UH Manoa
Collaboration
Care
The 2026 One Health Conference brought together over 50 students, clinicians, veterinarians, public health professionals, environmental leaders, community partners, and policy experts to explore how natural disasters and climate change affect the interconnected health of people, animals, and ecosystems. Throughout the day, speakers used the 2026 Kona Low storms as a shared case example to highlight how flooding, infrastructure disruption, water contamination, food insecurity, animal health concerns, displacement, and mental health stressors can rapidly become overlapping One Health emergencies.
Morning sessions emphasized that climate resilience cannot be built by one profession or
sector alone. Presenters Michelle Kimura MS4, Dr. Kealoha Fox, Dr. Gabrielle Asay, and Dr.
Rajeev Kumar Mishra shared perspectives from medicine, veterinary medicine, climate
resilience, Indigenous stewardship, agriculture, public health, and community-based care.
Together, these discussions reinforced that disasters do not affect human health in isolation. They
also disrupt housing, access to clean water, food systems, livestock and companion animal care,
environmental safety, transportation, and continuity of medical care.
In the afternoon, participants moved from discussion to action through an interactive OH-
SMART workshop led by Dr. Katey Pelican. Using the One Health Systems Mapping and
Analysis Resource Toolkit, attendees worked across disciplines to examine the Kona Low
response, identify stakeholders, map points of collaboration and conflict, and develop practical
recommendations for improving future disaster prevention and response. The workshop
challenged participants to think beyond individual roles and instead consider how agencies,
organizations, communities, and sectors interact within a larger health system.
The conference served as a connecting point for individuals who may not otherwise have
the opportunity to collaborate. By intentionally bringing together people from medicine,
veterinary care, public health, environmental science, government, agriculture, emergency
management, and community organizations, the conference created space for new relationships,
shared understanding, and future partnerships. These connections are essential for building a
stronger One Health network in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
The conference closed with a shared recognition that climate-related disasters are not
only environmental events, but health emergencies that require coordinated, culturally grounded,
and community-centered responses. The conversations and action planning from the day
underscored a central message: building climate resilience means restoring and strengthening
relationships among people, animals, ecosystems, and ʻāina.
Mahalo to all speakers, participants, community partners, and JABSOM One Health
Interest Group who helped make the One Health Conference 2026 a meaningful step
toward a more connected and resilient future.