SRINAGAR: Students of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) have won international recognition for their One Health initiative, securing the prestigious One Health Day 2025 Student Competition Award at the World One Health Congress (WOHC) 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.
The award was presented during the closing ceremony of the international congress, which brought together experts, researchers, academicians, policymakers, students and professionals from across the world to promote collaboration on human, animal and environmental health.
Representing SKUAST-K, Dr Ayeman Qamri, MVSc Scholar in Veterinary Medicine, and Dr Shivam Srivastava, MVSc Scholar in Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, received the award online on behalf of the university’s One Health student team, SKUAOHUN. Video messages from the student representatives were also showcased during the award ceremony.
The recognition follows SKUAOHUN’s success in the One Health Day 2025 International Student Competition, in which the team secured the top honour for organising a month-long hybrid initiative titled ‘One Health Program-2025’.
The team competed against participants from 94 countries across all continents and was recognised for taking the One Health message beyond classrooms through community engagement, awareness programmes, education and interdisciplinary activities.
As part of the competition, the team received an International Certificate of Excellence along with a cash award of USD 1,000.
The achievement highlights the international relevance of the students’ work and SKUAST-K’s expanding focus on transdisciplinary One Health research, education and outreach.
SKUAST-K has been working towards institutionalising the One Health approach in Jammu and Kashmir. The university initiated a structured One Health roadmap in 2023, including plans for a dedicated School of One Health, besides developing collaborations with medical and veterinary institutions to promote research, education, innovation and policy engagement.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai congratulated Dr Ayeman Qamri, Dr Shivam Srivastava and the SKUAOHUN team, along with the scientists and Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Shuhama, on the international achievement.
Prof Ganai said the recognition reflected the growing global impact of SKUAST-K’s transdisciplinary approach and the university’s commitment to addressing emerging scientific and societal challenges through the One Health framework.
He described the award as an important milestone in SKUAST-K’s transition from national to global engagement and reiterated the university’s aspiration to emerge as India’s first global agricultural university by 2030.
