Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM or Ross Vet) and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) have signed a Framework Agreement to advance the One Health agenda across the Eastern Caribbean, joining forces on education, research, disease surveillance and capacity building.
What is One Health, and why does this agreement focus on it?
One Health recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected, and that protecting one requires coordinated action across all three. The agreement gives RUSVM and PAHO/WHO a foundation for long-term cooperation to prevent, detect and respond to zoonotic diseases — those that pass between animals and people — and to advance disease elimination in the region.
What the partnership covers
The agreement is guided by four shared objectives:
Enhancing educational programs through One Health integration;
Fostering interdisciplinary research and innovation;
Addressing regional and global health challenges; and
Strengthening public health capacities across the Eastern Caribbean.
What each institution will do
Under the agreement, RUSVM will provide technical expertise to help countries prepare certification dossiers for interrupting the transmission of schistosomiasis and dog bite-mediated human rabies in historically endemic countries. RUSVM will also strengthen surveillance of zoonotic and emerging diseases and contribute expertise to PAHO/WHO technical meetings on One Health and disease elimination.
PAHO/WHO, in turn, will provide technical guidance for disease-elimination initiatives, connect RUSVM with Member States and regional partners, and open opportunities for collaboration across its One Health network.
Dr. Prabhjot Singh, interim PAHO/WHO representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, said the partnership draws strength from where RUSVM sits. "RUSVM is rooted in St. Kitts and Nevis, and that matters," he said. "As an institution based on a small island itself, RUSVM understands firsthand the realities our communities live with, where people, animals and environment share the same limited space. By bringing together this local insight with their expertise in public health, veterinary medicine, and research, we are strengthening countries' capacity to prevent and respond to zoonotic diseases, address antimicrobial resistance and support healthier, more resilient communities."
Where the work goes next
Together, RUSVM and PAHO/WHO will collaborate on complex regional challenges including antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and emerging infectious diseases, and will jointly host workshops, seminars and conferences across the Eastern Caribbean.
“We are proud to partner with PAHO/WHO in advancing the One Health agenda across the Eastern Caribbean,” said Dr. Rob Gilbert, dean of RUSVM. "With our roots in St. Kitts and Nevis, RUSVM is uniquely positioned to contribute local insight and technical expertise to regional efforts to strengthen health security, address emerging threats such as zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance, and build more resilient communities."
Frequently asked questions
What is One Health? One Health is the understanding that human, animal and environmental health are linked, and that emerging threats such as zoonotic disease are best addressed by working across all three at once.
What will Ross Vet and PAHO/WHO work on together? RUSVM and PAHO/WHO will collaborate on disease surveillance and elimination, research, education and public health capacity building across the Eastern Caribbean, with early work targeting schistosomiasis and dog bite-mediated human rabies.
Where is Ross Vet located? RUSVM is based in Basseterre, St. Kitts, in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
