One Health InstituteImplementing the One Health Approach to Solve Complex Problems
Tracey Goldstein, Ph.D. | Fukuoka, Japan, Feb. 2024
Tracey Goldstein, Ph. D., director of CSU’s One Health Institute, attended and gave one of the keynote presentations at the 4th One Health International Forum in Fukuoka, Japan, this February.
The forum has been held since 2020 to address One Health issues such as COVID-19 and other zoonotic infections through the implementation of the One Health approach.
Other keynote speakers at this year’s forum included Dr. Tracey Goldstein, Dr. Rafael Laguens, the President of the World Veterinary Association, Dr. Kayoko Shidoa, an Assistant Professor from the School of Public Health at Boston University, and Dr. Samuel Thevasagayam, Director of the Livestock and Aquaculture program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose presentation was delivered on his behalf as he was unable to attend in person.
Following Dr. Goldstein’s presentation, she participated in a panel discussion with the other speakers, discussing the opportunities and challenges of tackling One Health issues in communities.
Keynote Presentation Overview:
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores how shifts in the environment impact human and animal health. In response, there’s a growing need for implementing the One Health approach to improve health in communities. The One Health approach is now included in high level documents by the Biden-Harris Administration, WHO Pandemic Treaty, and G7 and G20 and other policy papers, and this is an important moment to show the clear benefits.
One Health is not a unique discipline, but rather an approach recognizing the connection between human, animal, and environmental health and lends itself to addressing complex problems at the interface of animals, people, and plants. Successful One Health implementation requires the cooperation of experts from many disciplines, including human medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, environmental science, social science, engineering, and others.
The key to modern health problem-solving is the fostering of effective partnerships and collaborations at local, national, regional, and global levels to identify solutions to complex global problems, including addressing issues such as global land use change, climate change, food security, and challenges linked to infectious disease. This is a critical moment for One Health and for institutes like the CSU One Health Institute to lead the way and show how the implementation of the One Health approach has tangible benefits to improve the health of animals, people and communities.
