October news about Environment, Climate and Health

4 October 2017

 

Papers accepted/published:

 

  1. Williamson C, Madronich S, Lal A, Zepp R, Lucas RM, Overholt E, Rose K, Schladow G, and Lee-Taylor J. Climate change-induced increases in precipitation are reducing the potential for solar ultraviolet radiation to inactivate pathogens in surface waters. Nature Scientific Reports (accepted 22 Sept 2017)

 

Presentations

Robyn Lucas presented at the European Society of Photobiology meeting in Pisa in early September, highlighting epidemiological perspectives on evidence and causality. She used the history of research on smoking as a cause of lung cancer to evaluate where the chain of evidence is up to for low sun exposure as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis. 

Aparna Lal presented at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) meeting in Sydney, talking about latitudinal variations in childhood cryptosporidiosis and its association with local rainfall and demographic factors. She also chaired an oral session on ‘Spatial Epidemiology’ and presented the best student/new researcher award.

Kathryn Bowen also presented two papers at the ISEE conference, one on a WHO SEARO review of human health and climate change (commissioned by WHO), and the other on health benefits of green space.

Grants

Kathryn Bowen is the Climate Change and Health Adaptation Specialist on an ARUP-led project funded by the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria to develop and pilot a Climate Change and Health Adaptation Action Plan.

 

Students

Kathryn Bowen has a new PhD student, Annabelle Workman, who is based at the University of Melbourne and focusing on policy development for human health and climate change co-benefits.

 

Good news

Kathryn Bowen has accepted an appointment at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, to commence in 2018.

Grand Challange submissions involving ECH members that have progressed to the next stage include:

  • Your Health in your Hands: Future Personalised Medical Technologies for a Sustainable and Effective Healthcare

Aparna Lal was awarded the ACT Australian Water Association Water Prize for 2017 (Student/ECR category) for her work on managing water catchments for human health.

Robyn Lucas has been invited to co-author the health chapter of the GEO-6 report from the UNEP.

 

Other

Robyn Lucas attended the meeting of the UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel in Stratford upon Avon. The meeting was to finalise the annual assessment for the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Stratospheric Ozone Layer.

Aparna Lal was part of a panel discussion on Climate Change with Prof Mark Howden (Climate Change Institute) ad Dr Kylie Catchpole (CECS) talking about the health impacts of extreme climate events.

Aparna Lal attended the Australian Mathematical Society’s ‘Celebration of Women in mathematical Sciences’ ‘Conference in Adelaide from 24th-26th of September, supported by a Women in Mathematics and Statistics travel award