EHSI brochure

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