The U of S One Health Leadership Experience, which was initiated by the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, will introduce students to One Health and foster their development as leaders among their peers.
One Health is a global movement that encourages collaboration among all health disciplines. Its goal is to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment.
"We're very grateful to Pfizer Animal Health for recognizing the potential of this new program as a means of bringing health disciplines together," says WCVM Dean Dr. Douglas Freeman. "Thanks to their generous contribution, we now have the funds we need to initiate this vital program on campus over the next few months."
Beginning in 2012, organizers will select first-year students from each health science college and school on the U of S campus. These students will participate in workshops, seminars, interprofessional clinical learning experiences, site visits and other activities. Based on their feedback, Freeman says program co-ordinators will develop a more formal curriculum for a three-day program that will take place each summer beginning in 2013.
"Each year, the group of student leaders in One Health within each college and school will grow as successive groups of incoming first-year students participate in the One Health Leadership Experience," explains Freeman, adding that the program is modelled after the Washington State University's successful Veterinary Leadership Experience (VLE).
As Freeman points out, the program is the ideal fit for the U of S — the only university in Canada with a full range of health science colleges and schools on one campus. The shared leadership among the U of S Council of Health Science Deans is helping to build bridges between health sciences. As well, One Health has been identified as one of the U of S's signature research areas.
"We want to help students in all disciplines of health sciences to recognize the critical linkages between human and animal health. If we can accomplish that early on in their academic careers, then it will become natural for them to work together once they're part of a profession," says Freeman.
"The students who participate in this program will go on to become human physicians, nurses, dentists, environmental specialists and veterinarians. And they'll be able to help their coworkers understand why it's important for all disciplines to work together."