Incorporating one health into medical education

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Veterinary Medicine
• Environmental Science

Background:

• One Health is an emerging concept linking human, animal, and environmental health.
• It emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex health issues like zoonotic diseases and climate change.
• While new to many medical educators, it's endorsed by major health organizations and adopted by medical schools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the clinical and research applications of the One Health approach.
• To illustrate the One Health concept with a case study, updating the biopsychosocial model.
• To propose core One Health competencies for human healthcare provider education.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of clinical and research aspects of One Health.
• Case study presentation to demonstrate One Health principles.
• Development of proposed educational competencies.

Main Results:

• One Health provides a systems framework for understanding health interactions.
• It facilitates disease prevention, research, and translational studies across species.
• The approach offers practical clinical integration of environmental and animal contact factors.

Conclusions:

• The One Health approach is crucial for addressing interconnected health challenges.
• It requires interdisciplinary collaboration and specific competencies for healthcare professionals.
• Implementing One Health principles enhances disease surveillance, research, and patient care.