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Learn more about how One Health makes the world healthier

Food, fish and agriculture Bacteria and microorganisms Health and diseases
Summer school in Denmark once again gives students from all over the world the opportunity to learn how the One Health concept can tackle challenges related to the health of people, animals and the environment.

Exponential population growth, changed eating habits, climate change and increasing use of natural resources for food are some of the major global challenges that impact the health of people, animals and the environment.

It has become evident that the health and wellbeing of people, animals and our shared environment are inextricably linked and cannot be assured in the long run unless we treat them as a whole. It is not possible for a single research discipline or organization to tackle the challenges facing the world. What is required is interdisciplinary cooperation across different sectors.

This is the basic idea behind the One Health approach to preventing and combating infectious diseases and diseases caused by chemical contaminants.

One Health summer course in Copenhagen

The International One Health Summer Course is being offered for a fourth time in Copenhagen. The course focuses on the disease risks and the challenges caused by the complex interactions between animals, food, people and the environment.

It draws on different sciences and promotes coordination, communication and data sharing between the parties involved by providing solutions to challenges such as food safety and security, zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can transfer between animals and humans e.g. via foods or through direct contact between animals and humans, but also through our shared environment.

Experts from the National Food Institute, the National Veterinary Institute and DTU Management at the Technical University of Denmark as well as the University of Copenhagen are lecturers at the summer course and guest speakers will give a global perspective on the subject.

Danish tradition of applying the One Health concept

Denmark has a long tradition of applying the One Health concept and is among the leading countries in finding solutions to some of these interdisciplinary challenges. Examples are the prevention and control of salmonella and antimicrobial resistant bacteria in livestock production. During the summer course, students will learn about One Health methodologies, the Danish experiences and gain a global perspective on the subject through input from international experts.

Programme content

The One Health Summer Course is offered jointly by the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen.

The course is a good opportunity for further education for e.g. physicians, veterinarians and other health and environmental professionals. It is relevant for Masters and PhD students from a number of disciplines such as human and veterinarian medicine, environmental science, food science, resource economics, sociology and anthropology. A broad range of approaches makes discussions more nuanced and educational, and the course has received good feedback from previous students.

The course consists of a five-week e-learning module from 7 May to 8 June 2018 and a one-week on-campus full-time module from 12 to 17 August 2018. During the module in August the focus will be on problem-based teaching in groups mixed with inspiring lectures.

Five ECTS points will be awarded for completing the One Health Summer Course programme.

The course will be taught in English.

Deadline for registrations

You can register for the summer course by filling in a registration form from the University of Copenhagen’s website before 1 April 2018.

Read more

Find more information about the summer course including tuition and course locations on the University of Copenhagen’s website: One Health Summer Course. If you have further questions you can email onehealth@foodsciencecopenhagen.dk.