Student Story: One Health in the Arctic

My name is Vár Honudóttir, I am a PhD student at the University of the Faroe Islands, where I study social inequality in health in the Faroese population. My work focuses on how social and economic factors shape health, and how vulnerable groups are doing in our small island society. In October 2025, I traveled to Nuuk, Greenland, to participate in the PhD course One Health in the Arctic and the NUNAMED conference.

The course provided a clear introduction to the One Health framework and its relevance in Arctic contexts. Coming from a small island society, I found the holistic perspective highly meaningful. Health on the Faroe Islands is closely connected to the environment, food traditions and cultural practices, and the course helped me reflect on how these factors interact with social position in shaping inequalities. Moreover, it highlighted how health in Arctic settings is shaped by broader environmental and community-level structures, offering insights relevant for understanding small and isolated societies. These insights are useful for the theoretical considerations in my PhD project.

Visiting Greenland was also valuable on a personal level. The vast and dramatic landscape felt both familiar and strikingly different from the Faroe Islands, and meeting the people of Nuuk gave me a sense of connection between our two societies. Despite differences in geography and scale, places like Greenland and the Faroe Islands share a strong dependence on nature, rapidly changing climate conditions, and the need to adapt to unpredictable environments. I was also inspired by researchers and students from across the Arctic, each working on diverse but related challenges. These interactions broadened my academic outlook and strengthened my motivation for Arctic research.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to visit Greenland, and I would highly recommend this course to other students. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that enriched me both academically and personally.