In an era of increasingly interconnected health, environmental and social crises, a fragmented, piecemeal approach to addressing these crises is no longer sufficient to ensure the long-term health and well-being of humans, animals and ecosystems.
The One Health approach is essential for tackling current and future challenges such as the spread of zoonotic diseases, antibiotic resistance, food insecurity, climate change and biodiversity loss.
In Canada, awareness and understanding of the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health has been growing since the early 2000s. Today, this principle is embraced by a wide range of stakeholders in research, education, government, industry and civil society.
Universit茅 de Montr茅al is strongly committed to One Health and is applying its world-class expertise in research, education and innovation to support it.
Strong institutional support
The intersectoral and inclusive One Health concept has been a driving force behind the research, teaching and partnership decisions of members of the UdeM community for years. This commitment is shared by the research teams and the university bodies that support them.
鈥淲e cannot achieve individual or collective health if we don鈥檛 take care of the environment we share with animals and plants,鈥� said Marie-Jos茅e H茅bert, UdeM鈥檚 vice-rector of research, discovery, creation and innovation. 鈥淎t the university, we have created a virtuous circle in which we benefit from the expertise and dynamic energy of our many research teams. We do our part by creating opportunities for exchange and providing the structures they need to achieve their most ambitious goals.鈥�
鈥淥ur researchers, who understand the importance of joining forces to respond and act on major health issues, are strongly aligned with our One Health initiative, which seeks to facilitate intersectoral dialogue,鈥� added Luc Stafford, assistant vice-rector of research and co-director of UdeM鈥檚 One Health Initiative with Julie Carrier, assistant vice-rector of graduate and postgraduate studies.
The two vice-rectors and their teams are responsible for implementing the mechanisms needed to foster exchange, collaboration and data sharing across sectors. And their efforts are paying off.
A host of initiatives
More than an abstract concept, One Health has spawned a series of concrete initiatives such as the healthy parks project, PARCS en sant茅, led by UdeM professor C茅cile Aenishaenslin and supported by a large network of partners. Its goal is to protect both human health, particularly against the spread of the ticks that cause Lyme disease, and ecosystem health in peri-urban nature parks in the Montreal, the Mont茅r茅gie and the Eastern Townships.
Another initiative is 笔谤茅肠谤颈蝉补, a research network focused on preparing for emerging threats to human health. Funded by the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec, 笔谤茅肠谤颈蝉补 is a collaboration between UdeM, Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Rimouski, and civil-society partners.
UdeM also has two Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERCs) related to One Health: CERC One Urban Health, led by professor Evelyne De Leeuw, explores governance mechanisms and power issues in urban projects, and CERC Eco-Evo-Patho of Microbes in Nature, led by professor Fr茅d茅rique Le Roux, develops innovative solutions to tackle the rise of antibiotic resistance.
Another One Health initiative, ELUZO, is mobilizing African women and girl farmers as key players in the fight against zoonoses in rural communities in Senegal and Burkina Faso. Funded by Foreign Affairs Canada, the project is backed by a large UdeM-led consortium of partners in Canada and West Africa.
Other research groups and centres at Universit茅 de Montr茅al that are applying One Health include the Centre for Research in Public Health (CReSP) and the Research Group on Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health (GREZOSP).
The commitment to One Health is also strong in UdeM鈥檚 student community. Created by and for students, the One Health Student Club has helped launch a number of important initiatives, including the Ga茂a Circle, which mobilizes the next generation around projects to support the socio-ecological transition, based on One Health principles.
鈥淥ne of the greatest strengths of UdeM鈥檚 One Health Initiative is its ability to leverage expertise from across our faculties,鈥� said Stafford. 鈥淭his diversity allows us to create the unique synergies essential to meeting multidimensional challenges and developing innovative, interdisciplinary solutions that expand the reach of each project.鈥�
Leadership beyond UdeM
H茅bert and Stafford agree that translating One Health into reality means involving all disciplines and breaking down institutional barriers.
鈥淭he playing field is much bigger than Universit茅 de Montr茅al,鈥� said H茅bert. 鈥淚f we want to have an impact globally, we have to be willing to venture outside our own walls.鈥�
With this in mind, Stafford and his team are working to forge links between UdeM and other Canadian universities, in particular in Calgary, Guelph and Saskatchewan, in partnership with government bodies such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The goal is to build a national One Health strategy to create the tools needed to coordinate stakeholders in developing a One Health approach rooted in Canadian realities.
With its world-class expertise in areas such as zoonoses, antibiotic resistance, emerging contaminants, food systems, ethics, landscape architecture and AI, Universit茅 de Montr茅al has a unique and vibrant One Health ecosystem.
This concentration of knowledge will support many more projects in the future, including a One Health doctoral program involving eight faculties that will be launched soon 鈥� a first, not only for UdeM, but for Canada.
One Health principles are even being integrated into the design of physical spaces on campus to create sustainable, inclusive spaces that promote people鈥檚 well-being and to preserve biodiversity.
鈥淯niversit茅 de Montr茅al is showing strong leadership on One Health, but this is only the beginning of a movement,鈥� concluded H茅bert.
RSS