2024: A Year in Review

Last week, the Global One Health Academy released its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan outlining strategic goals that will guide specific programs and initiatives for the next five years. As we look toward the future, it is also important to acknowledge the efforts from the past that have brought us to where we are today. Below is a review of some key initiatives, opportunities, and accomplishments of the Global One Health Academy in 2024.

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In 2024 we…

Welcomed new members to the team.

• Kristen Fontana joined the GOHA core team as Program Specialist.
• Jen Runkle (COS) joined the GOHA executive leadership team as co-lead for the Climate Change and Health Disparities thematic area.

Supported One Health Research.

• Leveraging NC State’s strengths across disciplines, we launched the Grand Challenges Addressing Program on Antimicrobial Resistance (GCAP-AMR). After a catalysis meeting to help faculty form new interdisciplinary connections, we awarded 5 grants to support innovative AMR research:
  • “Decoding antimicrobial resistant organisms’ colonization through One Health interdisciplinary research” – Cristina Lanzas (CVM), Casey Theriot (CVM), Josh Fletcher (CVM), Ben Callahan (CVM), Alun Lloyd (COS), Frank Scholle (COS), Reza Ghiladi (COS), Nathan Crook (COE), and Angela Harris (COE)
  • “Development of novel antimicrobial materials for infection prevention” – Reza Ghiladi (COS) and Richard Spontak (COE)
  • “Sunny-day flooding and AMR organisms: filling a ONE health knowledge gap to understand human health risks posed by rising sea levels” – Angela Harris (COE), Natalie Nelson (CALS), Katherine Anarde (COE), and Benjamin Callahan (CVM)
  • “GOHA STARS: Student-driven Tiny earth Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions” – Stephanie Mathews (COS), Nathalie Lavoine (CNR), and Michael Taveirne (COS)
  • “Machine Learned Synergistic Antibiotic Combinations to Expand Access to Therapies” – Kaixiong Zhou (COE), Albert Keung (COE), and Yi-Hui Zhou (COS)
• Through an open seed grant call, we also funded five wide-ranging One Health research projects:
  • “One Health Implications of Insecticide Resistance in Pathogen Vectors” – Michael Reiskind (CALS), Martha Burford Reiskind (COS), Zachary Brown (CALS), Jennifer Baltzegar (COS), and Cole Butler (COS)
  • “Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance across the Environment, Domestic Animals and Children in Rural Bangladesh, and Improved Floors to Reduce Exposure to Soilborne Resistance” – Ayse Ercumen (CNR)
  • “Expanding One Health Collaborations in Indonesian Borneo” – Skylar Hopkins (CALS)
  • “Enhanced Food Security through Sustainable Agriculture: Use of Green Pickering Emulsions as Delivery Platforms for Plant Growth Promoting Microbes and Agrochemicals” – Saad Khan (COE), Nathan Crook (COE), and Charles Opperman (CALS)
  • “Pilot summer program researching tiered-mentoring of interdisciplinary research” – Claire Gordy (COS), Melissa Ramirez (COS), and Martha Burford Reiskind (COS) – co-funded with the Genetics & Genomics Academy
• We supported international and domestic travel for 5 faculty to develop or expand One Health research collaborations through our faculty travel awards.
  • Mallory Choudoir (CALS) – Florence Italy
  • David Eggleston (COS) – Northern Italy
  • Nathalie Lavoine (CNR) – Atlanta GA
  • Anna Whitfield (CALS) – Barcelona, Spain
  • Laura Widman (CHASS) – Amsterdam, Netherlands
• We invested in participatory sciences as a research approach to address global One Health challenges. In partnership with the Citizen Science Campus, we funded 3 graduate students through a new participatory sciences microgrant program.
  • “Ecosystem Services and Local Impact. A Trash Collection Project in Raleigh’s Greenways” – Alejandra Betancourt Rial (CNR)
  • “Pilot testing DIY screening for Wastewater Contamination Test” – Seana Finn (CNR)
  • “A Participatory Approach to Understanding the Meanings of Science and Trustworthiness in Rural Communities” – Brooklyn Joyner (CNR)
• We also supported a new Citizen Science Incubator program, with State H2O selected as the first incubator project.

Hosted events to facilitate exploration of One Health topics.

• We hosted our inaugural One Health Research Symposium. This half-day event consisted of featured presentations and a panel discussion with Rob Dunn (Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs, NC State), Tracey Goldstein (Director of the One Health Institute, Colorado State University), and Stacey Oliver (Environment Program Manager, RTI), in addition to presentations from the Global One Health Fellows, and an engaging poster session and networking opportunities.
• In collaboration with the Libraries, Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, and Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions, we co-hosted (Y)Our Health in the Movies, a public-facing event series that looks at how One Health themes are depicted in popular culture and discusses the real science behind the films. We explored climate change, food and water, and infectious disease through the lens of the creative intersections between science and art.
• We hosted our first webinar of the Global One Health Leader Series. This series of virtual mini-symposia aims to provide a global forum to discuss new One Health research findings and engage in discussions that enhance interdisciplinary perspectives and advance the field. This first webinar discussed, “Next-generation Molecular Diagnostics” with four guest speakers from across the globe.

Provided opportunities to develop students into One Health leaders.

• We launched the new Global One Health undergraduate minor. This 15-credit program explores the interconnections between human, animal, plant, and environmental health, applying interdisciplinary approaches and systems thinking to key One Health issues.
• In partnership with the Citizen Science Campus, we also launched the new Participatory Sciences Graduate Certificate, which trains graduate students to address pressing global issues through collaboration with the public on scientific research.
• In the fall, we completed the first year of the Global One Health Fellows Program, our signature interdisciplinary training program for graduate students. We also welcomed a new cohort:
  • Benjamin Clark (Civil Engineering, COE)
  • Andrea Landaverde (Biology, COS)
  • Holly McInnes (Plant Pathology, CALS)
  • Bradley Scholten (Biology, COS)
  • Lydia Sellers (Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, CNR)
• We also welcomed our inaugural cohort of undergraduate Global One Health Scholars. These future leaders are advancing One Health through interdisciplinary training, hands-on learning, and leadership development:
  • Abigail Finch (Zoology, COS)
  • Sascha Godfrey (Statistics, COS)
  • Cristina Payst (Biology, COS)
  • Valeria Rayo-Solano (Microbiology, COS)
  • Ava Smith (Zoology, COS)
  • Rida Tariq (Microbiology, COS)
  • Kara Vold (Biology, COS)
• In partnership with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, we offered two graduate student summer internships at the museum. The selected interns included Adira Cohen (Statistics, COS), who worked under the direction of Roland Kays on wildlife health, and Ashley Cave (Comparative Biomedical Sciences, CVM), who worked under the direction of Daniel Dombrowski on veterinary sciences and One Health integration.
• We supported domestic and international travel for graduate students to pursue research opportunities or disseminate research findings at conferences. We awarded a total of 9 graduate travel awards across our spring 2024 and fall 2024 cycles:
  • Cole Butler (Biomathematics, COS) – Barcelona, Spain
  • Hyunjun Choi (Animal Science, CALS) – Madison, Wisconsin
  • Benjamin Clark (Civil Engineering, COE) – Metro, Indonesia
  • Kaylin Lewandowski (Entomology, CALS) – Uganda
  • Sumaiya Tazin (Forestry and Environmental Resources, CNR) – Sirajganj, Bangladesh
  • Dayvion Adams (Entomology, CALS) – Kyoto, Japan
  • Nicole Odell (Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, CNR) – Detroit, Michigan
  • Fabiola Santiago (Veterinary Program, CVM) – Ecuador
  • Jake Seiter (Plant Pathology, CALS) – Memphis, Tennessee
• We organized and co-organized a number of professional development opportunities for our Fellows, Scholars, and graduate students and postdocs outside of our formal programs. The series included workshops on effective mentoring and engaging society in research, among others. We also organized One Health-specific professional development activities, such as tours of the Agricultural Sciences Center and the State Laboratory for Public Health followed by a panel discussion on state governmental careers.

Fostered community building around One Health at NC State.

• Over the year, we had 153 faculty, staff, and professionals join us as Affiliate Members. We hosted a Centennial Social Hour to provide an opportunity for our affiliates to meet each other and learn more about the breadth of One Health work at NC State.
• We hosted, co-hosted, or sponsored a number of working group meetings to bring together faculty from different disciplines and provide space for idea generation. Topics included antimicrobial resistance (GCAP-AMR catalysis meeting), participatory sciences (Citizen Science Campus working group meeting), novel applications for olfactory sensors (WolfSens workshop), and our own strategic planning meeting to drive GOHA’s future directions.
• We continued our coordinating role in the NC State Climate Solutions Collaborative, which hosted a number of networking events for students, postdocs, and faculty throughout the year. The collaborative also hosted Zealan Hoover, Senior Advisor to EPA Administrator Regan, for lectures and meetings centered on climate optimism.
• In partnership with the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM), we co-hosted a series of dynamic discussions on research at the intersection of evolutionary medicine and One Health. These TriCEM-GOHA Breakfasts were attended by students and faculty from NC State, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and more. Talks included:
  • “Ways to combat human leishmaniasis, an ancient sand fly infection, using our canine best friends” by Christine Petersen (University of Iowa)
  • “Investigating host range determinants of vector-borne and vector-independent flaviviruses” by Helen Lazear (UNC-Chapel Hill)
  • “Combinatorial and evolutionary engineering of probiotic yeast for in situ biomanufacturing” by Nathan Crook (NC State)
  • “The phylogenetic ecology of plant pests and pathogens: improving predictions of host breadth, spillover and prevalence” by Jonathan Davies (University of British Columbia)

Engaged nationally and internationally to build One Health partnerships.

• We played a central role in conceptualizing and creating a new network – the North America One Health University Network (NAOHUN) – that will bring together universities with One Health programs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico to facilitate communications, promote cooperation, and create platforms that enhance interdisciplinary research, education, training, and engagement.
• Building on the success of our East Africa Symposium in 2023, a team of eight NC State faculty and staff traveled to Kenya in summer 2024 to continue building partnerships and map new collaborative research directions aimed at sustainable agricultural development and community wellbeing.
• We joined the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, a group established and facilitated by the Quadripartite organizations (FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH) to foster cooperation among stakeholders across the One Health spectrum for global action against antimicrobial resistance.