2025 One Health Conference Overview

Join us for the 2025 One Health Conference on Friday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ratcliffe Hicks Arena. This event will bring together students, staff, faculty, and partners to explore One Health across human, animal, environmental, and plant systems. The morning will feature guided roundtable discussions with actionable outcomes, each incorporating different aspects of CAHNR’s three missions—teaching, research, and Extension. The afternoon will highlight posters, interactive One Health tables from CAHNR groups, and time for networking and collaboration.

Key Dates

October 3: Round table proposals due

Registration, Poster and Tabling Applications Open October 10th

Roundtable Guidelines and Proposal

The UConn CAHNR Health and Well-being SVIC and One Health Conference Committee invites proposals for interactive roundtable discussions for the One Health conference on Friday, November 14, 2025.

Roundtables are designed to create collaborative, cross-disciplinary conversations that bring together faculty, graduate students, extension educators, and community partners to explore the intersections of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Sessions should not be formal presentations but instead facilitated discussions that encourage active participation, knowledge exchange, and potential for new collaborations and outcomes.

Format

• Length: 40 minutes
• Structure: Brief framing of the issue (5–10 minutes) followed by guided discussion
• Participants: Open to faculty, staff, graduate students, extension educators, and community partners
• Facilitators: One moderator to guide inclusive and balanced dialogue

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals should include:

• Title of the roundtable
• Description (150–200 words): What issue will be discussed and why it matters in a One Health context, including departments or fields are engaged (e.g., nutrition, animal science, economics, natural resources, kinesiology, extension)
• Framing questions: 2–3 key questions to stimulate discussion
• Desired outcomes: What participants should take away (e.g., shared strategies, identified research needs, potential collaborations, plans for a white paper, curriculum changes)
• Facilitator: Name, email, and department

Submission Details

• Deadline: October 3, 2025
• Submission link/email: sara.tomis@uconn.edu
• Notification of acceptance: October 10, 2025

Proposals will be evaluated on relevance to One Health, engagement of multiple disciplines and participant groups, potential to foster collaboration and dialogue, clarity of framing questions and outcomes, overlap with other proposals (note that in cases of overlap, organizers may suggest integration into a single roundtable).

Example Proposal

Title: Integrating One Health Principles into Undergraduate Education: Building Interdisciplinary Curriculum Models

Description: Preparing undergraduates to think critically about the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health is central to building future leaders in One Health. Yet, most undergraduate programs remain siloed within individual departments, limiting opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary problem-solving. The participants in this roundtable will discuss strategies for embedding One Health concepts across diverse curricula in CAHNR. Topics will include designing interdisciplinary courses, incorporating experiential learning (e.g., service learning, fieldwork, and case studies), and aligning curriculum with the competencies needed for One Health careers. The discussion will highlight opportunities for collaboration across departments, identifying barriers to integration and strategies to overcome them.

Framing questions:

• What core One Health competencies should undergraduate students develop, regardless of major?
• How can departments collaborate to create interdisciplinary learning opportunities without overloading curricula (or faculty/staff)?
• What role can experiential learning and extension partnerships play in making One Health tangible for undergraduates?

Desired outcomes:

• A shared list of core competencies for undergraduate One Health curricula
• Strategies for integrating One Health principles into existing classes through case studies, guest lectures, or fieldwork
• Opportunities for faculty and extension educators to collaborate on student-centered projects

Facilitator: Sarah Reed, sarah.reed@uconn.edu, Animal Science

Suggested Roundtable Themes & Guiding Questions

1. Climate Change and Health at the Human–Animal–Environment Interface
   • How are shifts in climate impacting nutrition, food security, and zoonotic disease risk?
   • What local and global strategies can universities and extension programs adopt?
2. Nutrition, Food Systems, and Sustainable Agriculture
   • How can researchers, educators, and extension agents work together to improve food and nutrition security in a changing environment?
   • What innovations (plant science, animal science, economics) are needed for sustainable, equitable food systems?
3. Movement, Health, and Environment
   • How do natural and built environments affect physical activity and community health?
   • What cross-sector partnerships can enhance human well-being while protecting ecosystems?
4. Mental Health, Stress, and One Health
   • What are the connections between human stress, animal welfare, and environmental pressures?
   • How can universities address mental health across communities while promoting resilience in agricultural and natural resource systems?
5. Extension in the One Health Era
   • How can extension agents serve as connectors across research, policy, and community needs?
   • What innovative extension programming models are emerging to support One Health initiatives?
6. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Across Sectors
   • How does antimicrobial use in animals, humans, and the environment overlap?
   • What interdisciplinary strategies are needed for effective stewardship?
7. Policy, Economics, and Equity in One Health
   • How do agricultural and health policies influence equity in food, health care, and environmental access?
   • What role can agricultural economics play in balancing sustainability with livelihoods?
8. Preparing the Next Generation for One Health Leadership
   • How can graduate education better integrate interdisciplinary One Health competencies?
   • What roles can experiential learning, extension, and community engagement play in training?
9. Community Engagement and Knowledge Exchange
   • How do we ensure that One Health solutions are co-created with stakeholders rather than top-down?
   • What methods best integrate local knowledge, science, and policy?
10. Emerging Diseases and Resilient Systems
    • What can we learn from COVID-19 about building resilient agricultural, natural resource, and health systems?
    • How should universities prepare for the next global health challenge?