ONE HEALTH - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module consists of multiple broad concepts relevant to clinical practice, providing students with a tool kit to understand and contribute to changes in the scientific world and society. Concepts included are; one health, sustainability, antimicrobial resistance, zoonoses, notifiable diseases, emerging infectious diseases and sustainability. Other one health considerations in research such as epidemiology, translational medicine and lab animal medicine will be explored. This module will also discuss the role of international, collaborative surveillance of animal health, globalisation and biosecurity in the prevention of infection and disease. This module will additionally focus on a transdisciplinary approach to health, including exploring the role of government and non-governmental bodies in policy influence and implementation. There will be opportunities to engage with each other and lecturers about inclusivity, diversity, cultural and global competence and relate these considerations to the veterinary profession. This module also aims to exemplify the role that the resilient veterinary surgeon has in the community and the role of human factors in ensuring animal, human and planetary health are considered in clinical decision making. This module aims to prepare students for clinical practice and equip them with knowledge base and tool kit to manage one health and sustainability challenges in diverse contexts. 

Module provider

School of Veterinary Medicine

Module Leader

FINNEGAN Catherine (Vet Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• One Health
  
  
  
  • Emerging infectious disease
  
  
  • Surveillance - national and international
  
  
  • Epidemiology for infectious disease
  
  
  • Zoonoses
  
  
  • Antimicrobial resistance
  
  
  • Lab animal medicine and ethics
  
  
  • Stakeholder management
  
  
  • Neglected tropical diseases
  
  
  • Global competencies
  
  
  
  


• Animal trade
  
  
  
  • Role of national and international organisations
  
  
  • Notifiable disease and reporting
  
  
  
  


• Sustainability
  
  
  
  • UN Sustainable Development Goals
  
  
  • Environmental impact of veterinary work
  
  
  • Impact of intensive livestock production
  
  
  • Sustainable use of medication and anaesthetics
  
  
  • Climate change and emerging disease
  
  
  
  


• Resilience


• Equality, diversity and inclusion
  
  
  
  • Cultural competency, faith and the profession
  
  
  • Equality Act
  
  
  
  

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Alternative assessment for the the Group Project Submission will be an individual written piece of work.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• Their understanding of one health topics and the role of the veterinarian in one health


• The analysis and interpretation of surveillance data


• Their understanding of the global risks from the emergence of new threats to animal and human health


• An appreciation of the framework and regulations that govern the safe international trade and movement of animals and animal products


• Their knowledge of notifiable and zoonotic disease in veterinary species


• An appreciation and understanding of transdisciplinary collaboration and global competencies in contemporary health issues


• Their ability to evaluate a veterinary practice for resilience, sustainability and inclusivity


• Group working skills for sustainability and EDI assessment plus digital capabilities with the ability to synthesis knowledge and make recommendations through a presentation

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Group presentation - designed to allow students to demonstrate their ability to evaluate a veterinary practice for resilience, sustainability and inclusivity and to demonstrate their group working and presentation skills and digital capabilities (LO 1,2,6,7,9)


• Written examination - designed to allow students to demonstrate and apply their knowledge on the One Health topics discussed in this module (LO 1,3,4,5,7,8)

(Exam Units are onsite closed-booked invigilated fixed-time assessments. They are delivered through SurreyLearn using campus PC Labs)

Formative assessment and feedback

Formative feedback will be provided through verbal feedback in practical sessions and following guided learning exercises with summative self-assessment exercises.

Module aims

• Further develop the knowledge, skills and attributes required to support professional practice in a One Health context while
  considering the role of the veterinarian in antimicrobial resistance, zoonoses, notifiable diseases, emerging infectious
  diseases, sustainability and lab animal medicine.
• Understand the role and behaviours expected of the veterinarian and veterinary profession in equality, diversity, inclusion
  and sustainability.
• Understand student's role in preparedness for clinical training and the role of human factors and leadership in clinical
  practice.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Promote independent learning and the assimilation of evidence to form judgements in the face of modern-day, complex issues. Develop team-working skills to perform an audit and present findings to peers. Create an awareness of and respect for the opinions of others, including those from a nonscientific background. Impress upon students the importance of working with other disciplines, including the medical profession. To encourage students to consider the One Health impact of their decisions in their professional lives and to become champions for sustainability and EDI in the profession.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures, seminars, practicals & small group discussions


• Teaching activities, including simulations on a Notifiable disease outbreak, working through scenarios in large animal and small animal isolation units as well as a virtual visit in a laboratory


• Practicals involving computer-based exercises, handling and evaluating data and surveillance evidence

This module will involve collaboration with other departments at the University in order to stress the importance of transdisciplinary collaboration.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: VMS4009

Other information

The Surrey Framework consist of the attributes: employability, global and cultural capabilities, digital capabilities, sustainability and resourcefulness and resilience. This module includes the following key topics which further develop one or more of the attributes as indicated.

Employability: this module explores many concepts in One Health and uses a trandisciplinary approach to consider global health. The students will be exposed to academics and lecturers who are not veterinary surgeons, thus highlighting different career pathways that can be considered such as epidemiology, global health research, surveillance work and international organisations.

Global and cultural capabilities: students will be given ample opportunity to explore what it means to be a global citizen with cultural capabilities. This will include exposure to EDI concepts and tools for students to be able to engage as veterinary surgeons with a range of stakeholders - including those of different faiths and ethnicities. There will also be opportunity for students to engage with material about international organisations like the WHO and consider managing animal health within an international One Health context.

Sustainability: a core component of this module is sustainability within a veterinary context. Students will have the opportunity to consider our changing planet will impact the veterinary profession globally as well as how aspects of veterinary medicine impact on the environment. Students will also develop skills to audit a veterinary practice for sustainability.

Resourcefulness and resilience: in this module, students will be shown the importance of considering the 'bigger picture' with regard to veterinary medicine - considering the planetary impact of our profession. Students will be explore how to cope with a changing climate and scarcity of resources. All teaching activities will link back to One Health as a framework.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.