Wild Health: People, Nature & One Health

The health of humans, animals, and ecosystems are deeply connected. 

In the third event of the Wild Talks series, learn how science is helping to protect communities, and show why caring for nature is essential to our own wellbeing.

Through a One Health lens, showcasing the interconnectedness of ecosystem, animal and human health, our panel of speakers will explore how scientific research and real-world action are helping to safeguard the future of our planet by recognising these vital connections. From protecting wildlife and preventing disease spillover, to building healthier ecosystems that support resilient societies, the presentations, panel discussions and Q&A at this event highlighted how caring for nature allows us to better support human health and wellbeing. 

Hosted by Professor Chris van Tulleken, doctor, author and presenter

Chris is an NHS infectious diseases doctor at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, one of the UK’s leading science presenters and author of Ultra Processed People, a New York Times bestseller. Chris trained at the University of Oxford and has a PhD in molecular virology from UCL where he is Professor of Infection and Global Health. His research focuses on how corporations affect human health especially in the context of child nutrition, working with UNICEF and The World Health Organisation on this area.

Speakers

Dr Javier Sánchez Romano, Research Fellow in One Health, Institute of Zoology, ZSL
Javier Sánchez Romano is a veterinary virologist with extensive experience studying the links between wildlife, domestic animals, and human health. After training as a veterinarian in Spain, he completed an MSc and PhD in Infection Biology at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. Javi has led and collaborated on projects across Europe and Africa focusing on how climate change shapes infectious disease dynamics, all founded in a One Health approach, recognising the deep interconnections between environmental, animal, and human health. Now at ZSL, Javi works on major projects in Central Asia and the Western Congo Basin, integrating biodiversity conservation, zoonotic disease prevention, community collaboration, and real‑world impact. Talk title: One Health: When nature’s health is our health

Dr Rosie Williams, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Institute of Zoology
Rosie Williams has been with ZSL since 2017, when she undertook her PhD with the Institute of Zoology and Brunel University. As a Postdoctoral Researcher, Rosie now works in collaboration with the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme and the Ocean Predator Lab at the Institute of Zoology, to assess the health of marine predators in relation to anthropogenic stressors such as noise and chemical pollution. Rosie's current interests lie in developing new methods to understand the impacts of chemical pollution on wildlife health and how this impacts how humans interact with the environment, and in exploring ways to better characterise and understand the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic stressors. Talk title: Chemical pollution, marine mammals and one health

Cat Hickey, Head of Conservation Education, ZSL
As Head of Conservation Education at ZSL, Cat spends every day introducing children to wildlife, and watching firsthand the transformative power of time spent learning while surrounded by nature, supporting better mental health, stronger immunity and deeper resilience. As well as advocating for young people's access to nature for wellbeing, education, and future connection to the natural world, Cat also works to remove barriers for under-represented audiences in developing careers across the conservation sector, and how we can better embed green skills for a more positive future for people and wildlife. Talk title: Connecting people and nature: The mutual benefit this brings for people and the environment