Official Master's Degree in Zoonoses and One Health

Ideal student profile

Graduates, Bachelor’s degree holders or Diploma holders in the field of Health Sciences (Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Food Science and Technology, Animal Science and Health, Biomedicine, Psychology…) and Life Sciences (Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Zoology, Botany, Ecology, Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences, Agronomic Engineering, Forestry…) or equivalent.

The profile corresponds to a person interested in developing their professional career in research or management positions in the private sector, in public research institutes with projects in the area of biomedicine, or in hospitals that have research programmes-projects, or in official or private international health‑management organisations and NGOs. It may also correspond to professionals in the Health sector who are interested in deepening their knowledge and professionalising themselves within this new multidisciplinary perspective.

Knowledge

• Analyse the main zoonotic risks according to the One Health approach.

• Explain the risk analysis methodologies applied to the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases.

• Describe the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and control of the main current, emerging, and re-emerging zoonoses.

• Explain the mechanisms of transmission and interaction among humans, animals, vectors, and the environment.

• Analyse the impact of globalisation and climate change on the distribution and dynamics relevant to the management of zoonoses at the socio‑health, economic, and political levels.

• Determine the methods and tools of risk analysis applied to food safety.

• Interpret international regulations related to public health, animal health, and food safety.

Skills

• Apply risk analyses for the management, control, and prevention of zoonotic agents in the health, veterinary, and environmental fields.
• Design containment and control strategies for zoonoses based on scientific evidence.
• Apply epidemiological surveillance plans in response to health alerts.
• Assess the impact of environmental/atmospheric pollution on the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems.
• Plan food safety programmes by applying hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP).
• Apply diagnostic techniques for the detection of zoonotic agents.
• Use statistical and bioinformatic software for the dynamic modelling of zoonotic diseases.
• Communicate health risks in emergency scenarios and outbreaks of emerging and re‑emerging diseases, adapting messages to different audiences according to the One Health approach.
• Organise health situations under the One Health approach in resource‑poor regions, vulnerable populations, and health alerts, incorporating a gender perspective to ensure equity in care.
• Demonstrate the ability to work individually and in multidisciplinary teams in research related to zoonotic agents and the One Health approach.

Competences

• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams in the management of health crises and zoonotic emergencies.
• Communicate zoonotic risks to different audiences, including health professionals and the general population, incorporating a gender perspective to adapt messages to different social realities.
• Develop innovative strategies for the prevention of emerging and re‑emerging diseases and for food safety.
• Integrate ethical and deontological considerations into health‑related decision‑making under the One Health approach.
• Interpret health and epidemiological data to advise public and private organisations on One Health matters.
• Adapt knowledge to new health and epidemiological challenges in a context of global climate change.
• Apply One Health strategies in the research and implementation of health policies for the prevention of zoonoses and food safety.
• Promote continuous training and professional development in the management of health risks within the One Health framework.