RxOH 2022 Alum: Hannah Brown

Hannah Brown, PhDc

I am Hannah, a PhD student from University College Dublin, Ireland. My PhD focuses on developing culture models to study Hepatitis E, an emerging zoonotic infections disease. I have a background in virology, focussing mainly on livestock and zoonotic viruses.

I was interested in the Rx One Health course because, whilst I would have always considered myself a One Health practitioner, I was aware of gaps in my knowledge and was looking to improve my understanding of some of the aspects of One Health that I have not yet had chance to explore. An example of this would be in understanding the potential social or community based impacts and implications of my research, or how my work might contribute to policy making decisions.

Another aspect I was keen to explore was community engagement, which as a laboratory based scientist I have had little opportunity to do so far. The One Health Institute at UC Davis is globally known as a leader in One Health research and also has a close collaboratory relationship with University College Dublin, where I currently study, and so this course felt like a perfect fit for me.

Participating on this course was a hugely transformative experience for me both professionally and personally. I found it invigorating to meet, and spend so much time with, like-minded people from a variety of backgrounds. Sometimes, when you are focussed on a single topic or research project it can be hard to see how you fit into the big picture, or how you can make a difference when only working on one small area. It felt exciting to know that there are others out there, around the world, working in a variety of areas, but with the same common goal. Even better is I now get to call them friends.

Following on from that I think participating on this course gave me a wider outlook on how different One Health issues intersect, through talking with the other participants about their work and within the lectures and visits we went on. I feel like I gained a new perspective on the complexity of some global health issues as well as the difficulties that can arise when trying to address those issues, however it was always abundantly clear the huge benefits of using a One Health approach to tackle these issues.

One aspect that I initially found challenging was that being part of such a large group, made up of individuals with very different working styles, opinions, and work experience, made it a little difficult to figure out where I could make a meaningful contribution. This became less of a challenge over time as the group got to know each other and we developed a cohesive working style which meant we were more productive in the activities we carried out, such as the capstone project.

Another aspect I found a bit overwhelming at times, was that whilst I went into the course knowing my personal knowledge limitations and which areas of One Health I wanted to improve my knowledge in, it was slightly overwhelming at times to learn so much new information on a topic I hadn’t covered previously in much detail. However, each topic we covered was also paired with, or became relevant to, a practical experience organised within the course, and this really helped solidify these new concepts in my mind.

One of the main things I took away from this course is the importance of stakeholder involvement at all stages of a project. Since finishing the course I am now trying to determine who the main stakeholders are with regards to my PhD research and how I can ensure that my work is focussed on areas of significance for all of those it impacts. This is something I will take forward with me throughout my career, a key point being that this remains a consideration at the early stages of my work, as well as throughout.

Another thing that has been at the forefront of my thoughts since finishing the course is how I can broaden my research and carry out more collaborative work, past my usual scope as a virologist and laboratory scientist. A key idea within One Health is that we all have unique skills and knowledge that we should always try and share, even in instances where the initial link or benefits of sharing might not be apparent. We should avoid keeping ourselves siloed from other researchers and individuals in different fields, and so now I will more actively look for opportunities to share my work and hear the work of different groups. Initially I will do this within my own university, where there is a huge variety of schools and research groups, but in the future I will likely do this through attending more varied conferences or looking out for seminars and other courses or events available.

As well as gaining a lot professionally from this course, the experience has also had a big personal impact on me. Something I really enjoyed was spending so much time outdoors whilst learning. We camped in the Sierra Nevada mountains, stayed at Hasting’s, a beautiful natural history reservation, and were able to take in the amazing landscapes that California has to offer, something I might never have done if not for this course. I have always been an outdoorsy person, but some of the activities such as our walk with Terri Rust, discussing different vegetation and the effects of the wildfires California has seen, has really reignited my enjoyment for the flora and fauna of the world we live in. I may have downloaded a plant ID app as a result, walks now take twice as long!

I think this course offers a really unique and special opportunity for anyone wanting to learn more about One Health professionally, but also to grow and change as an individual personally.