ECR Symposium on the environments impact on health

Health and well-being are intimately linked to the state of the environment. At the University of Manchester, we have lots of early career researchers working on issues relating to the environment and its effect on health, but they are spread across faculties, schools, and departments with little interaction or collaboration. This, combined with recent remote working has led to a community that lacks connectivity which is why we are running this symposium.

Through attending this event you will

• Develop a deeper understanding of the range of research happening at the University of Manchester in the area of ‘environment and health’
• Build connections with fellow researchers working in complementary areas
• Have the opportunity to talk about and show your research to your peers

Climate change and health

Climate change has far-reaching impacts with negative effects threatening to permeate all aspects of our lives from where we live, the air we breathe to the food we eat. This theme will explore the challenges and impacts our warming planet has on health and wellbeing and discusses practical solutions.

Healthier urban living

Cities play a crucial role in the global economy and society. However, there is an unequal distribution of benefits and inequalities within these areas. This theme will look at the role of the urban environment on overall wellbeing and explore the policies for reducing inequalities in urban settings.

The exposome

The exposome is defined as the composite of every exposure to which an individual is subjected during their lifetime. This theme will look at the role of exposures such as noise, chemicals, toxins, water quality in different environments (e.g., indoor/outdoor) in the singular sense and how these can work in combination to effect health and wellbeing and find holistic solutions to healthier living.

The event draws on the principles of “One Health” in that the health of people is intricately connected to the health of animals and our shared environment. It requires a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels to achieve the best health outcomes for people, animals, and plants in a shared environment.

We use a broad description to define this and are interested in human, aquatic, and ecosystem health.

A clean environment is essential for health and well-being. At the same time, the local environment can also be a source of stressors - for example, air pollution, noise, hazardous chemicals - that negatively affect health. Health is also adversely affected by climate change, through heatwaves, floods, and changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases. At a broader level, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and land degradation can also impact health and well-being.

We are interested in these intersections and the effect they have on us and our environments.

Examples may include:

• Air quality
• Chemical safety
• Climate change
• Ecosystem health and services
• Housing and health
• Noise
• Occupational health
• Transport and health
• Urban health
• Water and sanitation
• Social science and inequalities

Early Career Researchers*

The organising committee welcomes posters from early career researchers on any topic related to the themes outlined above. The organising committee will also consider posters from ECRs who’s research fits more broadly with the theme of ‘The environment's effect on health’ should space be available.

Supervisors and academics

By attending and supporting your ECRs participation and attendance you will be helping to develop a connected and interdisciplinary research community

*An Early Career Researcher is an individual employed in a non-permanent research position, or someone holding a fellowship or junior academic post who has less than 8 years of post-doctoral research experience

The organising committee is made up of researchers representing all three faculties, with affiliations to different schools, departments or divisions, and Research Institutes. Collectively, we form a group of researchers with diverse academic backgrounds and research interests, but with a common interest in the topic of the Environment’s effect on Health and wellbeing. The event is being supported by Manchester Environmental Research Institute. MERI is a pan-university research institute that connects expertise from natural sciences, health care, agriculture, water and energy to develop solutions for complex environmental challenges. It is open to members from any part of the university at any staff grade.

Organising committee:

• Caitlin Henry, Lecturer in Human Geography, Department of Geography
• Emma Shuttleworth, Lecturer in Physical Geography, Department of Geography
• Amanda Lea-Langton, Lecturer in BioEnergy Engineering, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering
• Paul Williams, Senior Lecturer, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Cyrill Bussy, Lecturer, Division of Immunology, Immunity to Infection and Respiratory Medicine
• Martie van Tongeren, Professor of Occupational & Environmental Health, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research & Primary Care
• Holly Shiels, Professor of Integrative Physiology, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
• Emilie Brady, Research Project Officer, MERI

We are looking for ECRs who are interested in sitting on the organising committee. This is a fabulous opportunity to have your say and shape the event into something that would really benefit ECRs. You can express your interest in the registration form.

This event is open to staff at The University of Manchester working in the area of ‘Environment and Health. Please use your university email address when registering, any non-university addresses will be un-registered.

The event is free to attend but as catering is being provided we ask you to ensure you can come before registering. If your plans change please update your registration status.

Poster presentation abstracts are invited on the conference themes below using the online abstract submission system. Your submission should be in the form of text, no more than 300 words long.

• Climate change and health
• Healthier urban living
• The exposome
• Other – area that fits within the remit of environment and health but doesn’t fit within the themes above

All abstracts will be reviewed by the Organising Committee to ensure that the topic of the submission is consistent with the scope of the topics covered at the meeting.

Once the abstracts are accepted, at least one of the authors must register for and present the poster at the conference. In addition to the conference, posters will be uploaded onto an online event space NOTE: the content is not downloadable, just available to be viewed.

Timeline

• Poster abstract submission opens – 11th March 2022
• Poster abstract submission closes – 11th April 2022
• Outcome – 25th April 2022
• Poster upload on event space (pdf) – 20th June
• Poster presentation at event – 28th June

Host or Publisher The University of Manchester