Interpretive Summary: An animal interest approach method as a gateway to a one health educated pipeline

By: Meghan C Wulster-Radcliffe, Sarah A Reed, James N MacLeod, Rebekah B Epps, J Scott Radcliffe, Robert J Coleman, Steven A Zinn

Implications:

• By integrating One Health and animal science STEM education, we can develop more effective solutions to global health issues, benefiting not only animals but also humans, plants, and the environment.
• STEM education has a pivotal role in ensuring future generations have the scientific literacy and technological proficiency needed to address complex health challenges to people, animals, plants, and the environment.
• Using animals as a ‘hook’ or interest approach strategy to introduce and engage students into STEM, particularly those from nontraditional agricultural backgrounds, provides a unique opportunity to foster greater awareness of the animal sciences and their importance in One Health.
• The growing need for a workforce that understands the intersectionality of animal agriculture, public health, and the environment highlights the importance of creating educational pathways that attract and train diverse talent.

Animal Science and One Health

Animal science is the study of the biology, care, and management of animals, focusing on their health, behavior, nutrition, physiology, and breeding. Animal science has a critical role in One Health, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. In this context, animal science helps ensure the well-being of livestock, pets, and wildlife, the maintenance of a safe food supply, and the reduction of zoonotic disease outbreaks, while contributing to environmental sustainability. Moreover, One Health underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to address health challenges, such as zoonotic diseases that can spread between animals and humans. By integrating animal science into One Health, we develop more effective solutions to global health and food security challenges, benefiting humans and also animals, plants, and the global environment, critical to all life.

Read the full article in the latest issue of Animal Frontiers: One Health for a Sustainable Future.