SETAC North America Supports One Health Training
Mark Johnson, SETAC North America Immediate Past President
As a long time SETAC member and advocate for connecting human health to the health of the environment, I was happy to volunteer as a mentor in the SETAC-sponsored Mentoring and Skills Development Training Program in One Health (MSDT- One Health). Now, applications are open for the next cohort, providing structured training and cross-sector collaboration.
MSDT-One Health is a professional development and mentoring program bridging clinical skills with toxicology knowledge and practice at the nexus of environmental toxic exposures and One Health (holistically considering health of humans functionally within the biome). The goal of the program is to build a cadre of early-career scientists and undergraduate students with knowledge and research skills suitable for transdisciplinary, multisectoral, transformative research in One Health. This often requires skills and a transdisciplinary focus that is not widely taught. The program is being executed from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, thanks to a five-year grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS, NIH).
In its first year, the program operated on a compressed schedule. Following the application period, participants were paired with mentors based on interest and career stage. I worked with both, an undergraduate student interested in toxicology and an early career academician. Naturally, both had different goals. The student was very interested in understanding what vocations were available in One-Health, with a focus on public health. The discussions centered on weighing the options of entering the workforce after completing an undergraduate degree versus continuing formal education, and what each path might look like long term. We also discussed the risks and benefits of careers in academia, government and business.
The early-career scientist was interested in building interpersonal skills in a competitive environment along with expanding a professional network that would complement multidisciplinary research. We huddled every two weeks for approximately one hour where we discussed progress, goals and emerging challenges. Conversations often centered on making new professional connections, which in turn helped broaden networks and perspectives.
The program has been rewarding to me personally, and I sense that participants find it valuable as well, given their enthusiasm to meet and engage in discussions. I encourage you to join the next cohort!
Applications are now open for placement in the 2026–2027 program and are due by 30 March. Join me as a mentor or apply as student or early career professional. For this program, early career scientists are those who earned their Ph.D. or terminal medical degree within the last 10 years.
If you are intrigued by One Health and want to learn more about the topic, check out the array of One Health Resources on the MSDT-One Health program page. There are also excellent mentorship resources available that can support any mentoring partnership.
Contact: [email protected]