Una Europa: One Health Summer School – the student experience

16 Aug 2023

Seven UCD students took part in the Una Europa One Health Summer School, held at KU Leuven in Belgium, in summer 2023. Four students attended the General One Health Summer School and three participated in the Deep Dive One Health Summer School for doctoral candidates.

Una Europa is an alliance of 11 European universities, including UCD, who share the common goal of developing a truly integrated European University of the Future. One Health is an interdisciplinary research focus of Una Europa that works towards the achievement of the UN's sustainable development goals and explores how the health of humans, animals, other organisms and the environment are inextricably linked.

The One Health Summer School brought together students, doctoral researchers and staff from across the Una Europa alliance to explore interdisciplinary health issues in an interactive, innovative way, with a mix of online engagement, on-site classes and collaborative work, complemented by a cultural and social programme.

“The One Health Summer School and Deep Dive was well worth it,” said Rachel Howe, PhD student at the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems. “I really benefited from a few days of focusing on my topic and applying some of the Health Systems modelling techniques we learned about.”

Rachel also praised the social and cultural aspects of the initiative. “There were lovely social events planned and it was wonderful to make friends and collaborate with other international students - an important part of the PhD journey which hasn’t happened lately due to Covid19. I also relished the opportunity to visit a new place and see some of the local heritage sites, which included many Irish connections.”

PhD student Dennis Fosu from the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine also took part. “I had an amazing time at the Una Europa Deep Dive Summer School,” he said. “The lectures and seminars were so helpful in identifying and connecting important variables for my PhD research. On top of that, I got to meet some really cool people and explore all the interesting places that Leuven has to offer. Overall, it was a transformative experience and I highly recommend it to all!”

Dennis will be sharing his Summer School experiences at the UCD Global Experience Summit, taking place on October 3rd and 4th in UCD. 

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