enviromental influences on health [ 2007 - 2013 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Anthony Mcmichael (Principal investigator) ,  The Australian National University (Managed by)

Brief description My goal is to develop substantial Australian capacity and international leadership in research on Health Impacts of Environment and Climate Change. Climate change poses diverse health risks, both direct (heatwaves, weather disasters, drought, urban air quality) and indirect (infectious disease patterns, food yields, economic loss, environmental refugee flows). My research group, with my own international connections and our strong cross-campus and external collaborative links, is ideally placed to do this research. Major outcomes will be: (i) enhanced understanding of the health risks from climate change and other human-induced environmental changes (including studies of their influences on patterns of infectious diseases); (ii) a broader evidence base for developing preventive-adaptive strategies to lessen health risks – and further development of my Centre’s high-level skills in translating research to social policy. My four specific aims are to: 1. Extend our research on the health impacts of climate change and other environmental changes. This will include strengthening further our international collaboration, developing new methods, and: (a) research on the health impacts of long-term drought in rural Australia; (b) elucidating the interplay of environmental, climatic, social and economic influences on infectious disease emergence and spread in the Australia-Asia region (to enhance ecological understanding, facilitate prevention-control strategies, and advance the biosecurity research agenda – including via ANU’s new Centre for Biosecurity). 2. Develop further our research on environmental and genetic influences on immune system function and autoimmune diseases, including studying the role of vitamin D. Answers to these research questions will be generalisable to the prevention and management of immune disorders. 3. Provide strong leadership in fostering international research activities, capacity and collaboration on the health impacts of global environmental-climatic changes (GEC). I have special opportunity and responsibility as co-chair of the International Council of Science project: ‘GEC and Human Health’. 4. Develop Australia’s population health research capacity with emphasis on training early-mid-career researchers. This fellowship research program would be greatly strengthened by retention of several high-performing and committed Team Investigators already working in the topic area. My central objective is to consolidate national research capacity and long-term momentum in the above areas, with high international engagement and profile. Under my directorship NCEPH has attained high visibility in: (i) climate change and health research; (ii) modeling infectious disease transmission and control; (iii) studying the environmental aetiology of immune disorders; and (iv) social-cultural epidemiological research into influences on health-re

Funding Amount $AUD 4,000,000.00

Funding Scheme Research Fellowships

Notes Australia Fellowship