Veterinary Health Science & Technology: One Health

Veterinary medicine plays a critical role in promoting the bounty, safety and security of the food supply, helps protect the public from zoonotic infectious diseases, and contributes to important biomedical research.

Veterinarians play an integral role in One Health because animals both impact and are impacted by people and the environment. Whether as clinical practitioners, epidemiologists, or ecological experts, veterinarians are essential to advancing One Health and protecting the health and safety of its three pillars— animals, people, and the environment.

One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

One Health (formerly called One Medicine) is dedicated to improving the lives of all species—human and animal—through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science.

The health of animals, people and the environment is connected. The "One Health" approach is the collaborative effort of the human health, veterinary health and environmental health communities. Through this collaboration, USDA achieves optimal health outcomes for both animals and people.

Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance to live a healthy life.

The Organisation and its Members coordinate the global response to animal health emergencies, the prevention of zoonotic diseases, the promotion of animal health and welfare, and better access to animal health care.

The One Health Commission is a coordinating body, a gateway of exchange of information, bringing together the human, animal and environmental sciences in value-added information sharing that improves the well-being of animals, sustainability of the environment and the lives of people and the global society.