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One Health

A One Health Approach for UFV

One Health is an applied, transdisciplinary approach to the study of the interaction between the human systems and their containing ecosystem, most usually through the study of linked issues of human, animal, and ecosystem health. This approach has developed over the last few decades in response to complex issues such as zoonotic disease and agricultural impact on ecosystem health and other issues that are poorly served by disciplinary study. One Health has successfully been used by universities to organize activities designed to create applied research solutions to emergent problems and could prove to be a powerful tool for the University of the Fraser Valley due to our dedication to applied research and teaching, regional grounding, strength in agriculture, environment, and health, and dedication to Indigenization.


Stefania Pizzirani, presenting core themes from the inaugural One Health meeting at UFV's Chilliwack campus, June 2024


Lenore Newman, speaking at the inaugural One Health meeting at UFV's Chilliwack campus, June 2024

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UFV One Health Round Table Gathering 2025Staff and Faculty from UFV and community guests engage in an open round table discussion on One Health at UFV and the opportunities it presents, early 2025

News and Media

The Fraser Valley Current. Opinion: The Fraser Valley shows why protecting nature is essential to BC’s farming future. By Prasad and Pizzirani

Opinion: The Fraser Valley shows why protecting nature is essential to BC’s farming future

Drs. Renee Prasad and Stefania Pizzirani highlight the University of the Fraser Valley’s One Health framework, which links human, animal and environmental well‑being, and note that agriculture and environmental studies—once treated as separate—must be taught and planned together. They argue that protecting natural systems, especially headwaters, wetlands, riparian zones and snowpacks, is vital to B.C. farm resilience because it stabilizes water flows, reduces flood and drought risk, and improves soil and water quality, and they point to on‑farm measures such as hedgerow plantings and barn‑owl conservation as practical, co‑beneficial examples.

Prasad, R. & Pizzirani, S. (2025, November 11). Opinion: The Fraser Valley shows why protecting nature is essential to BC's farming future. The Fraser Valley Current.

 

UFV Today article entitled Newman views One Health as a recipe for survival, published September 23, 2024

Newman Views One Health as a Recipe for Survival. 

Dr. Lenore Newman, Director of UFV’s Food and Agriculture Institute, emphasizes food security as a critical global issue exacerbated by climate change. She warns that the stability of food systems is paramount to averting widespread chaos, underscoring the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment under the concept of One Health. At UFV, Dr. Newman leads initiatives like vertical farming to enhance local food production, addresses societal impacts of agri-genomic technologies, and supports entrepreneurship in agriculture. Newman champions evidence-based solutions and interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle complex challenges facing food systems and environmental sustainability.

UFV Today. (2024, September 23). Newman Views One Health as a Recipe for Survival.

 

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