ONE HEALTH SOCIETY
UVAS NAROWAL
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Introduction
The One Health Society (OHS) at UVAS Narowal Campus is a student-led initiative bringing together more than 60 passionate veterinary and health students united by a single belief that human health, animal health, and environmental health are deeply and inseparably connected. Founded under the expert mentorship of Dr. Waqas Ahmed (Epidemiologist & WHO-STAG-NTD Member), OHS operates at the intersection of science, community service, and public health advocacy.
Our members are actively working on the ground to raise awareness about critical zoonotic diseases including Rabies, Brucellosis, and food-borne zoonoses, as well as urgent global challenges such as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), climate change and its impact on disease patterns, and emerging infectious disease threats. We believe that veterinary students are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between animal health and human well-being and we act on that belief every day.
Beyond the classroom, OHS conducts field-level awareness camps in rural communities, bringing life-saving health education directly to farmers, livestock owners, and underserved populations in and around the Narowal district. We have organized outreach programs in villages like Longokay and Dhamthal, delivered Rabies awareness sessions at local schools, and run vaccination awareness drives at the grassroots level. At the same time, our reach extends globally through online webinars featuring international experts on topics like Antimicrobial Resistance, the human-dog bond, and One Health scholarship opportunities, we connect our members to the wider world of global health. We are also actively building capacity in disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness, training our student teams to monitor zoonotic trends and respond rapidly to emerging health threats in our region.
OHS is more than a student society, it is a movement. A movement toward a healthier, safer, and more resilient world for people, animals, and the environment alike.
Our Mission
To cultivate a generation of veterinary and health professionals equipped with the interdisciplinary knowledge, field experience, and global perspective needed to solve complex 21st-century health challenges. We promote awareness and action through education, community outreach, scientific research, and media communication — empowering students to understand and address real-world health crises through a One Health lens. We envision a Pakistan where the threat of zoonotic outbreaks is minimized through robust clinical surveillance, informed communities, and collaborative, multisectoral action.
Core Pillars
Our work is built on three foundational pillars that reflect the One Health triad:
The first is Human Health, addressed through our Public Health Department, which focuses on disease prevention, community health screenings, and educating people on how animal and environmental factors directly affect human well-being.
The second is Animal Health, championed by our Zoonosis Department, which researches and monitors diseases that cross the animal-human barrier — from Rabies and Brucellosis to Neglected Tropical Diseases — and works to protect both livestock and the wider community.
The third is Environmental Health, led by our Environmental Department, which examines how water quality, soil health, climate change, and environmental degradation drive disease emergence, and promotes sustainability through tree plantation drives, awareness campaigns, and field research.
Goals
Our immediate goal is to eliminate the knowledge gap between academic theory and real-world field practice by giving our members direct, hands-on experience through outreach camps, vaccination drives, and community health programs across the Narowal region.
At the research level, we are committed to fostering a culture of scientific writing and high-impact publication, encouraging students to document their fieldwork and contribute to the global body of knowledge on regional epidemiology and zoonotic disease control.
On the advocacy front, we aim to bring One Health awareness to every corner of our community from rural farming villages to urban schools through both in-person sessions and a strong, active digital presence across Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Threads.
Looking ahead, our long-term goal is to position OHS UVAS Narowal as a recognized regional hub for One Health innovation — a society that trains the next generation of epidemiologists, veterinarians, and public health leaders who will protect Pakistan from the health crises of tomorrow.
Dr. Waqas Ahmad
Assistant Professor in Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS)-Lahore, Pakistan since 2016, Fellow of GLIDE-UAE, Member of the WHO-STAG-NTD, UAR forum of the WOAH
"One Health is not a slogan, it is a responsibility. The diseases that threaten our communities do not respect the boundaries between species or ecosystems, and neither should our response to them. At OHS Narowal, I see something truly remarkable: young veterinary students who understand that their role extends far beyond the clinic or the farm. They are disease detectives, community educators, and the future frontline of global health security. My vision for this society is simple that every student who passes through OHS leaves not just with knowledge, but with the courage and the tools to act on it. The work we do here in Narowal in the villages, the schools, the fields is the kind of work that quietly changes the world. I am proud of every one of them."
OHS Narowal President M.Ahsan Iqbal
When we started this society, we had nothing but an idea and a group of students who believed in it. Today, we have a team of over 60 members, field camps in rural communities, global webinars, and a mission that grows bigger every semester. What drives me is knowing that the work we do here is real a farmer in Dhamthal who now understands Rabies prevention, a student who has published their first research, a community that feels seen and served. My goal as president is not just to lead a society but to build a legacy one where One Health thinking becomes second nature to every student at UVAS Narowal, and where our campus becomes a name that the global health community recognizes and respects. We are just getting started.
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