The first University of Hawaiʻi One Health Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Certificate Program—integrating human and veterinary medicine and environmental science—graduates accepted their certificates at the UH Mānoa Commencement Ceremony on May 17. The inaugural One Health certificate recipients were molecular biosciences and biotechnology major Braxton Ramos, and biology major Zarek Kon.
Ramos conducted her capstone research project, “Effect of Environmental Selenium on Microbial Diversity in Culex quinquefasciatus” under the mentorship of Associate Researcher Lucia Seale and Associate Professor Matthew Medeiros at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center. Her study focused on an important symbiotic gut fungus, and aims to profile microbial diversity of the gut microbiome in the presence of increased selenium. Ramos plans to continue her training after graduation to become a physician’s assistant.
Kon’s capstone research project, “Environmental Surveillance of Leptospira in Hawaiʻi: Evaluating DNA Extraction Methods for Soil and Water Samples” was mentored by Assistant Professor Jourdan McMillan and Professor Sandra Chang at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). His findings demonstrated that commercial DNA extraction kits can successfully identify pathogenic Leptospira in environmental samples. Kon will enter JABSOM as a first-year medical student in fall 2025.
Read more about Ramos and Kon, their projects and the program in their own words.
More on the certificate
The UH One Health Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Certificate Program prepares students with the skills and knowledge to work collaboratively across disciplines to solve real-world problems.
The One Health certificate will benefit students pursuing a wide range of professions in human, animal or environmental health. Besides specific jobs in these areas, other One Health-related careers include science writing, food safety, disaster preparedness, global disease surveillance, policy and sustainability practices.
