Title: LWEC Health Fellowship
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council

Abstract: I believe I can deliver the LWEC Health Knowledge Placement Fellowship for the following reasons: I am an international expert on the research topic of climate change impacts and adaptation for health, and extreme weather events and health. These are quite complex topics that cover multiple outcomes, multiple hazards, multiple research methods, and have implications for a wide range of decision makers for policies, strategies and measures at different spatial and temporal scales. I have worked on scientific research on the climate, weather, and climate change effects on health for 16 years at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I have conducted epidemiological studies on heat waves (our research was used in the DoH's Heatwave Plan for England), and coordinated the first systematic review of the health effects of floods, as well as contributed to epidemiological studies of the mortality effects of floods in the UK (part of an HPA-EA-LSHTM collaborative project). I have developed frameworks for the assessment of future climate change impacts on human health (I am coordinating a global health impact assessment of climate change impacts on human health for WHO Geneva). I have great experience and enthusiasm for inter-displinary research on environmental change and human health. My inter-disciplinary research experience includes several projects funded by NERC (e.g. QUEST GSI project) and I have participated in NERC funded workshops (Climate change and exposure to chemicals from agriculture). I am currently working on the health component of ISI MIP project (InterSectoral Impacts Model Inter-comparison Project) of which NERC is a funding partner. I have also provided expert advice to the World Meteorological Organization. I have been interested in the policy dimensions of this research for a long time. I have been concerned that much climate and health research does not have clear policy implications beyond advocacy for mitigation. However, research is now moving towards more policy relevant areas and this is very exciting time for global change research. I have a strong personal interest in developing methods for evidence synthesis. One of my key research interests is developing criteria for the evaluation of epidemiological evidence for climate and health; this demands critical thinking and an assessment of the wide range of current tools available for risk assessment. Finally, due to my extensive experience, I have excellent networks within the environmental change and health research communities, as well as links with decision makers at local, national and international levels. One of the characteristics of Public Health is breadth. I understand a broad range of health issues and I am able to see their relationships in a wider context. In particular, I have a deep understanding of a range of environment and health issues in the context of UK policy. I see this Fellowship as a great opportunity to contribute my skills, technical expertise and enthusiasm. It is a great challenge that would enable me to develop my experience in an important and complex multi-disciplinary environment.


Research activity codes: 2.2 FACTORS RELATING TO PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE