Human health doesn't exist in isolation. Infectious diseases can move between animals and people, environmental conditions can influence the health of entire populations, and discoveries made through animal research can lead to new approaches for preventing and treating human disease.
The One Health and Translational Research Scholarly Concentration, a partnership between IU School of Medicine and Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, gives medical students an opportunity to explore these connections while learning from experts across disciplines.
Drawing upon Purdue University's One Health Initiative, the concentration brings together medicine, veterinary science, environmental health and public health to examine complex health challenges through a broader lens. Students explore topics ranging from zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance to the human-animal bond, comparative research and the ways animal models can advance understanding of human disease.
Fast facts about the concentration
Location: West Lafayette
Co-directors: Ray Munguia-Vazquez, MD, MSc, PhD, and Wendy Beauvais, BVetMed, MSc (VetEpi), PhD, MRCVS, DipECVPH
Partnership: Indiana University School of Medicine and Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine
Meet the co-directors
The One Health Scholarly Concentration is co-directed by Ray Munguia-Vazquez, MD, MSc, PhD, of IU School of Medicine, and Wendy Beauvais, BVetMed, MSc (VetEpi), PhD, MRCVS, DipECVPH, of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Munguia-Vazquez is director of pre-clinical education (Phase 1) and a clinical associate professor of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery at IU School of Medicine—West Lafayette. He sees the concentration as an opportunity to connect medical students with the extensive research expertise available through Purdue Veterinary Medicine. "I'm really thrilled to welcome this scholarly concentration to our campus because it paves the way for fantastic research projects and exciting collaborations with the Purdue Veterinary Medical School," Munguia-Vazquez said. "They're doing so much great basic research there, and we can really take that knowledge and apply it to the clinical and human world through the One Health initiative."
Beauvais is an associate professor of epidemiology and public health at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her expertise provides students with a veterinary and population-health perspective as they investigate health issues that cross species and disciplinary boundaries.
Together, the co-directors and faculty from both institutions create opportunities for medical students to engage with areas of science and research they may not otherwise encounter during medical school.
What students can expect
Students begin by exploring public health and zoonoses — the diseases and infections that can spread between animals and people. Coursework examines common and important zoonotic diseases along with outbreak investigation, risk communication, reportable diseases, antimicrobial use and toxicology in public health.
The concentration then broadens students' perspective through the One Health Research Speaker Seminars, which introduce topics such as mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, the human-animal bond, mosquito-transmitted pathogens, diseases caused by free-living amoebae and the role of animals as sentinels for toxic exposures.
That interdisciplinary approach is central to the concentration. "Most of the clinical research we see in humans, like infectious diseases and drug development, begins with animal research before moving to clinical testing and use," Munguia-Vazquez said. "Through this collaboration, we're giving our students a chance to experience that 'initial' step in the process."
Students then apply what they learn through a longitudinal scholarly project, working with faculty whose expertise spans zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, comparative oncology, environmental health and other One Health fields. They also write a manuscript for submission to a journal.
Why One Health matters for future physicians
One Health asks students to expand their understanding of health beyond an individual patient to consider the relationships among people, animals and the environments they share. For future physicians, that perspective can provide a deeper understanding of where diseases come from, how they spread, how new therapies are developed and how professionals from different disciplines work together to address health threats.
Munguia-Vazquez sees the concentration as a way for students to broaden the very idea of health by understanding the connections among human, animal and plant health within shared environments and ecosystems — and to use Purdue's extensive health science resources to generate new ideas, discoveries and innovations.
Is this the right fit?
The One Health Scholarly Concentration may be a particularly good fit for students who are curious about the science before it reaches the bedside and want to explore health questions from perspectives beyond traditional human medicine. Students interested in infectious disease, public health, epidemiology, emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, environmental health, drug and vaccine development or translational research will find opportunities to pursue those interests.
It's also an opportunity for students who enjoy interdisciplinary thinking. One Health brings physicians, veterinarians, scientists and other health professionals together around a shared question: How can understanding the connections among humans, animals and the environment help us improve health for all?
Examples of student research
Because this is a new concentration, students will have an opportunity to help shape its emerging body of scholarly work. Potential projects identified by One Health faculty demonstrate the breadth of research available through the partnership, including:
- Promoting responsible antimicrobial use and analyzing antimicrobial resistance trends in humans and animals
- Vaccine development, drug discovery and host-pathogen interaction
- Studying cancer across species to advance treatments and therapies for both animals and humans
- Investigating zoonotic diseases that affect humans and animals
- Exploring the role of animals in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder
- Using translational models to study respiratory disease
