London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Large-scale health datasets based on administrative data and large cohorts are becoming increasingly available for research, supported by advances in data platforms which enable access to individual level health data whilst ensuring sensitive information remains secure. Whilst these developments offer important opportunities to better understand the impacts of environmental exposures on health, they also pose non-trivial challenges in terms of access, linkages and analyses.

This event will bring together researchers working on environmental health data platforms, linkage initiatives, and methodological developments. It will highlight current research and infrastructure supporting environment–health data integration, alongside discussions of future directions and the challenges involved in expanding access to and use of these data.

The event is aimed at researchers including epidemiologists, statisticians and data scientists as well as policymakers interested in the use of linked environmental and health data for research and decision making. 

Programme

Note: The programme is subject to potential updates and wider changes.

10:00-10:15: Welcome and introduction

Speakers:

• Antonio Gasparrini (Professor of Biostatistics, LSHTM)
• Ruth Keogh (Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, LSHTM)
• Nick Furnham (Associate Professor, LSHTM)

10:15-11:00: Keynote Talk

• Title: Opportunities for research using environmental and health data linkage
• Speaker: Anna Hansell (Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, University of Leicester)

11:00-11:30: Coffee break

Pumphandle Social: Bar

11:30-12:00: Open discussion - Long-term strategies for the generation of data resources and research directions

 

12:00-13:00: Examples of large-scale cohorts using environment-health data linkage

Talks:

• Dr Elena Raffetti (Visiting Researcher, University of Cambridge): Climate and health research: exploiting national-scale geospatial data linked with whole-population e-health records in the NHS SDE
• Dr Amy Mizen (Senior Lecturer, University of Swansea): Heat, Pregnancy and Place: Linking Environmental Exposures to Maternal and Child Outcomes Across Wales and London
• Dr Julia Pescarini (Associate Professor, LSHTM): CIDACS Clima platform: linking administrative data to study the links between climate and the environment on the health of key populations in Brazil

13:00-14:00: Lunch break

Pumphandle Social: Bar

14:00-14:45: Keynote Talk

• Title: Exposure modelling and linkage for environmental health studies: the UK and European contexts
• Speaker: Dr Kees de Hoogh (Associate Professor, Utrecht University)

14:45-15:30: Highlights from LSHTM research

Talks:

• Arturo de la Cruz (Research Assistant, LSHTM): Reconstructing environmental exposures for cohort studies in Great Britain
• Dr Angel Wong (Associate Professor, LSHTM): Opportunities of using electronic health records linking meteorological data for pharmacoepidemiology in Asia and the UK
• Dr Huiqi Chen (Research Fellow, LSHTM): Linking environmental and health data at global scale:the MCC-GlobalCityTRM project
• Dorothy Watter (PhD student, LSHTM): From modelling exposure to capturing the lived experience: Understanding the effects of heat on pregnant women in the Gambia

15:30-16:00: Break

Pumphandle Social: Bar

16:00-17:00: Initiatives advancing environmental and health data linkage and access

Speakers:

• Pia Hardelid (Professor of Epidemiology, UCL): Linking environmental and administrative data for child health in England: The Kids’ Environment and Health Cohort
• Andrew Boyd (Director of UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration, University of Bristol): Longitudinal studies on environment, climate, and health: the experience of the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC)
• Antonio Gasparrini (Professor of Biostatistics, LSHTM): The CONNECT Project: linking environmental and climate data to the major health data platforms in the UK

17:00-17:45: Panel discussion - Current opportunities and barriers for environmental and climate research using health databases 

Panellists: 

• Susan Hodgson (Head of Observational Research, Clinical Practice Research Datalink)
• Fiona Grimm (Head of Data Operations, Our Future Health)
• Daniela Fetch (Associated Professor, Imperial)
• Myer Glickman (Head of Climate and Global Health, Office for National Statistics)

17:45-18:00: Closing Remarks

 

18:00-19:00 Evening Reception

Pumphandle Social Cafe & Courtyard

For in-person attendees, lunch and breaktime refreshments will be provided, and the event will be followed by an evening reception. There is a fee of ~£23 for in-person attendees. 

For LSHTM staff/students who do not have access to grant funds or departmental funds to cover their attendance fee, please contact [email protected]. A limited amount of funding is available to allocate on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Event notices

• Please note that you can join this event in person or you can join the session remotely.
• Please note that the recording link will be listed on this page when available.