The One Health Initiative at Wayne State University was launched in January 2021 to catalyze environmental health research by looking through the lens of animal, plant, ecological, and planetary health to consider environmental exposures. This initiative supports the coalescing of environmental health sciences research activities and relevant enabling technologies across campus and with strategic partners to target themes and thrusts that will lead to development of broad programmatic-based funding and applied technologies that involve multiple departments and/or colleges/schools and directly benefits the WSU urban region.

This initiative aims to recruit new and enable existing faculty, staff, and students to better understand and apply One Health principles in research. Through this initiative, the One Health Initiative Co-Directors, Dr. Carol Miller, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Melissa Runge-Morris, director of the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (IEHS), will work with Deans and Department chairs to recruit faculty in multiple departments, schools/college, and centers/institutes as appropriate. In addition, in coordination with the Office of the Provost, the Initiative will work with relevant colleges/schools and departments to develop undergraduate degree and training programs in the environmental health sciences. The One Health Initiative will engage an Internal Steering Committee and External Advisory Board to determine the direction and actions required to complete these goals.