University of Kentucky Launches One Health Certificate Programs

The University of Kentucky has launched two new academic credentials in One Health: a 12-credit undergraduate certificate and a nine-credit graduate certificate, both housed in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Lexington.

The programs advance the goals of the UK One Health Initiative (UKOHI), which the university established with support from The Bill Gatton Foundation gift. UKOHI aims to serve as a hub for collaborative research, Extension programs and instruction promoting human, animal and environmental health in Kentucky.

For S. Reddy Palli, UKOHI director and chair of the Department of Entomology at Martin-Gatton CAFE, the certificates serve a clear purpose. "At UK, we want to be a leader in educating people and students about the significance of One Health and its impact on everyone's daily life," Palli said. "We want to prepare students to approach today's complex health challenges from a broader, transdisciplinary perspective."

What does the undergraduate certificate cover?

The undergraduate certificate targets students interested in human health, veterinary medicine, public health, environmental health, agriculture, food safety, infectious diseases and other fields connecting the health of people, animals and the environment. The curriculum highlights emerging threats including zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change and food security.

Students will evaluate strategies for collaborative problem-solving and sustainable health solutions using a systems approach. The program equips them to contribute to research, policy and practical interventions in One Health. Structurally, the certificate consists of 12 credit hours: two core courses and two electives.

Tonja Fisher, director of the undergraduate certificate program at Martin-Gatton CAFE, emphasized the field's unusual breadth. "Our certificate program is unique because One Health is unique," Fisher said. "The health of humans, animals and the environment is closely linked and involves input from everyone. One Health is a transdisciplinary field that incorporates virtually all colleges on campus, including engineering innovation in tracking diseases, social work dealing with the mental health of farmers and communities, and law to protect the environment. This certificate will connect students across disciplines while they tackle real-world issues in a collaborative environment."

How is the graduate certificate structured?

The nine-credit graduate certificate prepares graduate students to address complex connections among human, animal, plant and environmental health. The transdisciplinary framework draws on human medicine, veterinary medicine, plant protection, food safety, public health, epidemiology, environmental health, toxicology, wildlife ecology, conservation and ecosystem services. The university designed it to complement graduate study across a wide range of disciplines.

Yosra A. Helmy, director of the graduate certificate program at Martin-Gatton CAFE, framed the rationale directly. "One Health challenges do not fit within the boundaries of a single discipline, and the way we prepare students to address them should not either," Helmy said. "The certificate enables students to connect the depth of their own disciplinary training with diverse perspectives and apply systems thinking, evidence and cross-sector collaboration to address complex real-world problems."

Helmy added that students will strengthen critical thinking, communication, data literacy, ethical decision-making and team-based leadership skills, competencies intended to prepare them to build healthier, more resilient and sustainable communities.

Which departments teach the courses?

Coursework draws from six Martin-Gatton CAFE departments plus two additional UK colleges:

• Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
• Department of Entomology
• Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
• Department of Horticulture
• Department of Veterinary Science
• UK College of Arts and Sciences
• UK College of Public Health

Prospective students can find admission and application requirements for the undergraduate certificate at academics.uky.edu/programs/undergraduate-certificate/one-health and for the graduate certificate at academics.uky.edu/programs/graduate-certificate/one-health. The initiative itself is described at onehealth.mgcafe.uky.edu.

For practitioners and practices in Kentucky and beyond, the programs signal a growing pipeline of graduates trained to work across veterinary, medical and environmental boundaries — a workforce direction that could strengthen zoonotic disease surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship collaboration in the years ahead.