October 2025

One Health PhD Retreat 2025, Gols, Burgenland

On October 8 and 9, 2025, a One Health PhD Retreat organized by Vetmeduni Vienna took place in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere at the Hotel Birkenhof in Gols, Burgenland. The two-day event was organized by Christine Aurich, Kathrin Kober-Rychli, and Silvio Kau-Strebinger, who together designed a diverse program for the PhD students and their supervising scientists at the university. The goal of the retreat was to promote scientific exchange among the PhD students from various One Health research areas, provide new inspiration, and strengthen interdisciplinary dialogue.

The first day focused on personal development and scientific exchange. In the morning, the PhD students participated in a practical time management course that provided helpful strategies for efficiently planning their research activities. The afternoon featured the scientific highlight of the retreat: Professor Ulf Magnusson from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the One Health PhD Program, delivered an inspiring keynote lecture. In his talk, he emphasized the importance of the One Health approach in the context of global animal health and sustainable agriculture. Following this, PhD student Serafina Messner was the first to present her current research findings, sparking a lively discussion among the participants. The evening concluded in a convivial atmosphere with a group bowling activity, offering an opportunity to get to know each other better outside the academic setting and to establish new connections.

The second day began with insightful lightning talks by Vetmeduni Vice-Rectors Martina Marchetti-Deschmann and Birgit Hochenegger-Stoirer, who shared insights into their scientific careers, as well as innovation and strategic goals at Vetmeduni. This was followed by flash presentations, during which the PhD students showcased their projects. Ten presentations focused on infection biology, while seven others addressed topics in the field of comparative medicine. Two years after the start of the PhD program, all the students impressively demonstrated the progress they had made in their projects and their ability to present their work. The diversity of research approaches reflected the interdisciplinary nature of the One Health program.

After intense discussions and lively academic exchanges, the retreat concluded in the early afternoon. The participants returned to Vienna with new ideas, valuable contacts, and an extra dose of motivation. The One Health PhD Retreat 2025 once again highlighted the importance of platforms for scientific dialogue and the personal development of young researchers—and showed that learning and networking are most effective in an inspiring environment.

Christine Aurich, Kathrin Kober-Rychli, and Silvio Kau-Strebinger

September 2025

Open House Day VetmedUni 2025

PhD Students from our One Health PhD program organized a stand at the Open House Day at VetmedUni on September 27^th to bring the One Health Initiative closer to citizens. They represented the PhD school, as well as their research projects and shared their experiences of studying in the program. Children also had the option to play a “Memory” Game featuring One Health related images and received age-appropriate explanations to help them understand the connections between Human, Animal and Environmental Health as well as explore how these topics relate to everyday life.

February 2025

One Health Teaching Clinic, Carn D.A.CH Conference

Five students of the One Health PhD program participated in a cooperative project with HAUP, focused on the potential of integrating One Health topics into teaching education as well as the classroom. Together with HAUP students, they prepared their research topics to be taught in classrooms of 14- to 18-year-olds. As part of this, the interest and engagement of students, their ability to retain information, as well as potential challenges with integrating One Health topics into the classroom were evaluated. The results were presented at the Carn D.A.CH Conference on February 3^rd 2025.

3–5 July 2025, Porto, Portugal

26th European Veterinary Society for Small Animal Reproduction (EVSSAR) Congress

The 26th Annual EVSSAR Congress in Porto brought together a diverse group of experts focused on cutting-edge topics in small animal reproduction, paediatrics, and neonatology, all while emphasizing animal welfare. Scientists and practitioners from europe and worldwide shared insights, including advances in small animal reproductive health, semen preservation, and a lot more fascinating topics.

Lisa Marie Ahrens, a doctoral student at the Clincal Center for Reproduction and associated with the Vetmeduni One Health PhD programme, contributed with her research on the microbiome of the ejaculate in male breeding dogs. Her study compared culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, which is quite relevant for improving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in veterinary reproductive health.

22-29 June 2025

French German Summer School

From June 22 to 29, 2025, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Munich hosted this year’s French-German Summer School, which focused on “Veterinary Medicine at the Crossroads Between Basic and Translational Research.” Lisa Marie Ahrens, a doctoral student at the Clincal Center for Reproduction and associated with the Vetmeduni One Health PhD programme, was selected to participate this year by the Vetmeduni.

The event offered students from both German- and French-speaking universities a comprehensive program featuring a broad spectrum of lectures and practical courses. Key topics included large animal models, presented by Prof. Dr. Eckhard Wolf, imaging of infection, taught by Prof. Dr. Markus Meissner, and chicken models for translational research, led by Prof. Dr. Benjamin Schusser. This diverse range of subjects provided participants with valuable insights into cutting-edge research methods and their applications in veterinary medicine.

2nd picture: Left to right: Prof. Dr. Reinhard K. Straubinger, Ph.D. (Decan LMU, veterinary faculty), Alexandre A. Vulic (French Consul General), Dr. Emmanuel Delille (Science and University Attaché) together with the lecturers and participants of the summer school

10 May 2025

German-Language Mycoplasma Meeting

The German-Language Mycoplasma Meeting took place on May 10, 2025, bringing together researchers and professionals in the field of mycoplasmology from German-speaking countries. The event featured a series of scientific presentations and discussions focused on mycoplasmas in both human and veterinary medicine.

One presentation was given by Lisa M. Ahrens, a doctoral student at the Clincal Center for Reproduction and associated with the Vetmeduni One Health PhD programme, titled "Mycoplasmas in Dog Breeding: A Comparison of Culture-Based and Culture-Independent Methods for Detecting Mycoplasmas in the Semen of Healthy Stud Dogs."

May 2025

News: Awards for Vetmeduni scientists

Read more (Article in German)

12-14 February 2025

8th International Symposium on Stallion Reproduction, Cordóba, Spain

In February 2025, the 8^th International Symposium on Stallion Reproduction took place in Cordóba, Spain. Almost 200 scientists and equine practitioners from 32 countries participated and discussed recent results on male reproductive health, semen preservation and in vitro fertilization in horses. From the Vetmeduni One Health PhD programme, Anna Lauciello presented results from her research entitled “Effect of washing stallion's penis prior to semen collection on bacterial load of the distal genital tract and semen” in the Young Scientist Competition. There was a lot of interest into her presentation. Anna was awarded the second place out of the eight oral contributions selected for the competition.

The picture shows Anna Lauciello (second from the left) with Dr. Maria Kareskoski, Helsinki, Finland (Chair of the Award Committee), Dr. Christine Aurich, Vienna, Austria (Chair of the International Committee of the International Symposium on Stallion Reproduction) and Dr. Manuel Prieto Hidalgo (Chair of the Local Organizing Committee) (from left to right)

28th November 2024

One Health Mini-Symposium

On 8 October 2024, students from the Vetmeduni One Health PhD programme and associated projects, the programme leaders and members of the Advisory and Steering Boards came together in the Festsaal of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. Several poster walks and presentations were held to discuss the individual PhD projects.

Learn more (in German)

30th October 2024

One Health Symposium Tirol

Two One Health PhD Students participated in the second One Health Symposium Tirol, a symposium held by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Various talks addressed relevant topics such as networks, zoonoses, antibiotic resistances and new challenges brought on by climate change, showcasing many important One Health challenges of Austria and especially Tirol.

13 May 2024

One Health Workshop in Salzburg

Six One Health PhD students participated in the first One Health Workshop that took place prior to the 38th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (https://www.oeghmp.at/) on the 13th of May in Salzburg.

The workshop was led by Professor Jakob Zinsstag, PhD, DVM, Dipl. ECVPH from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel. He gave an introduction to the topic and included an overview of his work. The focus of the interactive part of the workshop was to set up a research project about a current One Health topic. These theoretical projects were worked out in groups and presented to all participants. The students from the One Health PhD program in Vienna can look back on a very interactive and networking workshop.

23-25 April 2024

Paradigm shifts for Global One Health

23-25.04.2024, two One Health PhD Students took part in the congress “Paradigm shifts for Global One Health” in Wageningen (NL). In particular, practical approaches and current projects were presented and discussed at the action orientated international symposium.

Both Students PhD projects were presented and debated with the preliminary results as a lecture “Prevalence and Characterization of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in Dogs Admitted to a Veterinary Hospital in Vienna” or as a poster entitled ”Evaluating the relevance of antibiotics added to semen extenders for dogs - characterization of the native semen microbiome of breeding dogs.”

2nd February 2024

Graduate School Week

Lasting from the 29th of January to the 2nd of February 2024, a Graduate School Week was held at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, combining courses by the Vetcore Team regarding their many services available to students and courses regarding research ethics and scholarly communication.

The courses were open to all PhD students and in total about 30 people from various semesters attended, half of them from the PhD One Health Programme.

Across all five days students were given insights into topics relevant in their further studies and got to directly engage with them through group projects and open discussions. Additionally, it also served as a social gathering, allowing everyone to connect with the other PhD students from across the campus.

7th December 2023

One Health Kick-Off

This first official gathering of all the students within the PhD One Health Programme was held on the 7th of December 2023. The focus was for all the participants and their supervisors to meet and get to know each other. As part of this, every student held a short presentation about their topic, explaining what they will be doing over the next three and a half years. This allowed everyone to gain insights into the other projects and the skillsets of the other students.

Alongside the students’ presentations, the Organising Committee introduced the PhD One Health Programme, and the HVU also introduced themselves. Additionally, the Student Speaker Team was chosen.

This was followed up by a networking activity where everyone, students and supervisors alike, had to pick one of many small items placed on a table, varying from animals to syringes and rubber balls. They then had to use it to explain what One Health is, allowing everyone to exchange their views and broaden their horizons.

This short but impactful event set the foundation for successful cooperation between the students for their future studies and research within the project.