Note from our Director

Dear One Health friends, colleagues and students,

This is my second December writing this note to you – it is amazing how time flies! This has been a very busy and productive fall semester. I am pleased to share some highlights and upcoming opportunities with you. 

First, we are now accepting proposals for two One Health funding opportunities in 2025. This is the second year we are pleased to support Student One Health Awards for student research that address a One Health challenge to improve the health of people, animals and the environment. 

We will again support Faculty Pilot One Health Grants. This year the focus is to address an ecosystem health challenge using the One Health approach. We are excited to see the diversity of projects we may be able to support.

We are also pleased to have funded five student projects this semester in collaboration with the USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services for our recent Mini-Grant Challenge. These student awards focus on solution-oriented projects to address emerging disease threats specifically to inform on preparedness and response for African Swine Fever. As we know, there is currently there is no treatment or vaccine for African Swine Fever and the threat has increased the urgency to be prepared if the viral disease is detected in the U.S.

Finally, in addition to the other semester updates and opportunities below, we are excited to welcome a new member to our One Health Institute Team. Dr. Heather Aldrich will join us in January as our new grant writer for research development. We are excited to have her and increase our grant and fundraising efforts. Welcome Heather! 

I would like to thank the One Health Institute team for all their amazing work this year – I could not do my job without you! A heartfelt thank you to all the friends, colleagues and partners at CSU and beyond. I look forward to working with you all again in the New Year. We wish you and yours a wonderful break and holiday season. 

Cheers,

Tracey Goldstein, Ph.D.

Dr. G. William and Linda Orr Endowed Director for One Health

One Health Institute

Colorado State University

One Health Stories

The One Health Institute and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Veterinary Services office have funded five student research projects to provide One Health solution-oriented approaches to emerging disease threats that demonstrate clear potential to inform preparedness and response for African Swine Fever (ASF).

ASF is a viral disease that is not a direct threat to human health, but spreads quickly and kills most wild and domestic pigs who get the disease. Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine for ASF, so the best protection is prevention. African Swine Fever has never been found in the United States, but it has recently been found in the Caribbean countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The nearby ASF threat has increased the urgency to keep African Swine Fever out of the United States and be prepared if the viral disease is detected in the U.S.

The following funded projects highlight students' innovative ideas and approaches that will inform solutions to challenges posed by ASF:

Producing the First National Scale African Swine Fever Transmission and Outbreak Predictions for the United States

Student Investigator: Christopher Brandon, PhD Student

Economic Consequences of African Swine Fever: Strengthening U.S. Preparedness and Resilience

Student Investigator: Tais Cristina de Menezes, PhD student

Developing a Rapid Detection System of African Swine Fever Virus with a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Airport Security

Student Investigators: Gamze Badakul, PhD student; Piyawan Chailapakul, PhD student; Junko Maeda, Postdoctoral Fellow

Development of an Orally Delivered Vaccine to Immunize Against African Swine Fever Virus

Student Investigator: Christian Cherry, DVM/PhD student

Developing a Weather Vulnerability Index for Farms in Rural Communities

Student Investigators: Connor Price, PhD Student; David Kott, Masters student

Colorado State University graduate students presented their creative work, research and entrepreneurship at the 2024 Graduate Student Showcase on Nov. 20. Students were awarded $24k in awards for their research and creativity. 241 participants represented special academic units and all eight CSU colleges.

The One Health Institute is proud to have contributed a Research Excellence Top Scholar Award of $500 to graduate student Melea Barahona in Cell and Molecular Biology for her work on IL-10 cytokines and lung inflammation. 

Congratulations to all of CSU’s outstanding graduate students for their hard work this year.

Dr. Brad Borlee’s lab in CSU’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology explores Colorado’s aerobiome—the microbial ecosystem of the air.

By analyzing airborne bacteria, the Borlee lab develops innovative solutions such as antibacterial products and vaccines while addressing environmental challenges.

The lab emphasizes undergraduate research and outreach, enriching scientific discovery and public understanding of microbes’ role in health and the environment.

The CSU One Health Institute hosted our annual Celebration of One Health Day on Thursday, November 7, joining more than 200 other celebrations held all over the world. This year's theme, "One Health in Communities," showcased the impact of implementing the One Health approach in local, regional, and international communities.

Our celebration highlighted speakers from Colorado State University, the University of Colorado Boulder, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Presenters showcased their One Health work in communities, ranging from the state response to highly pathogenic avian influenza, tracking ticks on local trails, and improving air quality in Colorado's public elementary schools to One Health work in Indigenous communities.

Thank you for celebrating One Health Day with us! 

One Health Courses in Spring 2025

Both courses are requirements for the new Graduate Certificate in One Health. Please find information on the Certificate here.

One Health in Communities

Natural Disaster Management and Wildfires

When: Spring Semester 2025

Course code: PBHL642

Wednesdays from 5:00 - 8:00 PM in CSU's Health and Medical Center

The One Health in Communities Course will be taught in the spring semester 2025. The course brings together interdisciplinary graduate and professional students from all eight CSU Colleges to apply One Health knowledge to enhance our local community.

This year’s course will focus on addressing Natural Disaster Management through the One Health approach. Experts from CSU, local government, state government, non-profits, and industry will share diverse experiences for monitoring, controlling, and managing natural disasters such as wildfires.

This course is one of the requirements for the new One Health Graduate Certificate at Colorado State University.

Team Science

When: Spring Semester 2025

Course code: PBHL645

Wednesdays from 12:00 - 2:50 PM in Gifford Room 312

The One Health Institute is excited to share a new three-credit course available to CSU graduate and professional students in the spring semester 2025.

This Team Science course, offered through the Colorado School of Public Health, will explore the core concepts of Team Science and provide context within social, economic, and political settings. Students will examine One Health challenges and opportunities for inter- and transdisciplinary research and cross-sectoral initiatives.

This course is being taught for the first time in the spring semester and is one of the requirements for the new One Health Graduate Certificate at Colorado State University.

One Health Opportunities

Up to $40,000 of pilot funding for CSU faculty will be awarded for a single year to support the formation of interdisciplinary teams to address a health and/or disease ecosystem health challenge that affects the health of humans, animals, and/or plants to better position them for extramural funding in the next 1-3 years.

An “ecosystem health challenge” within a One Health project would focus on addressing threats to the health of an ecosystem, recognizing that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are interconnected, and taking action to mitigate issues like habitat loss, biodiversity decline, pollution, and climate change, which can impact both human and animal health within that ecosystem.

Up to $5,000 of funding is available for a single year and will support graduate and professional student research that will improve our understanding or response to an issue that affects human, animal and environmental health. 

The One Health Institute Student Award will not consider proposals focusing on only one or two areas of human, animal and environmental health.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

in Aerobiome Research

The BROADN REU program at Colorado State University is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and offers undergraduate students a mentored research experience to work with a diverse team of scientists to investigate how environmental stresses alter the microbiome of the air and how it impacts human, animal, and environmental health.

The BROADN REU program will run from May 27 – Aug 1, 2025, in Fort Collins and includes boarding, a stipend, and travel support.

Applications are due Friday, February 7, 2025, by 11:59 PM.

For more information, please contact BROADN's REU Program Director, Brad Borlee.

Join the CSU One Health Student Club

The One Health Student Club at Colorado State University has been hard at work this semester, identifying its primary officers and discussing goals for student engagement opportunities in the upcoming semester.

The One Health Student Club welcomes students from all eight colleges at Colorado State University and explores issues facing animals, people, and the planet. Working closely with the CSU One Health Institute, the Club will participate in events such as CSUnity, tree planting, campus cleanups, and more.

The One Health Student Club will be welcoming new student members in the spring and will work with the One Health Institute to organize One Health events and student engagement opportunities.

Students please consider joining the One Health Student Club for an exciting spring semester!

Team Updates

Dr. Heather Aldrich is excited to join the One Health Institute as our new Grant Writer at the beginning of 2025.

Heather has over twenty years of experience in health and writing in academic and industry settings. Her background includes working on cross-disciplinary and cross-sector health research projects, grant writing and editing, and team science. Welcome, Heather! 

One Health Trail Events

The One Health Trail at the CU School of Medicine at Colorado State University Fort Collins Regional Medical Campus invites students interested in One Health to join upcoming talks and community experiences in January.

Experts, including from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado State University, local public health organizations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will present on topics such as One Health Advocacy, One Health and Climate Action from a Veterinary Perspective, Fundamentals of Infectious Disease. Explore the events and sign up for them here. 

Support the One Health Institute

One Health Institute | onehealth.colostate.edu