aerial view of UConn campus at sunset

One Health at UConn

The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources is a university leader in adopting and promoting a One Health approach to our research, teaching, and extension mission areas. CAHNR is uniquely positioned to lead One Health initiatives because it brings together health disciplines, agriculture, plants, and the environment under one college. An interdisciplinary team from across the nine departments in our College is actively working to advance One Health research, education, and outreach.

What is One Health?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define One Health as, “a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment”.

One Health encompasses ideas including zoonotic diseases, climate change, food security, and sustainable agriculture.

The Importance of One Health

The One Health approach, which acknowledges the connection between humans, animals, and the environment, has become increasingly important as the interactions between the components of on health have changed. For example:

  • As the human population grows, our interactions with animals increase as well. Whether through inhabiting new locations, keeping animals as pets, or engaging with them through education and sport, the opportunities for contact between humans and animals are greater than ever. With this increased contact comes a greater risk of disease transmission between species.
  • Movement of humans and animals internationally has increased allowing for diseases to spread more quickly.
  • More information on One Health can be found on the "One Health Basics" page.

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