What is One Health?
One Health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and that a holistic approach to the well-being of all will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience.
Veterinarians coined the term “One Health” to capture how relationships between humans, animals and the environment affect the spread of diseases. More than 70 percent of emerging human diseases are zoonotic, meaning they originate in animals. It’s a critical area of research, education and outreach.
One Health employs an interdisciplinary approach to problems. By seeking to treat root causes, it’s often more successful than traditional methods that focus on symptoms. The One Health paradigm has been endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, the United Nations and the Arctic Council.
One Health concepts and ideas lie at the core of Indigenous worldviews and are inextricably linked to the development of a sustainable future in the Arctic.
At UAF, we define health as a state of individual and community well-being that encompasses
not only physical health but also mental, behavioral, emotional, cultural and spiritual
health. Every discipline at UAF can contribute vitally to building our One Health
initiative.
We plan to create interdisciplinary teams to build research, education and outreach
programs around a strong and inclusive One Health center.
- Improve our research capacity and more effectively promote well-being in the North.
- Build teams to create research, education and outreach programs around One Health.
- Create long-term funding opportunities through collaboration.
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Dr. Alisa Alexander Appointed Director of Center for One Health Research
July 22, 2024The College of Indigenous Studies is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alisa Alexander as the new director of the Center for One Health Research, effective July 1, 2024. -
Welcome Dr. Jordan Lewis to the Center for One Health Research!
April 2024Dr. Lewis is Aleut and from the Native Village of Naknek and Cannon Beach, Oregon. He holds a Ph.D. in community psychology from UAF, a master’s from Washington University in St. Louis, a bachelor's degree in social work from UAF, and is a certified professional gerontologist. Dr. Lewis is an accomplished researcher whose expertise with National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Health (NIH) funded projects, particularly in the area of Alaska Native health research, will greatly enhance CRCD’s growing research infrastructure and UAF’s goal of achieving R1 status. -
Arleigh Reynolds Retires from UAF and the Center for One Health Research
May 1, 2024The and the hosted a retirement party for Director, Arleigh Reynolds this May. Guests from across the University and the Interior of Alaska community spoke to the incredible impact Arleigh has had on their lives, personal and professionally while in his role with the University.Arleigh played a key part in starting the Center for One Health Research, including the creation of the One Health masters program and the EdX One Health launch.Congratulations on your retirement Arleigh, best of luck on your next life endeavors! You will be missed, you left an incredible legacy. -
UPDATES to the One Health Master's Program!
May 2024With the new transition over to the College of Rural and Community Development (CRCD) there have been adjustments to the One Health Master's program.View the new changes! -
May 202411 One Health Master's students graduated in the Spring 2024 Commencement ceremony. Congratulations to: Nikola Nikolic, Samantha Wade, Chanci Davis, Iain Miller, Madison Cook, Cassandra Erdman, Logan Ito, Ariel Hawks-Feldman, Clayton Botkin, Giulietta Minerva, and Emmanuelle Furst. Congratulations to our One Health Master's Graduates!
Events
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May27th-30th, 2025
Mark you calendars for the One Health, One Future 2025 International Conference!
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Fall2024
The College of Indigenous Studies is co-hosting a monthly speaker series with the International Arctic Research Center highlighting collaborative approaches to research, education and real-life community-based practices in rural Alaska.