TRAINING WORKFORCE AND DEVELOPMENT
The Intersection of Public Health and One Health
By Julie E. Breher, DVM MPVM, veterinarian, San Diego County Public Health Laboratory; Ashley Smith, MS, lead specialist, Fellowships and Internships; and Rob Nickla, M( ASCP) CM QLSCM, RBP( ABSA) CM, CBSP( ABSA) CM, manager, Training Program Management
“ One Health” is a relatively recent term that refers to an ancient concept thousands of years old. Both the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define One Health as an approach that integrates multiple sectors, disciplines and communities with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes for humans, animals, plants and the environment. Recently, a relational One Health theoretical model has been proposed, in which human health is nested within animal health, which is nested within ecosystem health, and this entire framework shares a common environment with various social, cultural, economic, biophysical, political and historical dimensions. 1
From a public health perspective, One Health infuses the majority, if not all, of what laboratories do. From zoonotic pathogen management to beach water testing to foodborne outbreaks to chemical contamination analysis, public health jurisdictions at all levels strive to manage complex problems that require a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach. Therefore, considering the magnitude of this broad concept, one must wonder: What is NOT One Health?
Breaking Down Silos
Public health and One Health are deeply interconnected frameworks that share a common mission: protecting and promoting health across human, animal and environmental domains. While public health traditionally focuses on human populations, One Health is a broader, integrative approach that recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and ecosystem health. In essence, public health is One Health.
One Health is not a discipline but a way of working. It is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach that is already embedded in many public health laboratory activities. Public health laboratories routinely engage in One Health work, often without labeling it as such. Examples include monitoring environmental contaminants, detecting zoonotic diseases like rabies and highly pathogenic avian influenza, responding to foodborne outbreaks, and using tools such as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and Candida species identification.
Many One Health partnerships already exist but may be overlooked or unrecognized due to professional silos. Veterinarians, environmental scientists, agricultural experts, epidemiologists, clinical microbiologists and others share common missions and are therefore all One Health collaborators. Breaking silos and drawing on cross-sector expertise may aid PHL professionals in building a collaborative One Health approach to monitoring and detecting health threats.
Leveraging Existing Information to Embrace One Health Concepts
A pre-conference workshop held at APHL 2025 was designed to elevate awareness of One Health, provide tools to strengthen public health laboratory capacity, foster cross-sector collaboration and highlight the value of One Health in public health laboratory settings. Examples showcased fellowship projects spanning clinical microbiology, veterinary diagnostics and agricultural surveillance demonstrating how One Health principles are embedded in today’ s laboratory work.
The Laboratory System Improvement Program( L-SIP) also emerged as a key resource for partnership building within the pre-conference workshop as many laboratories have already utilized this tool in fellowship projects. Public health laboratories can use L-SIP to develop communication strategies and convene partners around shared One Health goals. Workforce pipelines such as the Career Pathways in Public Health Laboratory Science: an APHL-CDC Initiative helps cultivate a new generation of scientists who may view public health through a One Health lens. This workforce development strategy fosters strategic, interconnected collaboration to support public health initiatives often through a One Health approach.
Ultimately, One Health is not a separate initiative from public health; it is a foundational approach that permeates all aspects of public health. By embracing One Health, public health laboratories strengthen their collective ability to sustain resilient health systems, respond to complex health threats and build a more integrated One Health future. g
Reference:
Meisner J, McLeland-Wieser H, Traylor EE, Hermesh B, Berg T, Roess A, Van Patter L, Rosenthal A, Davidovitch N, Rabinowitz PM. Relational One Health: A more-than-biomedical framework for more-than-human health, and lessons learned from Brazil, Ethiopia, and Israel. One Health. 2024 Jan 9; 18:100676. doi: 10.1016 / j. onehlt. 2024.100676. PMID: 39010955; PMCID: PMC11247262.
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