Mission EHSI
forges
new
understanding between health,
ground
the
environment in
addition
in
interactions and
to
building
national and regional capacity and capability, based
developing
interventions
evidenceaddressing
environmental health problems. By integrating scientific and technical expertise with policy and regulatory
An interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to research
capability in addition to relevant industry partners, EHSI is bridging
The Environmental Health Sciences Institute (EHSI) is a dedicated national translational research
the science-policy-innovation gap.
platform, uniquely based on collaboration between the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT),
Ultimately, the overarching mission
the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Dublin City Council (DCC), building national and regional
and vision is to achieve Healthier
capacity and capability.
Lives for Children, the Elderly and Vulnerable Populations.
EHSI is an all-island initiative, involving strategic partnerships with the University of Ulster (UU), Dublin City University (DCU), the Institute of Public Health (IPH) and other stakeholders. It is
The EHSI partners develop a scientific
uniquely positioned to facilitate an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach, integrating
evidence base to:
academic research with the knowledge and expertise of relevant professionals to generate
1. Provide
practical
solutions
to
collective responses to public health issues. Building upon existing education and research
environmental health problems,
expertise, in addition to collaborations and strategic partnerships with multi-sector stakeholders,
2. Inform environmental health policy,
researchers at EHSI develop evidence-based interventions addressing environmental health
planning and decision making 3. Impact on the health of vulnerable
problems (see Figure 1).
populations
and
facilitate
investments to reduce the burden
Home Environment
facility at Grangegorman, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration by concentrating, consolidating and colocating scientists, technologists and
Work Environment
NG
Recreational Environment
AN
DI
Prevention through technology development and awareness activities (e.g. new assistive technologies, outreach, training, education, etc.)
1. Building a new dedicated research
L
Social
Plan corrective action, transfer knowledge, input to and advise on policy change
This is achieved by:
FOOD
D
IL
Factors that influence the environment we live in and impact Health and Quality of Life
of chronic disease and injuries
The Living Environment and Key Exposure Routes that Influence Human Health
AIR
Assess, investigate, monitor, research the impacts, and build an evidence base
Chemical
Physical
Interventions (e.g. by the Environmental Health Sciences Institute)
WAT ER
Biological
BU
Psychosocial
Figure 1: Sphere of Environmental Health and Opportunity for Intervention
environmental health professionals; 2. Undertaking a strategic research program,
informed
by
all
stakeholders to provide solutionsfocused
interventions
involving
research, technology development, knowledge transfer, outreach 3. Building on existing partnerships and collaborations in addition to
The establishment and overall development of EHSI is overseen by a Board of Governors comprising
forging new relationships both
senior representatives from business (IBEC), health agencies (HSE, IPH), academia (DIT, UU) and
nationally and internationally to
government agencies (EPA, DCC). Furthermore, the EHSI Scientific Advisory Board will be composed
expand the expertise base;
of leading academics in science, engineering and policy, health service representatives and industry
4. Developing innovative, inclusive
experts. They will contribute to the long term strategy and research program by identifying national/
teaching and learning activities.
international health threats and potential gaps in policy, regulations, and/or other interventions needed for a healthy population.
The EHSI Model
Specific Areas of Research Focus (SARF‘s) include:
Central to EHSI’s mission is an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral
•
Bio-monitoring
approach, focused on generating collective responses to public
•
Energy
health threats. This is achieved through collaboration between
•
Food
teams of Environmental Health Academics and Practitioners (EHAPs)
•
Policy & Lifestyle (including Air Quality & Climate Change)
which leverage the collective expertise of relevant academics, health
•
Water
practitioners and policy makers to determine and manage the solution focused research agenda to yield superior outcomes and benefits (e.g. economic; policy; new information/data; new technology). DCU
Technology Development & Commercialisation
Energy
Teaching, Learning & Outreach
EHSI is a novel, progressive approach to bridging the scienceinnovation-policy gap (see Figure 2), reviewed and validated by an international panel of experts via the PRLTI-Cycle 5 funding protocol.
Other Stakeholders
UU
Water
Computational Methods
EHSI
Food
DIT
Bio-monitoring Policy & Lifestyle
EPA
research IPH
HSE
DCC
practitioners Figure 3: EHSI teams pursue integrated, cross-disciplinary research with collaborative partners
stakeholders & cross-sectoral input
Bio-Monitoring According to the National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP), ‘biomarkers are a valuable means of detecting environmental exposure as they can measure biological effects before overt disease
Science & Innovation
develops’. In addition to its established role in diagnosis, molecular,
GAP
Policy
chemical and cellular bio-monitoring is a core activity in the evaluation of the effects of the environment on human health. A persistent and practical hurdle is that technological advances in bio-monitoring have often outpaced medical understanding, which has led to the situation
Figure 2: EHSI bridging the science-innovation-policy gap
Collaborative Research at EHSI
where compounds may be detected but their relevance to human health is unknown. Ireland does not have an organized bio-monitoring programme so the goal of this SARF is to address this deficit.
EHSI is responding to environmental health research needs despite current resource constraints and prevailing economic circumstances.
Energy
The research programme builds on respective and complementary
Environmental sustainability is one of DITs strategic research themes
expertise of Environmental Health Academics and Practitioners
and this includes energy and the health effects of climate change.
(EHAPs) and consolidates activities in a truly interdisciplinary Institute
This SARF builds on existing research collaborations in addition
aligned to the central objectives of DIT‘s research strategy (Figure 3).
to leveraging the expertise of DIT’s Dublin Energy Lab (DEL), a multidisciplinary research group of engineers, physicists, marketing
EHSI’s research corresponds to many of the priority areas for future
professionals and architects who are focused on the development of
investment in public research as identified in the report by the Irish
evidence-based policies to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase
Government’s Research Prioritisation Steering Group (Forfás, 2012).
security of supply and enhance national competitiveness, etc.
Such collaborative and interdisciplinary research shall contribute to improvements in quality of life, impact on policies and potentially
Food
lead to enterprise development.
In Ireland as in other developed countries, food intake can impact negatively on human health in terms of poor diet and food borne
The interdisciplinary teams pursue specific areas of research focus
illness resulting from contamination. Assessing, monitoring and
(SARFs) to provide the evidence base and develop interventions
investigating the health impacts of poor diet, food quality and food
consistent with the specific objectives of Ireland‘s National
safety are key components of this SARF. Research will focus on food
Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP).
safety, quality and nutrition of vulnerable groups on the island of Ireland, including children, the elderly and the underprivileged.
Policy & Lifestyle
Technology Development & Commercialisation
This SARF addresses social and psycho-social factors that influence a population‘s well-being, which in turns contributes, significantly,
Assistive Technologies
to the state of any economy. This is a truly integrated and
Disability is a significant environmental health issue since
interdisciplinary SARF (e.g. air quality, climate change, quality of life
disabled people face challenges arising from exclusionary
issues, etc.) because it addresses the impacts of key environmental
designs in our environment. This CCRA aims to apply Universal
issues that impact population well being and public health policies.
Design through Low-Cost Modifications to interactions between
EHSI provides knowledge to the decision makers to keep Ireland at
people, technology and environments. Research will focus
the leading edge in environmental health research while improving
on using low-cost sensors and strategies to develop specific
the quality of life of the population.
technological solutions/interventions to address factors that
Air Quality & Climate Change:
challenge disabled and elderly people in their living environment.
Ireland is required under EU legislation to monitor air quality in large urban areas to ensure that the health of the population is not put at
Healthcare
risk. The air quality and climate change unit in EHSI has expertise on
Healthcare Technology encompasses a wide range of healthcare
a wide range of air pollution intervention studies, and on exposures
products, used in clinical measurements for diagnosis,
to environmental tobacco smoke. It has a well-established track
assessment, monitoring and treatment of disease. This CCRA
record in research, key publications, and research funding from
leverages basic and applied research expertise in Optometry,
Irish, EU and US funding agencies. It is a truly inter-disciplinary and
Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging and Bio-spectroscopy to develop
cross-sectoral team that includes collaborations with regional (e.g.
Healthcare Technologies which are central to the establishment of
DCC, DCU), National (e.g. HSE, IPH) and international partners (e.g.
clinical measurement platforms for diagnosis (and treatment) of
Harvard university, Umea University, WHO Europe, EU JRC Ispra).
environmental health related diseases.
Water
Hygiene & Infection Control
The National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP) identifies
The emphasis on hygiene and infection control within the
the need to ensure clean, safe, adequate drinking water supplies and
healthcare sector is increasingly important in light of media
to promote sustainable management of all waters, while enhancing
publicity on bacterial resistance. Bacteria such as MRSA are
quality of life. This SARF seeks to reduce the influence of poor water
significant environmental health risks to patients. There is an
quality on public health by identifying specific areas of threat, develop
urgent need for a technological strategy that will improve
technologies for detecting, assessing and minimizing the levels of
hygiene standards. This CCRA has applications in many of the
biological and chemical pollutants in drinking water supplies and
SARFs (e.g. Water, Food Quality & Safety and Bio-monitoring)
develop novel water monitoring, hygiene and water treatment systems. Monitoring EHSI’s research is underpinned by Cross-Cutting Research Activities (CCRA’s): •
Maths & Computational Methods
•
Technology Development & Commercialisation »» Assistive Technology »» Healthcare Technologies »» Hygiene & Infection Control
Worldwide greater efforts are needed in relation to environmental protection, while also understanding and quantifying the role of the different factors and their interactions. In addition to monitoring and control of the natural environment, this CCRA proposes to use optical sensors in a much broader context to monitor the physical factors that influence living environments and facilitate the assessment of their impact on population health.
»» Monitoring •
Teaching, Learning & Outreach
Mathematical & Computational Methods Mathematical modeling and simulation are fast becoming an essential component of any scientific project. Statistics will be used to underpin the scientific validity of research with cutting-edge, robust statistical methodologies. This CCRA will leverage the consortium’s
Teaching & Learning EHSI‘s focused research programme enhances teaching and learning through undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing professional development (CPD) and outreach activities. Hence it links education and up-skilling provision directly to practitioner requirements responding to regulatory changes using evidence based best practices.
expertise in health informatics, mathematical modeling and statistics. Environmental health informatics is an interdisciplinary field which deals with the storage, retrieval, organization, analysis and optimal use of environmental health information, data and scientific knowledge for problem solving and decision making. Such enabling technology supports many aspects of population health e.g. the National Cancer Registry needs to be coordinated with other data sources
www.dit.ie/ehsi
Dedicated Research facility at DIT Grangegorman campus Planning has been approved for DIT’s new, award-winning Grangegorman development, which will incorporate a major education and health campus, as well as sport, recreation and other public amenities. Ultimately, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) will be consolidated there, bringing over 20,000 students and staff to the campus. The first step in the Grangegorman development is building a new, dedicated research facility for the Environmental Health Sciences Institute (EHSI) (2500m2). •
EHSI will be central to DIT’s research hub on the Grangegorman campus and it will complement the HSE’s existing health facilities already on site
•
Work is currently underway, and the new building is targeted for occupation in 2015
Further information: Dr. Noreen Layden Head of EHSI Dublin Institute of Technology Kevin St., Dublin 8.
Tel: +353 (0)1 402 4707 E-mail: noreen.layden@dit.ie Website : www.dit.ie/ehsi