An interactive workshop “One Health” was held at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
On May 30, 2024, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine hosted a unique workshop-game “One Health” .
The 5th year students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, specialties 211 “Veterinary Medicine” and 212 “Veterinary Hygiene, Sanitation and Expertise” joined the event, which was organized within the framework of the EU Erasmus+ project of the Jean Monnet Module “Integration of EU Single Health Policy and Framework in Ukraine” (101048229 – EU4OH -ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH) in cooperation with the WHO of Ukraine.
The workshop was aimed not only at theoretical explanation of the One Health concept, but also at practical immersion of participants in situational tasks that demonstrate the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health. Participants had the opportunity to learn methods of analyzing social aspects that affect health, identify drivers and constraints to the implementation of the One Health approach, and develop teamwork and decision-making skills.
The event began with an informational part during which experts from the WHO of Ukraine and university professors explained the basic principles and importance of the One Health approach. After the introductory part, the participants moved on to the active phase of the workshop – a serious game developed by the Veterinary School of Lyon (France) to reproduce real problems. The game consisted of several stages, each of which represented a specific task or situation that required an interdisciplinary approach to finding links between factors and fundamental principles that help ensure the effectiveness, fairness, equity and sustainability of One Health actions.
The workshop participants expressed their satisfaction and interest in such events. The students noted that the practical approach and game format helped them to better understand the complexity and importance of the One Health approach. Here are some of the participants’ comments:
Katia, 5th year student (211 specialty): “It was an extremely useful experience. I learned a lot about how our health is connected to the state of the environment and animals. The workshop helped me realize how important it is to work together to solve global health problems.”
Artem, 5th year student (212 specialty): “The game was very informative. It was great to be able to put our knowledge into practice and see how different factors are connected. I now better understand why the One Health approach is so important.”
The participants of the event emphasized the importance of such educational initiatives for future specialists in medicine, veterinary medicine and ecology and expressed their wish to involve students of different specialties in future workshops.
The One Health Workshop Game at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was an important step in promoting the concept of an integrated One Health approach in Ukraine. The participants gained valuable experience and knowledge that they will take into account in their future professional activities, contributing to the development of a healthy and sustainable society.
