SEAOHWA On Tour: Bringing One Health Learning to Universities Across Southeast Asia

Following its official regional launch on 14 August 2025, the Southeast Asia One Health Workforce Academies (SEAOHWA) moved beyond the virtual stage and into classrooms, campuses, and conversations across Southeast Asia.

Through a series of post-launch outreach and engagement activities spanning October through December 2025, SEAOHUN brought the SEAOHWA platform directly to universities, educators, students, and health professionals—transforming a digital learning platform into a shared regional learning experience.

From Digital Launch to Campus Connection

Developed under the SEAOHUN Transition Award, with support from USAID, collaboration with the University of California, Davis, and continued support from Chevron, SEA-OHWA was designed to strengthen a resilient, locally driven One Health workforce.

But a platform is only as powerful as the people who use it. After the official launch, SEAOHUN and its country networks knew they needed to meet learners where they are—on university campuses, in lecture halls, and face-to-face with the educators and students who would shape the region's One Health future.

A Journey Across Four Countries

Between 28 October and 12 December 2025, the SEA-OHWA tour made its way through Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, reaching seven universities and partner institutions. At Universiti Sains Malaysia's Health Campus in Kubang Kerian, 40 participants—including ministry representatives and course author teams—gathered to explore the platform. Days later at Universiti Putra Malaysia and during the APRU Conference at Universiti Malaya, researchers, faculty members, and NGO partners discovered how One Health education could complement their existing work.

In Indonesia, the halls of Universitas Airlangga's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine filled with 45 eager participants. Vietnam welcomed the tour with enthusiasm, hosting 50 learners at Vietnam National University of Agriculture—where two course author teams proudly introduced their locally developed courses—and 14 professionals at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. The journey concluded in Thailand at Kasetsart University during their One Health FAIR Data event, where about 30 participants explored the importance of One Health data and digital platforms that enhance, including SEA-OHWA.

Across all seven stops, about 229 participants experienced SEAOHWA firsthand—but the ripple effect would reach far beyond those rooms.

Learning That Speaks Your Language

What made each session special was the presence of local course authors—Southeast Asian educators who had developed One Health courses in Bahasa and Vietnamese. When students at VNUA heard their instructors explain One Health concepts in their own language, or when Indonesian faculty members at UNAIR demonstrated zoonotic disease modules created by regional experts, the message was clear: this wasn't imported education adapted for the region. This was Southeast Asian knowledge, by Southeast Asians, for Southeast Asians.

Participants were introduced to SEA-OHWA's growing library of 22 free online courses, available in Khmer, Bahasa, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese, and English, alongside more than 600 One Health training materials curated specifically for the region's unique challenges and contexts.

More Than a Platform Tour

These weren't traditional product demonstrations. Interactive quizzes turned learning into friendly competition, with students eagerly competing for prizes while testing their One Health knowledge. Through open discussions, participants expressed that One Health issues—particularly AMR and zoonotic diseases—are growing concerns at both national and regional levels, creating an urgency for cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral learning. Faculty members began envisioning how SEAOHWA could support blended learning models in their curricula.

At some venues, participants enrolled in courses on the spot, guided by SEAOHUN staff who answered questions about everything from course certificates to how the platform could support their career development. The energy in these sessions reflected something deeper than curiosity about a new website—it was the recognition of a resource designed specifically for them.

Building a Regional Movement

The numbers tell one story: as a result of the tour, SEAOHWA now hosts 942 active learners from across the region, all engaged in strengthening their One Health competencies in surveillance, risk communication, and integrated health systems.

But the real success lies in the relationships strengthened and conversations started. Country One Health University Networks deepened their collaboration with SEAOHUN. In-service professionals and researchers who attended brought perspectives that are now shaping the platform's future development. Universities began discussing how SEAOHWA certifications might integrate into their degree programs—planting seeds for credentialling pathways that could launch in the coming year.

What the Tour Revealed

The in-person visits confirmed what SEAOHUN had hoped: there's tremendous appetite for accessible, regionally relevant One Health education. Faculty members need resources that complement their teaching. Students want learning opportunities that connect to real-world careers. Health professionals seek continuing education that respects their time and language.

These insights are now guiding SEAOHWA's next phase—informing improvements to course design, platform functionality, and new features like career opportunities and an expert database that will connect learners with mentors and practitioners across the region.

A Platform Built by the Region, for the Region

From Kelantan to Hanoi, from veterinary clinics to public health institutes, the SEAOHWA tour reinforced a fundamental truth: effective One Health education thrives when knowledge travels—across borders, disciplines, and languages.

The platform that began as lines of code and carefully curated courses has become something more tangible: a space where a student in Thailand can learn from an expert in Indonesia, where a researcher in Vietnam can access the same cutting-edge training as a colleague in Malaysia, and where the region's collective expertise becomes accessible to all.

As SEAOHWA continues to grow, each new learner, each completed course, and each connection made represents progress toward a shared vision—a stronger, more resilient One Health workforce ready to address Southeast Asia's most pressing health challenges.

The tour may have ended, but the journey is just beginning.

Explore SEA-OHWA: https://academy.seaohun.org/