One of UTMB’s most frequent collaborators in One Health is Dr. John A. Lednicky, MS, PhD, a Research Professor at the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions. One might regard Dr. Lednicky as a polymath —a modern-day Renaissance scientist — due to his remarkably interdisciplinary expertise and his unconventional path towards embracing the One Health approach.

Dr. Haiping Hao, PhD, serves as Director of UTMB’s Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Core and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. He has significantly advanced the application of viral genome sequencing in public health by applying NGS to track mutations and inform public health responses for pathogen surveillance. His work led to the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants, real time outbreak monitoring and understanding of zoonotic spillovers, in line with the One Health framework. His recent work sequencing H5N1 samples from cattle in Texas demonstrates the power of genomic tools across species and settings to anticipate disease dynamics and support vaccine development.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)’s One Health Laboratory is making significant strides in interdisciplinary research, mentorship, and international collaboration — bringing together students and scientists. Currently, under two national training grants, graduate students from Mongolia and undergraduates from Galveston College are being trained in virology and molecular techniques.