One Health Teaching Clinic
The ongoing endemic of SARS-CoV-2, the rising incidence and expansion of monkeypox, West Nile fever, Lyme borreliosis, campylobacteriosis, and echinococcosis clearly show that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are closely linked
One Health Teaching Clinic – An Innovative Teaching and Research Project Linking School Science, Biology Education and One Health Sciences
The “One Health” concept is based on the understanding that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are deeply interconnected. A well-known example is the spread of mosquitoes from warmer regions due to climate change, along with the diseases they carry. Other examples include zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 and Ebola, food safety, antibiotic resistance, and environmental and wildlife health. The OHTC aims to explore these topics scientifically, adapt them for educational purposes, and test teaching and learning scenarios with students from local schools. To achieve this, we collaborate with leading One Health researchers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The OHTC course is a semester-long hybrid program that combines in-person and online learning phases. It focuses on scientific topics within the One Health framework at the intersection of biosciences, animal health, environmental research, medicine, and society. In addition to in-person sessions and regular “checkpoint” meetings, tasks are developed using the COIL principle (Collaborative Open International Learning), including independent study. From a sustainability education perspective (Education for Sustainable Development, ESD), topics for 2024/2025 include biodiversity crises and zoonotic diseases, pollinator health, food contamination, controlling infectious diseases like MPOX, and bioeconomy.
Students are introduced to research-based teaching and learning through a (digital) workbook. By working with One Health researchers and educators, they develop learning sequences that are implemented, evaluated, and reflected upon in the “One Health Teaching Academy” with local school students. At the end of the course, students present and discuss their teaching sequences at an Erasmus conference. This conference provides an opportunity to exchange ideas with researchers, teachers, and didactics experts from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland working on One Health.
We welcome researchers interested in bringing their work into schools through the OHTC. Schools interested in inviting our students for a One Health activity are also encouraged to reach out. We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Benedikt Heuckmann
Cooperating Institutions
Prof. Dr. Kerstin Kremer, Sascha Johann, University of Giessen, Germany
Prof. Dr. Martin Scheuch, Dr. Ulrich Hobusch [PI], Franziska Messenböck, HAUP Vienna, Austria
Prof. Dr. Uwe Simon, University of Graz, Austria
Prof. Dr. Albert Zeyer, Dr. Sebastian Stuppan, University of Teacher Education Lucernce, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Gregor Torkar, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia