Hidden Gap: Lack of Published Evidence on Successful One Health Curricula Development, Implementation, and Outcomes in Medical Education
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Background and objectives: For decades, there have been many opinion and perspective publications advocating to include One Health in medical curricula. However, it is also known that there are numerous barriers for doing so including a lack of expertise and difficulty of transdisciplinary collaborations, both of which are essential for the development of One Health curricular content. This study comprehensively reviews peer-reviewed publications on One Health curricula in undergraduate medical education, with a focus on the curricular content in terms of scope and substance, implementation strategies, and outcome assessments. Methods: A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted to identify articles that addressed the integration of One Health into undergraduate medical curricula. Eligible articles were screened and categorized based on their primary focus: (1) scope and substance of One Health topic coverage, (2) incorporation of transdisciplinary collaboration, (3) teaching and learning strategies, and (4) outcome evaluation or assessment. Results: A total of 3,445 publications in peer-reviewed journals over a span of 40 years (1983 to 2023) were screened, and only three met the inclusion criteria for detailed analysis. Most publications focused on conceptual advocacy or general descriptions of educational processes, with few offering concrete curricular materials or educational outcome evaluations. Conclusion: This review highlights a hidden gap in peer-reviewed, published literature: a scarcity of tangible, peer-reviewed examples of One Health curricular materials developed and evaluated for undergraduate medical education. Therefore, to support the integration of One Health into physician training across institutions, we urge One Health educators and journal editors to prioritize the dissemination of practical course materials, implementation guides, and evidence-based outcome data. This is essential to prepare future physicians to address complex global health challenges through a One Health lens.
Institution: Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7155036703