Health for all species is inextricably linked to challenges such as emerging diseases, water and food safety, and environmental degradation. We are working to develop scientific, public health and policy approaches that integrate human, animal and ecosystem health.

About the Signature Area

One Health addresses the interconnectedness between human, animal and environmental health, with an understanding that one cannot progress at the cost of others. Respecting these intersections, the University of Saskatchewan's (USask) One Health Signature Area of Research is working to combat global health threats at all scales through proactive, innovative and transdisciplinary approaches. Combining expertise and resources from human and veterinary medicine, environmental sciences and agriculture, USask is driving responses to emerging health threats that the world needs. 

The One Health Signature Area of Research is taking a collaborative approach to align our expertise and ensure preparedness in the face of future infectious disease. This process combines surveillance, the investigation of emerging human and animal pathogens, development of diagnostics, therapies and vaccines, and studying the underlying ecological and social determinants of health and disease. Building capacity by training students in critical infrastructure that are housed at USask, such as our state-of-the-art high-containment laboratories, is an important deliverable of this work. 

Climate change is a key environmental driver of human and animal health. The One Health Signature Area of Research investigates the impacts of environmental contaminants, biodiversity loss, permafrost thaw and extreme weather events on the health of ecosystems, animals and human communities. This Signature Area recognizes the impact of land-use change and the effects of the shifting climate on the emergence of infectious disease. Our experts are exploring the impact of these phenomenon using interdisciplinary approaches.

The One Health Signature Area of Research also embraces the advantanges that come from connections between humans, animals and the environment. These include the positive impacts of companion and therapy animals, the wisdom of Indigenous ways of knowing and relating to animals and the land, and the importance of local and global food security. 

Notable Areas of Research

• Surveillance, diagnosis, drugs and vaccines for existing and emerging infectious diseases.
• Antimicrobial and antiparasitic resistance.
• Risks as well as benefits at the animal/human/environmental interface. 
• Impacts of contaminants, biodiversity loss and climate change on the health of ecosystems, humans and animals.
• Ecological and social determinants of health.

• Read more about One Health

Signature Areas News