One Planet, One Health

UGA’s unique approach integrates precision medicine with a holistic focus on health care.

At the University of Georgia, One Health isn’t just a concept.

It’s the driving principle behind some of the university’s most cutting-edge research.

One Health focuses on the connections between human, animal, and environmental health.

Through the Precision One Health initiative, we are not only driving research but leading the charge in shaping the future of health care.
Dr. Lisa K. Nolan

With the establishment of its new School of Medicine, UGA joins an elite group of universities in the nation with schools of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and agriculture on one campus. These three disciplines — working with top-notch researchers in public health, pharmacy, engineering, arts and sciences, ecology, law, agriculture, forestry and natural resources, and journalism and mass communication — position UGA to uniquely impact the one health stage.

“By working together, we can accelerate the discoveries of cures and then speed up the translation of discoveries to bedside practice,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost S. Jack Hu.

PERSONALIZING ONE HEALTH, ONE PATIENT AT A TIME

UGA researchers are taking the one health concept a step further by incorporating the principles of precision medicine into their work.

Also known as personalized medicine, precision medicine tailors care to a patient’s needs.

Centered on developing new diagnostics, creating new therapeutic interventions, and promoting health and disease prevention, UGA’s Precision One Health Initiative provides an individualized, patient-centered, holistic approach to health research.

OPTIMIZING THERAPEUTIC AND PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE

The Precision One Health research approach focuses on optimizing therapeutic and preventive care — for people, animals, and the environment.

To do this, researchers rely on collective interdisciplinary expertise in four core areas: 1) translational medicine, 2) systems modeling and data analytics, 3) epidemiology and disease ecology, and 4) social sciences and medicine.

Researchers Jon Mochel, Christopher Zdyrski, and Karin Allenspach in Dr. Mochel’s laboratory.

“In just one year, we have achieved significant progress, now boasting nearly 24 faculty members, securing close to $10 million of funding, and expanding to over 70 faculty across various colleges and units,” said Dr. Jon P. Mochel, director of the Precision One Health Initiative and a professor in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. “It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.”

But it’s also just the start.

The Precision One Health Initiative will attract and support more doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows in each participating unit, contributing to the growth and prestige of the university’s graduate and fellows programs while also training the next generation of holistically minded researchers.

The initiative’s approach also improves readiness for future disease outbreaks and community health issues, safeguarding individuals, public health, food supply, agriculture, and the environment.

“Through the Precision One Health initiative, we are not only driving research but leading the charge in shaping the future of health care,” said Dr. Lisa K. Nolan, dean of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. “The path ahead is bright, and I have no doubt that the work we do together will leave a lasting legacy.”