McGill Summer Institute in
Infectious Diseases and Global Health

Proudly celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Summer Institutes in 2025! 

Over the past decade, we have proudly delivered short courses designed for students and professionals alike. In 2025, we will offer 16 courses in a combination of online, in-person, and hybrid formats. These courses provide valuable professional development opportunities for individuals working in universities, clinical settings, research institutes, non-profit organizations, and industry. They also serve as excellent supplemental learning for students eager to deepen their knowledge. Learn more at the Summer Institute website.

One Health Approaches to Infectious Disease Control 
May 26-29, 2025

Register before May 2^nd to receive the 10% discount!

COURSE FORMAT

Online only. Course will be live to online participants approximately 9:00am to 4:00pm (Montreal time) each day May 26–29, 2025. All content will be recorded and accessible to participants until July 1, 2025.

Participants have the option to register exclusively for Day 4 (Thursday, May 29), which will focus on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

This course is offered in partnership with The Canadian AMR Network and the McGill AMR Centre. CAN-AMR-NET Trainee members are eligible for a special discount - contact golsa.kafili [at] ucalgary.ca (subject: McGill%20Summer%20Institute%20-%20CAN-AMR-NET%20discount) (Golsa Kafili). If  interested in this opportunity and you are not a member with CAN-AMR-Net, you can become a member via this link: https://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_8qUHfzgP7JHg4HI.

DESCRIPTION

The term One Health is used to describe a unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and the environment. This course will introduce and examine One Health approaches to controlling infectious diseases. Infectious diseases that have reservoirs in the environment or animals are difficult to control and eradication via vaccination is impossible. A One Health approach – which integrates multiple sectors, disciplines, and communities – to controlling these pathogens may be particularly effective. This course will include several case studies will prepare participants to think beyond human medicine to envision complex and interdisciplinary strategies to control infectious diseases including vaccinating wild-populations, improving farm biosafety, pest-management, nutrition, and weather monitoring. The course will involve an interactive component where students are asked to work in multidisciplinary teams to develop a One Health approach to control a zoonotic pathogen.

Day 4 of the course will delve into the One Health dimensions of the ongoing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) crisis. The importance of surveillance across different sectors, effective government regulation, and maintaining community support will also be discussed in round-table format. Participants have the option to register exclusively for this day if they wish to focus on this critical topic.

COURSE DIRECTOR

Jennifer Ronholm, PhD, BSc
Associate Professor, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University
Canada Research Chair of Agricultural Microbiology, McGill University

COURSE FACULTY

• Dao Nguyen, McGill University
• Herman Barkema, University of Calgary
• Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Institute
• Jorge Matheu, World Health Organization
• Jolieke van Oosterwijk, US Biologic
• Heather Fowler, National Pork Board
• Erika Ganda, Penn State
• Ontario Wildlife Research and Monitoring

Faculty are still being confirmed and there may be changes to the above list.

CONTENT

The course consists of lectures (including guest lectures from experts around the world), discussion panels, and an interactive challenge.

The course aims to:

• Explain the concept of One Health and how it applies to infectious disease management
• Provide several real-life case studies of where a One Health approach has been applied to successfully contain a pathogen – using global examples
• Expose participants to One Health solutions to infectious disease control that are still pre-market or in the initial stages of research
• Discuss how public policy has been applied to infectious disease control with examples of effective and counter-productive policies
• Use antimicrobial resistance as an example of global challenges that require a One Health Approach
• Provide opportunities to meet and network with potential global partners for future One Health initiatives.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course, participants will understand:

• The concept of One Health and scenarios in which a One Health approach is effective at guiding infectious disease control strategies
• Real-life examples of successful One Health infectious disease interventions
• The profound connections between Antimicrobial Resistance, human medicine, agricultural practice, and the environment.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This course is aimed at senior level undergraduate students, graduate students, public health professionals, members of agricultural collectives, and scientists interested in One Health.

ENROLLMENT

Unlimited.