The Canadian One Health Training Program on Emerging Zoonoses

The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the emergence of other high consequence zoonotic diseases has underscored the critical need to prevent and better prepare for future outbreaks. One Health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and ecosystem health and calls for a systems-based, multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach to address the complex health threats emerging at the human-animal-environment interface. However, there are substantial gaps in workforce capacity and training in this field in Canada. The Canadian One Health Training Program on Emerging Zoonoses will provide training in three priority areas to address emerging zoonoses with a One Health approach, namely (1) Health, Sustainability and Resilience, (2) Disease Prevention and (3) Disease Preparedness and Response. Scholarships will offered to support trainees working on priority themes. Trainees will benefit from collaborative and interdisciplinary mentorship, opportunities for experiential training and participation in workshops, masterclasses and One Health capacity building networking events. In addition, a new bilingual virtual hub with online resources will be developed to facilitate open access to existing and new training opportunities related to the priority themes and to complementary competencies in grant writing, leadership, science communication, community engagement, and unconscious bias. Our program will train the next generation of leaders working on emerging zoonoses to concretely apply a One Health approach while they pursue their careers in diverse sectors. Members of our team include researchers, mentors and partners with diverse expertise and knowledges in the sectors of human, animal and environmental health, as well as in social sciences, and already lead well-funded One Health networks, research and training programs in Canada and across the world.