One Health, One Campus: Penn Faculty Bring Global Lessons Home from Lisbon

In September, six Penn Vet, Penn Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) faculty, joined by two Penn Vet alumni, traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for the 9th World One Health Congress, where more than 1,300 scientists, policymakers, and practitioners gathered to advance One Health science, policy, and collaboration.

The Congress featured presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and posters on emerging zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, vector-borne diseases, biosecurity, food systems, wildlife health, and science-policy interface, offering attendees the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the field. Attendees also had the opportunity to add their names to a Joint Statement and Call to Action launched at the Congress, urging world leaders to fully integrate the One Health framework into decision-making.

Members of the Penn delegation, all active members of the University’s One Health community, included Jennifer “Jenni” Punt, VMD, PhD (Penn Vet), Laurel Redding, VMD, PhD (Penn Vet), Elizabeth Woodward, PhD (Penn Vet), Brianna Parsons, VMD, MSED (Penn Vet), Ricardo Castillo, DVM, PhD, MSPH (Penn Medicine/Penn Vet), and Grace Chan, MD, PhD, MPH (CHOP/Penn Medicine), who were joined by 2010 Penn Vet alumna Heather Fowler, VMD, PhD, MPH, and 2020 alumnus James Ferrara, VMD (MPH expected May 2027).  

We sat down with three members of the delegation, Associate Professor of Epidemiology Laurel Redding; Penn Medicine Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Penn Vet Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathobiology, Ricardo Castillo; and Clinical Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences Elizabeth Woodward, to get their reflections on their experience in Lisbon and what it means for the future of One Health at Penn, and beyond.

Q. What’s one moment or conversation from the Congress that stuck with you, something that captures why this kind of global, cross-disciplinary gathering matters?

Redding: I attended a fascinating keynote ostensibly about biothreats, but it evolved into a broader conversation about security in general. Two of the speakers were from the Portuguese army and Global Affairs, Canada, and they made several interesting points. First off, they touched on the expansive definition of security, from bioterrorism threats to a police force snatching and arresting immigrants and U.S. citizens off the streets, to potential AI cybersecurity threats. Next, they made the case that there is a strong intersection between health and security, but, more importantly, that in an era when funding for science is plummeting, and funding for security is dramatically increasing, it is incumbent upon us as health scientists to see how our projects can be applied to security threats. It was such a new way of seeing how One Health can, and should be, integrated with so much more than the traditional animal health/human health/environmental health.

Castillo: A recurring theme that stayed with me was seeing how researchers and practitioners across regions are navigating the exact same operational challenges when bringing One Health from theory to the field.

I’m working on the impact of free-roaming dogs on rabies virus transmission and elimination, and at the Congress, I met researchers dealing with feral dogs in the context of wildlife conservation. Seeing how a public health challenge links directly to conservation issues was a great result of networking at this conference.

Woodward: The whole congress was great, but something that left an impression with me was the need for more intentional integration of the security and defense sector into One Health conversations, early. Admittedly, it’s not something I have given much thought to beyond biosecurity to prevent/manage natural outbreaks of zoonotic disease. However, we had some interesting talks by sector representatives that highlighted the intersection of One Health and bioweapons and other threats. Strong and effective biosecurity measures are an example of something that perhaps doesn’t get the attention or funding it deserves, because we don’t see the attacks and outbreaks we prevent. It was eye-opening for sure!

Q. The workshops were standing-room-only this year. What does that tell you about where the field, or Penn’s role in it, is headed?

Redding: One of the workshops that really struck me was called “One Health in Higher Education and University-Led Networks.” In previous years, One Health had been largely about different disciplines – often led by the veterinary field – lamenting how much One Health was needed and wondering why the medical professionals, veterinary professionals, and environmental health officials didn’t talk to each other. This session highlighted how One Health networks in each part of the world – Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Oceania – had all developed their own One Health networks where exactly that type of integration was happening. It really hit home for me that it looked like this integration has, at least in some respects, been achieved and can now serve as the launching point for even greater initiatives. 

Castillo: The packed rooms at the workshop session signal that One Health is no longer just a conceptual framework; it’s a growing set of tools that researchers and practitioners actively want to master and apply. Penn is uniquely positioned here because our work and training bridge methodological rigor with practice in the field.

Woodward: I found it very encouraging and exciting that the workshops were so well attended, and I think that it highlights the fact that One Health work continues to expand. I think the University of Pennsylvania, and especially Penn Vet, is well-positioned to be a leader in One Health.

To learn more about One Health at Penn, including research, dual-degree offerings, the One Campus, One Health Certificate program, graduate electives, One Health faculty, and One Health-focused centers on campus, click here.