News

A visionary One Health approach and viewpoint provided to the One Health Initiative team by:

 

*Curtis S. Hoffmann, BS & **Francesca Battelli, MS

 

Curtis S. Hoffman, BS

*choffman@broadinstitute.org: Project assistant on Operation Outbreak at Sabeti Lab. Operation Outbreak is an educational program advancing a new subject in secondary schools called "outbreak science" of which One Health is a central pillar. A textbook is being written for the subject: Outbreak Science: An Introduction to an Interdisciplinary Field. Visit https://operationoutbreak.org/resources to see the first edition of the textbook and to access the outbreak science curriculum.

Francesca Battelli, MS

**francesca.battelli@outlook.com: PhD student at Johns Hopkins University. Recently completed a Master of Science in Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases at Georgetown University. Received a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology & Immunology with a minor in Health Geography from McGill University. Past research has focused on health security, vaccine development, virology, and immunology.

 

How many undergraduate students know their next smartphone purchase might increase the risk of zoonotic spillover? How many high school students are familiar with the mysterious world of the microbiome? How many middle school students know about, in addition to the carbon and water cycles, the instrumentality of microbes in sustaining our planet? We certainly didn't.

We wrote this article to express to supporters of the One Health Initiative our insights into the adoption of One Health from a student perspective. We hope that our stories not only illustrate our enthusiasm but also demonstrate a shared sense of urgency for One Health education. Together we will share how we became acclimated with a One Health lens and how this lens has shaped our aspirations. Our stories highlight that One Health education often comes through sheer serendipity. We advocate for One Health education to advance from an episodic discovery to an integrated part of our education system, from incidental exercises to a fundamental component of a positive K-12 curriculum.

While Curtis was studying microbiology as an undergraduate, none of his professors mentioned the term One Health. Strangely enough, he was introduced to the term while taking a class at his university's business school. While writing an issue brief about the United States' inadequate response to Covid-19 during the first six months of the pandemic, Curtis was asked to identify the root cause of the issue. Although the factors that contribute to a pandemic are vast and complex, the root cause of every outbreak is the culprit pathogen, so he was determined to learn what leads pathogens to spring seemingly out of nowhere. He learned that over 60% of emerging infectious diseases are estimated to come from non-human animals via spillover, or the "jump" pathogens take across species when they attempt to infect a new host—this being accelerated when humans and wildlife interact more, such as when humans excavate mountains for new minerals or raze forests to build farms. After identifying the root cause, Curtis was prompted to investigate a single best practice to solve the issue. If pathogens are the root of most emerging diseases, and spillover events are fueling the outbreaks, he pondered, What angle could I take to curb spillover? There must be some way to address a problem so complex.

That was when Curtis stumbled upon the One Health principle. The revelation was pure serendipity. While he had no previous scholarship in ecology, geography, environmental science, or veterinary medical public health, by reexamining microbiology with a new lens—a One Health lens—he began to see how microbiology fit into the larger picture of the natural world. No longer were my classes a series of compartmentalized subjects; each course was another piece to the broader mosaic of our ecosystem.

Gaining a One Health education, although episodic and serendipitous for Curtis, has changed his perspective and guided him to a career in education. Today, he guides high school students in exploring infectious disease outbreaks through a program called Operation Outbreak. He has structured a curriculum around One Health principles to help students understand the origins of infectious diseases and how collaborative efforts can mitigate both existing and emerging pathogens. Some students are even designing "outbreak-proof" societies, using the One Health approach to create ecological strategies for preventing and preparing for disease outbreaks around the world. However, although Curtis’s focus is on microbes and pathogens, he has learned that the value of One Health education reaches well beyond preventing outbreaks.

Like Curtis, Francesca’s initial approach to One Health was through the lens of infectious diseases. As an undergraduate studying microbiology and immunology, she learned about pathogens that could transfer from animals to humans, though the term "One Health" itself was not used in our lectures. Francesca’s growing interest in zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases led her to pursue a dual major in microbiology and immunology, alongside a minor in health geography. This combination of coursework merged epidemiology with the effects of location, environment, and climate on health, while her research focused on parasitology and extracurricular activities on global health.

By the time she heard the term One Health, the fact that the health of humans, animals, and the environment were all interconnected was already clear to her. It was, however, reassuring to know that there was a field of study dedicated to it. The more she learned, the stronger she felt that the concepts were universally important. Fancesca’s interest led her to continue building her career around zoonotic diseases. Her master's program at Georgetown University focused on biodefense, health security, and emerging pathogens. There was an entire course dedicated to One Health, which she happily took. It was exciting and informative and solidified her conviction that One Health was a concept that everyone should be exposed to.

Moving forward in Francesca’s career as a wet lab scientist studying emerging viruses, the concepts of One Health have been an asset—they have forced her to think of a single problem in multiple ways, from multiple perspectives, and to consider all of the factors that may influence it. Understanding this interconnectedness has become central to her research approach. She is interested in how emerging viruses make people sick at the molecular level, but she wouldn't be a well-rounded and productive scientist if she didn't also consider and follow patterns of virus emergence, outbreak dynamics, population health, and how the environment and human activity contribute to all of it. For her, this lens is the bedrock of my scientific investigations. In the future, she intends to use One Health every day. Francesca couldn't envision her career in research and outbreak science without One Health.

We believe that the medium by which One Health is adopted must fundamentally be our education system. One of us stumbled upon One Health while grappling with a complex issue for a school project, while another discovered One Health as a unifying principle that aligned diverse academic interests. What can we do to reduce the serendipity of One Health education? We propose integrating One Health into education through two key strategies which, fittingly, parallel approaches for outbreak preparedness: first, introduce One Health concepts early in school, and second, embrace the inherent complexity of interdisciplinary learning.

As young microbiologists, we recognize the profound value of One Health in the context of infectious disease, and we believe introducing it to students at any age can significantly benefit their studies and careers. The crucial window for One Health education to have its greatest impact, however, is before students specialize in their academic trajectory, while they are still engaging with a broad range of subjects. When students encounter history, math, literature, science, etc. in a single day, it’s an ideal opportunity to weave in such an à propos concept. Imagine how a university student's perspective might change if their K-12 education had been grounded in One Health. How differently would a business student approach a problem in landscape development? How would a geography student perceive changing coastlines? How would a history student assess the impact of the plague?

Ideally, One Health education should begin in primary school. As young students explore the world, direct and explicit instruction on One Health concepts should become a standard part of their curriculum. Science classes offer a natural entry point, as students are already introduced to foundational ideas like water and carbon cycles, biomes, and ecosystems. Integrating One Health concepts into these lessons can deepen their understanding of how human actions impact animals and the environment. While some students encounter these ideas through climate change education, One Health principles can be applied to a vast range of areas like disease control, animal welfare, economics, and more, offering numerous opportunities for practical application.

Primary school is an ideal setting for introducing One Health education, as elementary classrooms are dynamic environments where students have not yet divided subjects into separate silos. For example, a third-grade teacher could guide students in linking environmental concepts like the carbon and water cycles with biological concepts such as symbiosis and pathogenicity. Similarly, an eighth-grade civics teacher could help students grasp the economic repercussions of infectious disease outbreaks and their implications for future policies, behaviors, even conflicts.

Primary school is an ideal setting for introducing One Health education, as elementary classrooms are dynamic environments where students have not yet divided subjects into separate silos. Such integration will help K-12 students better contextualize interdisciplinary topics and prepare them to address the complex issues of our interconnected world. Teachers are increasingly motivated to adopt One Health education because of its illuminative breadth. By using a One Health perspective, educators can connect diverse subjects and provide students with practical answers to the fundamental question, “Why is this important?”

Updating One Health curriculum can be achieved through grassroots efforts. Elementary education has a unique quality—a sense of wonder and a holistic view of the world—that often diminishes as students advance and subjects become more specialized. As students grow older, their education becomes more compartmentalized, and the interrelated nature of their learning tends to be lost. Many recognize the flaws in current pedagogies: they are often too didactic, fragmented, testing-focused, and standardized. Integrating One Health principles early in education could be a transformative step toward a more relevant and effective system in our complex, interconnected world. Initiatives like project-based and experiential learning are already making strides in U.S. schools, such as Crosstown High (see https://www.thefirstclass.org/). Reflecting on our own primary school experiences, we wonder: What if, alongside lessons on the water and carbon cycles, students had explored ecological cycles of microbes—from bacteriophages in sewage to algae in oceans and retroviruses in chimpanzees? How might an early focus on the role of microbes in ecosystems have influenced our current scholarship?

Even if the opportunity to teach One Health in K-12 education is missed, there are still valuable ways to integrate it into higher education. At the university level, faculty can establish One Health University Networks (OHUNs) modeled after successful programs in Southeast Asia since 2011 (see SEAOHUN and its country programs at https://seaohun.org/). Providing undergraduates with hands-on experiences to address environmental and wildlife challenges in their local communities not only enhances their learning but also connects them with experts across various fields. These experiences can inspire students to engage in grassroots initiatives, such as citizen science and policy change. Importantly, involving students in practical applications of One Health empowers them to become active change agents in their communities now, rather than in an uncertain future.

One exemplar of a One Health University Network (OHUN) is the Thailand One Health University Network (THOHUN) in Southeast Asia. THOHUN is advancing One Health education by turning the classroom into a hub for prototyping interventions to complex challenges. Undergraduate students visit local leaders responsible for managing environmental, animal, and public health within their communities. They are then introduced to a pressing local issue, such as inadequate water filtration. Back in the classroom, students must devise innovative solutions while drawing on concepts from various university courses to address the problem through a One Health lens. This approach is part of THOHUN's "One Health Leadership Development Program for Young Community Initiators in Thailand."

Since our undergraduate studies, we have realized that adopting a One Health perspective is essential not only for addressing microbiological issues like spillover but also for tackling nearly every complex problem in today’s interconnected world. As microbiology students, we wonder, How long did it take for the carbon cycle to be adopted into school curricula before inspiring a vigorous response to climate change? Could we achieve a similar impact with outbreak preparedness? One Health education has the potential to enhance our understanding of outbreaks, which is critical for advancing public health. Moreover, it can drive collective action to prevent and prepare for complex challenges, including emerging and re-emerging disease threats.

In addition to integrating One Health into basic education and academia, we advocate for a contemporary overhaul of medical school curricula to make One Health a central focus. Embracing a One Health perspective enhances medical students' abilities as physicians, scientists, and educators. As medical therapies become increasingly specialized and practitioners more siloed, incorporating a One Health approach can help bridge these gaps and foster a holistic view of health. By starting with a mandatory first-year course on the fundamentals of One Health, medical students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness of environmental, animal, and human health. Ultimately, we aim for One Health principles to become a core component of medical education, ensuring that graduates emerge as well-rounded, systems-thinking healthcare professionals.

Conclusion

Our journey as students has shown us just how crucial it is to weave One Health into every level of education. Great teachers open our eyes to new ways of thinking, and incorporating One Health principles can do the same, helping students understand and address the complex challenges we face today. To prepare young people for an increasingly interconnected world, our education system, especially primary education, must evolve to embrace a holistic approach. By embedding One Health into curricula, we can foster a more integrated understanding of health that benefits society as a whole.

We’re not the first to voice the value in One Health education, nor are we the first to encounter the challenges of implementing it. We deeply appreciate the efforts of those who have paved the way and are advocating for these changes. Progress may be gradual, but every step forward is important. As we adapt to this hyper-interconnected world, our education system must evolve to keep pace. One Health education is a vital step in this direction, equipping students with the knowledge to connect the dots between human, animal, and environmental health.

Let’s work together to make One Health a core part of education from the ground up. Let's reduce the serendipity of One Health education by actively encouraging its adoption across all educational levels—from primary schools to universities. By embracing One Health principles early, we can help students become proactive problem-solvers and informed citizens. By embracing complexity, we can make education more relevant, practical, and impactful, and prepare students to tackle the pressing challenges of our time with insight and compassion. Together, we can advance One Health education in our generation to tackle urgent challenges ahead.