One Health: Understanding Life's Interconnections

Arleigh Reynolds serves as Director of the Center for One Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he has established himself as a world-renowned expert in sled dog nutrition and exercise physiology. After earning his DVM and PhD from Cornell University, he has built an extraordinary career combining veterinary medicine with championship-level dog mushing. His groundbreaking research in sled dog nutrition revolutionized understanding of performance dog dietary needs, particularly demonstrating the importance of high-protein diets for dogs undergoing rigorous training. As a three-time world champion sled dog racer, he brings unique practical insights to his academic work, which spans clinical nutrition, exercise physiology, and metabolic diseases in domestic animals. Through his leadership of UAF's One Health initiative, he champions interdisciplinary approaches to addressing complex health challenges in the circumpolar North, focusing on the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health. Recently appointed as Executive Director of the Sitka Sound Science Center, he continues to advance community-based participatory research while maintaining his commitment to improving health outcomes in rural Alaska through culturally sensitive, integrative approaches that incorporate traditional knowledge.

Hannah Robinson serves as Master's Coordinator at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for One Health Research (COHR) and Research Advising and Mentoring Professional (RAMP) at UAF BLaST. After earning her BS in Chemistry with a Biology minor from Bethel University and MPH from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, she has built a career bridging public health with interdisciplinary science communication. As a key member of the COHR team, she helped organize the 2021 One Health One Future international conference, which brought together over 600 participants from 35 countries to discuss critical health issues facing the circumpolar north. Her role includes coordinating the Master's program, providing student support, and facilitating communication between community members and experts across disciplines. Through her position at COHR, she contributes to the development of One Health education programs and recently obtained certification in the One Health Systems Mapping and Analysis Resource Toolkit. Her diverse background in physical sciences, biological sciences, and public health enables her to effectively support interdisciplinary collaboration while advancing understanding of social determinants of health and maternal-child health outcomes.

Laurie Meythaler-Mullins serves as Community Outreach and Public Health Veterinarian for the UAF/CSU Hub Outpost Program, where she has revolutionized veterinary care access in Alaska's remote communities. After earning her DVM from Iowa State University and completing the first cohort of UAF's One Health master's program in 2020, she has built an extraordinary career combining veterinary medicine with community advocacy. Through the Hub Outpost Project, established in 2017 in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, she provides essential veterinary services to nearly 50 communities across a region the size of Louisiana. Her work spans critical public health initiatives including rabies prevention, spay/neuter programs, and emergency response to disease outbreaks. As lead educator for the program, she mentors veterinary students while building lasting relationships with tribal communities, demonstrated through her successful door-to-door vaccination campaigns and rapid response to public health emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her collaborative approach emphasizes community empowerment and the integration of traditional knowledge with modern veterinary practices, particularly evident in her work with tribal leaders and regional health providers to address challenges like rabies exposure and dog overpopulation. Through her leadership in the One Health program, she continues to advance understanding of the interconnections between animal and human health while maintaining her commitment to serving Alaska's rural and Indigenous communities.

Kelsey Nicholson serves as Program Administrator at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for One Health Research (COHR), where she combines her expertise in public health with a deep commitment to community-driven research. After earning her BA in Humanities from the University of Maryland University College and MPH from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, she has established herself as a key figure in advancing interdisciplinary health initiatives in Alaska. Her role at COHR involves managing grant funding, building interdisciplinary teams, and coordinating major initiatives including the One Health One Future international conference, while overseeing 13 working groups addressing various health issues throughout Alaska. Currently pursuing her PhD in Natural Resources and Sustainability, her research focuses on disaster and hazard mitigation, salmon-wellbeing connections, and indigenous co-production of knowledge, reflecting her passion for understanding the complex relationships between environmental and human health. As a Fairbanks native, she brings unique insights to her work in food security, sovereignty, and sustainability, while maintaining active engagement with communities across Alaska and contributing to the development of culturally responsive research practices that honor traditional knowledge systems.