Hi! My name is Jillian Bowen (’25 CAHNR), and I am a sophomore pathobiology major at UConn! This year, I am working as the 2022 One Health summer intern with UConn Extension in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). UConn CAHNR Extension is an outreach program committed to educating communities about agriculture, climate, food, sustainable landscapes, and health by connecting the public to university resources and research. My job as the One Health intern involves developing programs for UConn 4-H concerning the concept of One Health, which is the intersection of human, animal, and environmental wellbeing, and has become increasingly more relevant in recent years. These lesson plans and activities are centered around One Health issues, such as mosquito and tick safety, antibiotic resistance, and zoonotic diseases. 

With an ever increasing human population and globalization making travel easier than ever, our interactions with animals and the environment has created many more opportunities for diseases to spread between animals and humans, and allowing for these diseases to be spread more quickly. In addition, changes in the environment have made animals more susceptible to disease as well. All of these factors mean that One Health is more important than ever, and achieving optimal health outcomes for all of these facets of life requires input from the local all the way to the global level. This is why educating the public about One Health is so necessary – individual steps to work towards a healthier planet can make a big difference. It is something that I am extremely passionate about, and I strongly encourage you to check out our website at https://onehealth.cahnr.uconn.edu/ for more information.