Addressing individual factors and their interactions to safeguard our citizens and environment
The interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health highlights the need for collaborative efforts across various disciplines to address health challenges holistically. We aim to leverage our expertise and partnerships to develop better methods for early detection, targeted therapies, and a biosecure food supply.
Opportunity
The interconnections among people, animals, plants, microbiomes, and the environment are becoming widely recognized as important contributors to an integrated or "One Health" concept. The health of humans, animals, and ecosystems is closely linked, and addressing health issues in one sector can positively or negatively impact the others. A major priority of this Integrated Health initiative is to continue addressing these individual factors and to develop an understanding of their potential interactions to better protect our citizens and the environment we live in. Diseases that pass between animals and people are increasing and are adversely affecting millions of people and animals across the globe. Climate change, international travel, economic globalization, and increasing human-animal interactions are all possible contributors to these diseases and to the movement and establishment of invasive pest species.
Increasingly, we are tasked with better understanding the presence of emerging contaminants, such as "forever chemicals" (e.g., PFAS) and agrochemicals, in our environments and their consequences to human and environmental health. Vectors of diseases in livestock and humans are also important considerations to overall health.
Effectively addressing integrated health requires a high degree of collaboration among researchers and experts in a wide range of disciplines, such as human medicine, veterinary medicine, environmental science, ecology, and others, to address health challenges holistically. Penn State has expertise in many of the relevant disciplines and could partner with the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Vet School, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and other institutions to share complementary capabilities and facilities. Such collaboration could yield better methods of early detection and preparedness, targeted therapies and interventions, and a biosecure food supply.
Framing Question
Imagine if work led by the College of Agricultural Sciences shapes the integrated approaches and targeted interventions to achieve optimal animal, human, plant, and environmental health. What would that look like?
Office for Research and Graduate Education
Address
217 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-2600
- Email agresearch@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3136
Office for Research and Graduate Education
Address
217 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-2600
- Email agresearch@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3136