July 14, 2025
Come Together
Coordinated by Pitt Public Health, the Pennsylvania One Health consortium makes connections.
TOPICS: Education | Partnerships | School of Public Health
Designs on Aging-Ready
By Michele Dula Baum, School of Public Health
In 2024, the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health became the coordinating institution of the Pennsylvania One Health Consortium, an association of more than a dozen academic, government and conservation groups serving the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to facilitate research, education, policy and community engagement to promote the health and well-being of humans, animals, plants and the environment.
“The One Health initiative aims to establish a statewide hub for pandemic preparedness by integrating human, animal and environmental health data to predict and prevent emerging infectious diseases.”
Maureen Lichtveld, dean, Pitt Public Health
“Human, plant and animal health and the health of our environment are unmistakably interconnected and reliant on each other,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said.
The consortium held its first annual meeting June 25-27, 2024, convening academic health care, industry, wildlife, agriculture and government representatives from across the commonwealth at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Experts in animal science, environmental engineering, conservation, infectious diseases, biology, wildlife ecology and plant science shared perspectives from veterinary science, agriculture, wildlife ecology, agribusiness, environmental conservation, government relations and biomedical research to illuminate the transdisciplinary intersections critical to support robust public health and biodiversity. Speakers included representatives from the University of Pennsylvania, Pitt, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Phipps Conservatory and Botanic Gardens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Inspection Service, Penn State Extension Service, and Temple, Penn State, and Delaware Valley universities.
A regional meeting in October 2025 in Newark, Delaware, involved representatives from the Pennsylvania group and similar One Health consortia in New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware.
A One Health-focused initiative is also advancing at Pitt Public Health.
“The One Health initiative aims to establish a statewide hub for pandemic preparedness by integrating human, animal and environmental health data to predict and prevent emerging infectious diseases,” said Maureen Lichtveld, dean of Pitt Public Health. “By linking surveillance systems and fostering cross-sector collaboration, One Health will help prevent outbreaks, protect urban and rural communities, reduce economic disruption and build a skilled workforce ready to respond to future health crises.”