The One Health Conference 2026 held on July 5, 2026 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 (JABSOM MS4 student, JABSOM HOME Project) , Dr. Kealoha Fox (Chief Resilience Officer, Honolulu City & County Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency), Dr. Gabrielle Asay (Paniolo Livestock Services), and Dr. Rajeev Kumar Mishra (Veterinary Extension Asst Specialist, UH Manoa CTAHR) 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 had 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.