One Health: From Promise to Practice-Integrating Evidence, Equity, and Enduring Systems

Background: One Health has swiftly moved from being a slogan to a pressing necessity. Over recent years, the converging threats of zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), climate change, and environmental degradation have reinforced that the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems is deeply intertwined.

Purpose: As someone whose career has spanned veterinary medicine, public health, and community research, I believe that this concept is at a critical turning point: either we translate it into sustained action, or it will risk becoming just an academic framework.

Methods: Drawing on my own work and that of many others in the field, this editorial argues for four interlinked priorities: clear metrics, inclusive education and community engagement, ethical and equitable governance, and institutionalized, resilient systems for One Health practice.

Results: One Health has swiftly moved from being a slogan to a pressing necessity. Over recent years, the converging threats of zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), climate change, and environmental degradation have reinforced that the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems is deeply intertwined.

Conclusion: As someone whose career has spanned veterinary medicine, public health, and community research, I believe that this concept is at a critical turning point: either we translate it into sustained action, or it will risk becoming just an academic framework.