This course is centered on implementing the One Health framework, an internationally recognized strategy to address complex global health issues by integrating knowledge across disciplines and cultures. It focuses on problem-solving through collaborative efforts involving human, animal, and environmental health domains. By promoting equity in knowledge transfer and valuing diverse science and traditional knowledge systems, this framework aims for sustainable health solutions.

What Students Will Learn

• The limitations of traditional problem-solving methods and the benefits of a constructionist approach.
• Understanding of zoonotic diseases and their management through One Health.
• Insights into the interconnectedness of food safety, security, and sovereignty.
• Approaches to addressing mental and behavioral health issues comprehensively.

Course Prerequisites

Students should have completed "One Health: A Ten Thousand Year-Old View into the Future" or possess equivalent knowledge.

Course Coverage

• Active listening techniques.
• Cultural awareness.
• Engagement with knowledge holders and stakeholders.
• Identification and framing of primary and secondary problems.
• Development and maintenance of community trust and relationships.
• Assessment of implementation plans.

Who Should Enroll

This course is designed for health professionals, environmental scientists, policymakers, and anyone interested in multi-disciplinary approaches to health issues.

Application of Skills

Learners can apply these skills in various real-world settings, such as public health planning, environmental policy making, and resource management, to cultivate healthier communities through collaborative and informed problem-solving practices.

Week 1: Integrating One Health through a Constructionist Approach

• Understanding different approaches to One Health.
• Comparing reductionist and constructionist viewpoints.
• Stakeholder engagement strategies.

Week 2: Zoonosis

• Detailed exploration of zoonosis.
• Case studies, such as rabies prevention in rural Alaska.
• Stakeholder and knowledge holder identification methods.
• Assessment techniques for existing strategies.

Week 3: Food Safety, Security, and Sovereignty

• Exploration of food-related issues through a One Health lens.
• Problem identification and stakeholder engagement in food safety.

Week 4: Holistic Health & Wellbeing

• Approaches to mental and behavioral health via One Health.
• Cultural and spiritual aspects of health.
• Indigenous knowledge integration in modern health practices.