Health and Environment

'Our health depends on that of the environment in which we live, and we influence our environment in ways that make it more or less healthy for us and other living beings. To achieve Enough, For All, Forever, it is imperative that we understand and address the impacts of the environment on human health and the stark inequalities in health and in access to clean environments locally, nationally, and globally.'

Acting Theme Coordinator: Dr Anil Namdeo, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Improving health and reducing health inequalities underpin our work. We are generating evidence that informs policies on human exposures to environmental hazards in air, water, soil and food and their impact on health, disease and wellbeing. We research these issues at the scale of cells right through to the UK and world populations. We are interested in environment-health links on time scales from minute by minute changes in pollution and physiological parameters up to changes across the life course of individuals and populations. We use epidemiology and statistics, toxicology, health psychology, environmental and nutrition science, modelling and social sciences to answer these questions.

Public Health Public Health:
Public health is a central research focus in the Institute of Health & Society, with an emphasis on systematic, theory-driven and evidence-based development and evaluation of complex interventions that have societal impact.  Our work focuses in particular on changing health related behaviours (including diet and physical activity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and other environmental exposures) and tackling health inequalities. IHS hosts Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence, which is dedicated to promoting the application of evidence in policy and practice to promote population health.
Human Nutrition Human Nutrition:
The Human Nutrition Research Centre (HNRC) is a multi-disciplinary, cross-faculty research centre established in 1994. The HNRC remit is to undertake research into the links between nutrition and health; the goal is to undertake research which will underpin healthier dietary choices and so improve public health. The major public health priorities of the 21st century are obesity and ageing. Diet plays a significant role in the development of obesity and food choices modulate the ageing trajectory.  The HNRC strategy is to focus research in these, and related, areas of high public health significance including the prevention of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. The three research themes within the HNRC are: Molecular Nutrition, Food Quality and Health and Public Health Nutrition. Much of the research is multi-disciplinary and in many cases takes a life-course approach. Research ranges from basic and cellular mechanisms to the development of dietary interventions for maintenance of health and wellbeing.
Environmental Toxicology and Human ExposuresEnvironmental Toxicology and Human Exposures:
Biomarkers of exposure and effect are a key tool to identifying past and current threats to human health from environmental contaminants. Our research uses laboratory and population based methods to investigate the toxicology of nanoparticles, lead and other heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants such as flame retardants.
Health and Health Inequalities of People Living Near IndustryHealth and Health Inequalities of People Living Near Industry:
Industrial legacies in the NorthEast of England have provided us with opportunities to study a wide range of past exposures and health impacts. We are now using this experience to generate evidence for the UK and countries in the Middle East and Asia to inform policy options for more sustainable industrial production.

Event Review: Biomarkers Research Symposium

Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 May 2012

Biomarkers are key molecular or cellular events that link a specific environmental exposure to a health outcome. Biomarkers play an important role in understanding the relationships between exposure to environmental chemicals, the development of chronic human diseases, and the identification of subgroups that are at increased risk for disease. Much progress has been made in identifying and validating new biomarkers that can be used in population-based studies of environmental disease.

This symposium brought together international researchers working in the field of biomarkers to promote discussion and provide a strong foundation and clear pathways for future collaborative research proposals.

Keynote speakers included:

  • Dr Manish Arora (Universities of Harvard and Sydney)

  • Dr David Mortimer (Food Standards Agency)

  • Professor Dimosthenis Sarigiannis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

  • Professor Richard Walker (Newcastle University)

  • Professor Helen Whelton (Oral Health Services Research Centre, University College Cork)

  • Dr Fevzi Sylejmani (Director of the Main Family Medical Centre, Mitrovica, Kosovo)

  • Dr Tom Shepherd (Nottingham and Leeds Universities)

  • Dr Alexis Dolphin (University of Western Ontario)

  • Dr Robert Jefferson (Newcastle University)

  • Ms Lyndsay Bramwell (Newcastle University)

  • Dr Elaine Mutch (Newcastle University)

Please see Biomarkers Research Symposium to download speakers' presentations and see photographs of the event.

For further information, email sustainability@ncl.ac.uk.