Savanna Blair
For my summer 2022 global experience, aside from cycling 1200 miles through England, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Spain, I participated in the RX One Health Field Institute. This year the RX One Health program was held at several sites throughout California. This year’s Rx One Health cohort had many different professions represented and we were all connected by an interest in One Health. Some of the professions included veterinary medicine, human medicine, pharmacy, parasitology, virology, public health, epidemiology, and genetics. My goals in joining the RX One Health program were to be exposed to parts of the One Health Approach I was not yet familiar with as well as to explore areas of study and potential topics for research during my MPVM degree which I will begin in 2023. I can now say that the program met and exceeded these goals.
This year the program began in Davis, California. Our first day was a half day, it was spent checking-in at our accommodation then walking to the One Health Institute on the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine campus for short introductions and an itinerary review. The next two days were spent in the classroom at the One Health Institute with lectures and group activities. Some of these lectures were planting the seed for the topics we would visit later in the week on our field trips. The lectures included the topics of zoonotic disease and spillover, oil spill response, principles of community engagement, immigrant farmworker’s health and links to the environment, social determinants of health, as well as genomics role in one health and diagnostics. While in Davis we also had a field trip to see some wildlife living in and around the rice patty fields between Davis and Sacrament. Dr. Kevin Keel was our special guest on this field trip. He told us all about the environment and helped us see many different species of birds including ibis, a bald eagle, several hawks. We stayed until sunset to see the population of 250,000 migrating Mexican free-tailed bats take flight from under the I-80 Yolo Causeway which happens every evening this time of year. During the bat walk we had a local bat rehabilitation expert discuss these bats and their importance in the environment with us.
On Wednesday we took a bus to the Clover Valley Ranch and set up to camp for the next 5 days. During the long bus ride, we got to stop at the Donner Pass and have lunch as well as a short hike on part of the Pacific Coast Trail to stretch our legs. At Clover Valley we had many interactive learning experiences as well as discussions from professionals brought in on different days to discuss different topics with us. Highlights for me included the PPE Olympics and a hike where we learned about the local plants, discussed how wildfires effect the area, and how they can be a signal for the health of environment. Each day at Clover Valley was jam packed with engaging learning experiences, beautiful hikes, inspiring lectures, and delicious meals. Next we hopped back on the bus and headed South to the University of California Hastings Reserve which is one of the universities field research sites. There we had a few day trips along with our capstone project. The day trips included visiting ALBA, a non-profit organization helping farmworkers become farmers, the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center where the office of spill prevention and response is located, and Elkhorn Slough where there is a One Health interface where the slough houses wild animals, native plants, a busy boat harbor, and a neighboring dairy farm.
The 2022 RX One health cohort was incredible. We were a group of young professionals coming from many different countries, programs, industries, or careers brought together by a mutual belief that the health of humans, plants, animals, and our planet are all inherently linked and interest in becoming One Health practitioners and advocates. I'm so excited to have new friends from all over the world and the RX One Health program has left me excited, motivated, and curious to learn more about the interconnectedness of our planet's health.
