A new six-year training program co-led by researchers at the University of Guelph will use a One Health approach to build national capacity for the next pandemic – the first training of its kind in Canada.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research awarded U of G and other university, government and non-governmental organization partners $2.7 million to co-create the new bilingual training program, titled the Canadian One Health Training Program on Emerging Zoonoses (COHTPEZ). 

COHPTEZ was co-designed with several university partners including University of Montreal, University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, York University and Dalhousie University, as well as other academic partners, provincial and federal government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. It draws on the team’s research knowledge across diverse fields, their firsthand experience in responding to COVID-19, their unique disciplinary expertise and their lived experiences.

At U of G, the project will be led by Dr. Jane Parmley, professor in the Ontario Veterinary College’s Department of Population Medicine. The program will prepare Canada to identify and prevent disease threats, to limit their spread and impact on human and animal populations and to work collaboratively across disciplines and sectors to build health capacity. 

“When the next pandemic hits – and it is a when, not an if – we can’t solve these complex health challenges on our own,” Parmley says. “It’s going to take collaboration and a willingness and commitment to learn from each other.”   

Collaboration, co-leadership at the forefront

Using One Health, an approach that looks at human, animal and ecosystem health more holistically, the new COHTPEZ project is a vision of a connected community of leaders across academic, public and private sectors. It will build a highly skilled workforce that will learn from one another and see complex problems through a systems-level lens. 

Training materials will be centralized: courses, workshops, scholarships, mentorship and experiential learning opportunities will be accessible in a virtual, bilingual hub.

An annual symposium will also bring future leaders and mentors together – community members, professionals, university students and others – creating new connections that pay off in a more collaborative network and co-learning experiences that can mobilize more innovative ideas. 

As part of those goals, mentorship, training and experiential learning opportunities will be developed in three key areas:

• health, sustainability and resilience
• disease prevention
• and disease preparedness and response

As Parmley emphasizes, success in these key areas requires not just interdisciplinary collaboration, such as engineers working with doctors, but encouragement, support and opportunities to learn from Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems as well as lived experiences.  

At the forefront of One Health is U of G, which houses the multidisciplinary One Health Institute, established in 2018. U of G also offers a Bachelor of One Health, the first dedicated One Health undergraduate degree in Canada. 

Next pandemic needs ‘creativity and collaboration’

As a veterinarian who later worked as an epidemiologist to monitor antimicrobial resistance and wildlife disease, Parmley has seen how disease surveillance systems are great at reacting to disease, but not being proactive about health.

Joining U of G, Parmley came to appreciate how the One Health approach facilitates interdisciplinary connections.

As the majority of emerging pathogens come from a wildlife source, she notes, future pandemics will impact more than just human health, but also animal health, food security, ecological systems and the economy. Her career path has paved the way for this systems-level thinking. 

“The next pandemic won’t just need cutting-edge laboratories. It will need creativity and collaboration and the ability to bring together different ways of knowing,” Parmley says. “We’re often just chasing the next disease outbreak, rather than focusing on building overall health and resilience. We cannot just think about preparing for the next pandemic. We have to create a future where humans, animals and our planet are healthier and more resilient.”

Lloyd Longfield, MP for Guelph, says, “The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how important it is to understand zoonotic pathogens. I am pleased to see that the University of Guelph has received $2.7 million from the federal government to launch an early-career training program focused on infectious diseases. This will help to create a network of highly skilled Canadian researchers who will collaborate to prevent and respond to future threats caused by zoonotic pathogens.”

Dr. Rene Van Acker, vice-president (research and innovation), says U of G will use its leadership in One Health to bring an innovative approach that will allow Canada to be proactive about the next pandemic while improving life throughout the country.  

He says, “The investment not only prepares the next generation of leaders who can collaborate more effectively for the next pandemic but builds the necessary capacity and skills that the world needs now.”