiatives in Nigeria (Hambali Idris Umar and colleagues).

Our next session, “3154.0 - Hooves, Paws, and Claws on the Ground: One Health on the Local and Regional Level,” scratched the surface of the vast landscape of One Health work being conducted at the local and regional level in the United States. Presentations included insights into the One Health implications of companion animal importation (Jamie Middleton and colleagues), implementation of a county-level food recovery and composting policy (Tia Simen and colleagues), reported Rat 311 calls in a major U.S. city during the COVID-19 pandemic (Marieke Rosenbaum and colleagues), and a state-level initiative to increase youth knowledge of zoonotic diseases and disease spread (Gerold Dermid and colleagues).

Zoonotic disease was the focus of “3284.0 - Canaries in the Coal Mine: One Health Approaches to Emerging and Re-Emerging Health Issues.” One Health practitioners from the United States and Ethiopia discussed management of and prevention of zoonotic disease outbreaks, including highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (Holly Richmond-Woods), SARS-CoV-2 (Steven Rekant and colleagues), and Japanese encephalitis (Sarah Speth). The critical importance of integrated infrastructure and systems, as well as partnership and collaboration, were also discussed (Muluken Alemu).

Collaboration was also emphasized in “4049.0 - Community Connectedness and the Role of One Health: Communication, Data Integration, and Policy.” Presenters shared insights into working collaboratively with local and national partners to generate robust public health messaging to combat misinformation and disinformation (Muge Akpinar-Elci), improving decision support tools for drought preparedness and response (Jesse Bell and colleagues), incorporating satellite data into operational disease forecasting and air quality management tools (John Haynes and colleagues), and identifying community needs for targeted policy development (Brianna Skinner).

One Health is inherently interdisciplinary, and our section strives to work together with other APHA sections. In “4146.0 Tastes Like Chicken: One Health and Food Safety,” a collaborative session with the Food and Nutrition Section, presenters shared work from a diverse range of perspectives, including culturally-responsive health and safety training on dairy farms in the upper midwest (Jeff Bender and colleagues), foodborne disease surveillance and pathogen genomics (Gillian Tarr and colleagues), firearm industry-associated science denial and delay-ism around hunting with lead ammunition (Samantha Totoni), and foodborne illness outbreaks associated with unapproved, unregulated, or unknown food sources in the U.S. following the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (Catherine Warner and colleagues).

The “4327.0 - Teach a Human to Fish: One Health Training for Students and Professionals” session spotlighted examples of One Health education in different settings, from the high school and college level (Jessica Schwind and colleagues), to public health and medical schools (Sheena Martenies and colleagues), to meat processing in abattoirs (Hambali Idris Umar and colleagues). Their presentations underscored the importance of equipping the workforce with knowledge of One Health concepts.

The APHA 2024 One Health scientific program received session endorsements from six other sections, forums, and caucuses - Black Caucus of Health Workers, Environment Section, Food and Nutrition Section, Genomics Forum, Law Section, and Trade and Health Forum. The One Health Section also endorsed sessions held by 14 other sections, forums, and caucuses - Aging and Public Health Section, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Caucus, APHA Public Health Film Festival, Applied Public Health Statistics Section, Environment Section, Epidemiology Section, Food and Nutrition Section, Genomics Forum, International Health Section, Law Section, Peace Caucus, Public Health Nursing Section, Public Health Social Work Section, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Section. These symbiotic endorsements underscore the relevance of One Health concepts across the sub-specialties of public health.

At APHA 2024, the One Health section awarded Student Poster Awards for the second year in a row. Of the 11 student posters presented, three students were awarded:

• John Waggoner IV, PhD student, for his poster “Hospitalizations with tick-borne illnesses in the United States, 2012-2019.”
• Will Finical, PhD student, for his poster “A phylogenetic analysis of highly virulent Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O26 in the United States.”
• Thomas Art Burke, PhD student, for his poster “Standardization of food traceability and One Health.”

Furthermore, APHA offered continued education (CE) activities for professionals, including 6 types of CE credit (CHES, CME, CNE, CPH, OP, and VT) for all 6 One Health oral session, as well as valuable networking opportunities with colleagues from across the nation and globe to celebrate the incredible work that promotes the health of animals, humans, and the environment. Below, please enjoy a gallery of photos from APHA 2024! Note: All photos were taken by the APHA One Health section and are shared in the APHA One Health Newsletter with permission.

Poster Sessions:

This year, our Communications Committee brought a sign to make it easier for conference-goers to find our poster session!

Additional poster presenters, not pictured:

• Zhaohui Su and colleagues, “How important are humans in One Health?”
• Addison Testoff and colleagues, “Domestic pet exposure and illness to blue-green algae: Evidence from the dispel to HABs cohort study.”
• Samendra Sherchan, “Wastewater surveillance for One Health.”
• Walid Alali and colleagues, “Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in a pathogen-impaired watershed.”
• Hossam Ashour and Haten Elshabrawy, “Emerging variants of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and reemerging variants of the mpox virus: Overcoming challenges of zoonotic infections.”
• Priyambda Kumra and colleagues, “Microbial contamination of shared medical equipment: A systematic review.”
• Honoria Ocagli and colleagues, “Epidemiology of COVID-19 from a 'One Health' perspective: Stray animals, humans, and wastewater.”

One Health and NASA at the APHA 2024 Expo

This year, the NASA Earth Action Program held a booth at the APHA 2024 Expo, showcasing their applied research and applications projects, including many with relevance to One Health.

One Health, Many Voices: Multisectoral Partnerships and Community Engagement in One Health

Hooves, Paws, and Claws on the Ground: One Health on the Local and Regional Level

Canaries in the Coal Mine: One Health Approaches to Emerging and Re-Emerging Health Issues

Not pictured:

• Muluken Alemu, who presented “Capacity and readiness of zoonotic diseases prevention and response in the pastoral and semi pastoral areas of Ethiopia - the case of CORE Group Partners Project intervention areas.”

Community Connectedness and the Role of One Health: Communication, Data Integration, and Policy

Tastes like Chicken: One Health and Food Safety

(Collaborative Session organized jointly with the Food & Nutrition Section)

Teach a Human to Fish: One Health Training for Students and Professionals

Next Up: APHA 2025! Call for Abstracts & Call for Reviewers

APHA 2025 will be held November 2-5, 2025 in Washington, D.C., where the overarching theme for the conference will be “Making the Public’s Health a National Priority.” The One Health Section’s Call for Abstracts, as well as our Call for Reviewers, will remain open through Friday, March 28, 2025, 11:59pm, Pacific time. For more information, please visit the following links:

• Call for Abstracts, APHA 2025 - One Health
• Call for Reviewers, APHA 2025 - One Health

Dedication

The APHA One Health Section sincerely appreciates our 2024 Annual Conference presenters for their dedication, professionalism, and passion for public health work. Thank you to:

• Asthma and Allergy Association of America
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• Antioch University New England
• Boston Children’s Hospital
• Colorado School of Public Health
• CORE Group Partners Project Ethiopia
• CORE Group Partners Project Kenya
• CORE Group Partners Project Nigeria
• County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
• Dartmouth College
• Denver Zoological Foundation
• East Tennessee State University
• Fundação Dom Cabral
• Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• George Mason University
• Georgia Southern University
• Hiroshima University
• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie
• Los Angeles Department of Public Health
• JPA Health
• Juniata College
• Kansas State University
• Marine Microverse Institute
• Michigan State University
• Migrant Clinicians Network
• Minnesota Department of Public Health
• Ministry of Health, Uganda
• Morgan State University
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• New Hampshire Healthy Climate
• One Integrative Health
• Pima County Health Department
• Plymouth State University
• Primary Health Care Corporation
• Purdue University
• San Bernardino Department of Public Health
• Sam Houston State University
• Southeast University
• South East Technological University
• The Street Dog Coalition
• Thomas Jefferson University
• Tufts University
• Tulane University
• University of Arizona
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Chicago
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• University of Detroit Mercy
• University of Florida
• University of Illinois Springfield
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• University of Macau
• University of Miami
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• University of Nebraska Lincoln
• University of Nebraska Medical Center
• University of Nevada Las Vegas
• University of Nevada Reno
• University of New Hampshire
• University of Otago
• University of Padova
• University of Padua
• University of Sarajevo
• University of Tennessee
• University of Washington
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
• United States Food and Drug Administration
• United States Department of Agriculture
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• World Health Organization

One Health Fellowship Opportunities & RESOURCES

A recurring section in our newsletter, One Health Fellowship Opportunities will feature professional development opportunities for early career professionals interested in One Health topics. Everyone has a unique career path, and below you will find a few launching points to get started. Click on the button below each description to visit the program's site for more details.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) - AAAS STPF provides opportunities to outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policy making while contributing their knowledge and analytical skills to the federal policymaking process. Fellows serve year-long assignments in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Federal government in Washington, DC. Each year, the program adds to a growing corps of over 3,400 strong policy-savvy leaders working across academia, government, nonprofits and industry to serve the nation and the world. (Applications open in June.)

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) - ASPPH offers a number of different fellowships and internships, some of which are in collaboration with other entities such as the CDC, EPA, and USDA, as well as with ASPPH itself. For more information, please visit their website. (Application deadlines specific to program.)

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Fellowship Program - The AVMA Fellowship Program is an unparalleled opportunity to shape public policy while enhancing your knowledge of the political process. AVMA fellows do serve for one year in Washington as scientific advisors to members of Congress or congressional committees and shape and influence key legislation on a variety of issues.

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Government Relations Student Externship - The AVMA Extern Program pairs talented veterinary students with the AVMA Government Relations Division for a four-week program that introduces the breadth of public policy issues facing our profession and provides hands-on lobbying experience with Capitol Hill legislators and staff.

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) - ORISE connects talented and diverse college students, recent graduates, postdocs, and faculty to STEM internship and fellowship programs closely aligned with the interests of a variety of research facilities, including those managed for the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies. These STEM internship and fellowship programs are key to the recruitment and preparation of the next generation of the scientific workforce. (Application deadlines specific to program.)

Winston Health Policy Fellowship - This 12-month fellowship offers a postgraduate immersion experience in health policy development by working directly with policy-makers in both the public and private sectors. Current graduate students in their final year of study for a masters or doctoral degree are eligible to apply. The Winston Health Policy Fellowship is located in Washington, DC. The application period for the 2025-2026 cohort opens on August 1, 2025 and closes on October 17, 2025.

Resources Recommended by One Health Section Members

AMA Journal of Ethics February 2024 Issue: Health Ecology and Disease Transmission

CDC National Public Health Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in People

GEO Health Community of Practice

NASA Applied Sciences Program - Health and Air Quality

One Health Joint Plan of Action (‎2022‒2026)‎: Working Together for the Health of Humans, Animals, Plants and the Environment

The Berlin Principles on One Health, 2019

WMO State of the Global Climate 2023

US Global Change Research Program - Fifth National Climate Assessment