Centre for One Health

Connecting Health Across Species and Spaces.

The Centre for One Health (COH) at UGHE is leading efforts to tackle interconnected global health challenges through innovative education, research, and community engagement.

Did you Know ?

Many of the global health challenges we face (pandemics such as COVID-19, climate change, among others) cross disciplines and borders, lie at the animal-environment-human interface, and require collaborative efforts to effectively address them? We are leading One Health training, research, and community engagement activities. The One Health approach recognizes the inextricable links between the health of humans, animals and their shared environment. It differs from other approaches to health as it considers the integrative effort of multiple disciplines and sectors working locally, nationally and globally to achieve evidence-based and community-placed solutions to complex health challenges.

Learn more about our history

What we do

MGHD One Health track

Responding to increasing zoonotic diseases and pressing threats like climate change, the Centre for One Health is excited to host an MGHD option in One Health, equipping students with a trans-disciplinary, multi-sectoral and holistic lens to improve animal, environmental and human health. This includes a 9-day field school to various sites across Rwanda.

African Snakebite Alliance

Snakebite envenoming kills 81,000 – 138,000 people per year, targeting impoverished subsistence farmers in Africa and Asia. The African Snakebite Alliance, based in Ghana, Kenya, eSwatini, Rwanda, and the UK aims to improve health outcomes for people affected by snakebite envenoming by addressing evidence gaps in policy and practice in Africa.

One health fellowship program

Since 2018, UGHE in partnership with Tufts University and the University of Rwanda has welcomed seventeen fellows to its One Health Fellowship program, with training in One Health Leadership and Advocacy, and development of One Health projects in Rwanda.

Pandemic Preparedness and Response & Dynamic Health System Resilience

An online interactive certificate course exploring various aspects of preparing for and responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic and what it takes to mitigate risk in terms of equitable and multi-sectirak prevention, care and treatment systems.

Addressing Preventable Disease

The Centre of One Health collaborates with Heart and Sole Africa (HASA) - a local NGO to provide care and training to people affected by podoconiosis. The first training was conducted on 3rd and 4th of June 2021 in Burera District and this initiative will continue in other places on an annual basis.

One health fellowship program

One Health Day

An annual event hosted by UGHE's Centre for One Health to celebrate the global campaign, One Health Day. In 2019, UGHE held a two-part celebration that welcomed 70 secondary school children from Butaro Sector to campus to take part in a range of immersive activities.

One Health and Medicine

The Centre liaises with medical school faculty to review syllabi, integrate and teach One Health content throughout the program. In their clinical years, UGHE students are one of the first in the world to be taught to ask One Health questions during Patient History taking.

An Innovative Approach to Equitably Addresses Complex Health Problems

An online short certificate course offered jointly by UGHE and Western University in Canada offering an overview of the One Health concept and exploring how students, educators, and professionals can apply principles of One Health to their work.

Kikundi Community of Practice

Kikundi is a community of practice for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Program Managers in Africa managed by UGHE’s Centre for One Health. Through online and in person engagement, Kikundi promotes peer-to-peer learning, exchange of experiences around NTDs, and community strengthening.

COHESA

COHERS

This 4-year project aims to empower communities to improve health outcomes through One Health approaches to prevent, detect, and respond to prevalent zoonoses, especially anthrax and cysticercosis. with the Government of Rwanda, we have established One Health Teams in 85 villages and are testing cost-effective solutions for reduced disease burden

Women for One Health Network

FAQs

1: I am concerned I only have experience in a single component of One Health. Should I still pursue a Masters in the field?

That is no problem at all. The One Health concentration will equip you with the necessary tools required to approach health challenges from a holistic perspective. The incredibly diverse faculty and student body creates a truly transdisciplinary and collaborative environment where everyone contributes their expertise towards a common objective.

2. How will training in One Health benefit my career as a health professional?

One Health is an up-and-coming field with sustained global interest. There are several transnationals, continental, and international organizations engaged in One Health including the World Health Organization. If you are interested in gaining 21st Century skills needed to address complex challenges in our rapidly changing world. The One Health training allows students to place themselves, with their various professional, academic and cultural backgrounds, into day-to-day health delivery.

3: What is a Career in One Health Like?

Students choose to pursue One Health to gain skills required for a management role in the global health field. The potential career you could apply your skills include:

Research (e.g. disease surveillance, researcher, infectious disease specialist)
Education (e.g. lecturers)
Public sector & decision making (e.g. ministers, members of parliament, WHO, FAO, UN, WFP advisor, urban planner, environmental health policy makers, policy analyst)
Community & NGOS (e.g. foundation staff, climate change leaders, community research coordinator, private sector product development, community development officer, health coordination officer, extension officer, NGO program manager, social worker)
Private sector & engineering (e.g. water engineer, leader of a pharmaceutical company)
Program coordinator (e.g. in public and private institutions)
Digital innovation (e.g. integrated disease monitoring platforms, communities of practice)

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Centre for One Health