Building a European One Health workforce for prevention and preparedness to health threats

BACKGROUND: The Quadripartite has elaborated the One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022-2026) (OH JPA) to promote health sustainably and prevent the next pandemic through the One Health (OH) approach. One of the action track of the OH JPA is to create a training program for environment, medical and veterinary sector professionals. OBJECTIVES: The Italian National Institute of Health is developing a training curriculum about OH prevention and preparedness to health threats within the European Region to promote the OH workforce capacities and capabilities and to support the OH JPA execution. The training curriculum would be developed through a literature review and a stakeholder consultation process, validated by a steering committee and presented during a workshop. RESULTS: A modular training curriculum about OH prevention and preparedness to health threats within the European Region is developed and it includes modules to strengthen soft and hard skills around 5 OH domains (OH thinking, OH design, OH implementation, OH evaluation, OH cross-cutting competences) with case studies encompassing different threats. The curriculum would be further developed into a training hybrid course for National Public Health Institutes, decision and policy-makers at all level, International and European organizations and agencies, Academia, professionals working in the area of environmental and agricultural sciences, social sciences, human and animal health. CONCLUSIONS: The training curriculum would contribute to build a European OH workforce by strengthening OH prevention and preparedness skills and competences and networking opportunities. It would support OH action and practice at national, regional and global level and the execution of the OH JPA. KEY MESSAGES: • A training curriculum for OH prevention and preparedness to health threats within Europe has been elaborated. • The OH workforce, OH action, and the OH JPA execution are strengthened and supported.