RxOH 2022 Alum: Yeukai Chikwenhere

Yeukai Chikwenhere

My name is Yeukai Chikwenhere. I am a pharmacist with over six years of experience working in various sectors prior to my enrollment for a MSc in Global health delivery at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. I did a One Health track during my master’s program where I acquired knowledge of the One Health framework's theoretical and practical aspects. I am interested in research opportunities in Global Health and One Health specifically. After going through the Rx One Health Course modules and visiting the various ecosystems, the hands-on exposure and experience to key skills for disease surveillance fascinated me the most. Above all, I was intrigued by the diversity in the geographical background and expertise among the participants and I can say it was an impressive and knowledgeable group.

The challenges I experienced made this whole program worthwhile as I stepped out of my comfort zones. Culture shock such as food was a huge challenge, as sandwiches and vegetables are usually considered as a snack in my country and not a main meal (Hahaha). I had to adjust to that and eventually grew to deeply appreciate the fresh fruits from the farms. Camping at Clover Valley did scare me a bit during the first two nights especially with the howling of the coyotes during the evening but that also became music to my ears with time and I am super proud of myself for that experience.

While in Clover valley, we learnt how to properly put on protective personal equipment, which simulated a typical working environment where we caught rodents, and sampled them, and observed good laboratory practices for storing the samples.  This session explored what may go wrong and how best to address such situations. We had highly experienced instructors and learnt a lot from their past work. It was particularly interesting how after we caught the rodents, we needed to return them where we found them to ensure they could go back to their homes. As One Health practitioners, there is a deep appreciation of the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health hence the importance of caring for animals we work with to learn more about them and better understand our shared environment. Most importantly, I appreciated the variation in roles animals and the environment play in different contexts, for instance, rodents being assessed as vectors of viruses and these same rodents being delicacies in some communities in Africa. This triggered concerns [for me] such as; What are the chances of spillover? What are the possibilities of evolved immune systems in such contexts? These probes explore the possibility of genetic variations across communities based on how they interact with their animals and their environment.

Our trip to the Salinas Valley was intriguing; I particularly liked the farming course offered to   support Latino communities to excel in the farming industry. This extended from learning the basics of work they already do, the business aspect of it as well as funding to establish their own farms and further support to penetrate the huge market. In essence, due to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of One Health it's no longer just about the health of animals, humans, or the environment but the systems, communities and knowledge to support all this. A lecture on farm workers and social-determinants of farm worker welfare which we had a week before this visit was highly complemented by this visit and illustrated the importance of a supported workforce and the role of informed policies to ensure a true One Health.

Moss Landing was a unique experience where we learned about marine animals and various birds. Moss Landing is actually the gateway to Elkhorn slough, one of the largest wetlands in California. I saw plenty of sea otters, seals, sea lions and various birds. I had motion sickness for most of that day but that did not stop me in any way from enjoying the beautiful beach and the protected waters that provide a sanctuary for these animals. From this experience I appreciated the importance of protecting components of our environment. I was inspired by the vastness of knowledge that can be acquired by understanding animals in different ecosystems and their importance in maintaining the ecological balance of the planet.

I'm keen to work on influencing health policy and this experience has conscientized me on the depth of the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment. I intend to always voice that and inspire such considerations in informing policies. There is so much more to learn from the environment and every other living organism, hence the need to advocate for protection and non-extractive use of our natural resources. Rx One Health is rich in content and experienced instructors particularly feeding into biomedical sciences. However, One Health transcends geographical settings, disciplines, and experts hence cultural awareness and contexts should be highly explored and embraced. This will look like incorporation of indigenous knowledge and accommodate tools like popular education to learn from the people or communities we engage with. Lastly, I hope and envision that as One Health practitioners we explore how the framework can influence changes at a structural or systemic level and ensure all the work done collaboratively across various disciplines would be accessible to all with minimal political, economic and social shortcomings