An interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to research

FOOD

AIR

WAT

ER

LAND

BUILDING

Biological

Psychosocial

Chemical

Physical

Social

Factors that in�uencethe environment we live in and impact Health and Quality of Life

Assess, investigate, monitor, research the impacts, and build an evidence base

Plan corrective action,transfer knowledge,input to and advise on policy change

Prevention through technology development and awareness activities(e.g. new assistivetechnologies, outreach, training, education, etc.)

The Living Environment and Key Exposure Routes that In�uence Human Health

Interventions(e.g. by the Environmental Health Sciences Institute)

Home Environment

Work Environment

RecreationalEnvironment

Figure 1: Sphere of Environmental Health and Opportunity for Intervention

The Environmental Health Sciences Institute (EHSI) is a dedicated national translational research

platform, uniquely based on collaboration between the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT),

the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Dublin City Council (DCC), building national and regional

capacity and capability.

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

uniquely positioned to facilitate an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach, integrating

academic research with the knowledge and expertise of relevant professionals to generate

collective responses to public health issues. Building upon existing education and research

expertise, in addition to collaborations and strategic partnerships with multi-sector stakeholders,

researchers at EHSI develop evidence-based interventions addressing environmental health

problems (see Figure 1).

The establishment and overall development of EHSI is overseen by a Board of Governors comprising

senior representatives from business (IBEC), health agencies (HSE, IPH), academia (DIT, UU) and

government agencies (EPA, DCC). Furthermore, the EHSI Scientific Advisory Board will be composed

of leading academics in science, engineering and policy, health service representatives and industry

experts. They will contribute to the long term strategy and research program by identifying national/

international health threats and potential gaps in policy, regulations, and/or other interventions

needed for a healthy population.

MissionEHSI forges new ground in

understanding the interactions

between environment and

health, in addition to building

national and regional capacity and

capability, developing evidence-

based interventions addressing

environmental health problems. By

integrating scientific and technical

expertise with policy and regulatory

capability in addition to relevant

industry partners, EHSI is bridging

the science-policy-innovation gap.

Ultimately, the overarching mission

and vision is to achieve Healthier

Lives for Children, the Elderly and

Vulnerable Populations.

The EHSI partners develop a scientific

evidence base to:

1. Provide practical solutions to

environmental health problems,

2. Inform environmental health policy,

planning and decision making

3. Impact on the health of vulnerable

populations and facilitate

investments to reduce the burden

of chronic disease and injuries

This is achieved by:

1. Building a new dedicated research

facility at Grangegorman, enabling

interdisciplinary collaboration by

concentrating, consolidating and co-

locating scientists, technologists and

environmental health professionals;

2. Undertaking a strategic research

program, informed by all

stakeholders to provide solutions-

focused interventions involving

research, technology development,

knowledge transfer, outreach

3. Building on existing partnerships

and collaborations in addition to

forging new relationships both

nationally and internationally to

expand the expertise base;

4. Developing innovative, inclusive

teaching and learning activities.

The EHSI ModelCentral to EHSI’s mission is an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral

approach, focused on generating collective responses to public

health threats. This is achieved through collaboration between

teams of Environmental Health Academics and Practitioners (EHAPs)

which leverage the collective expertise of relevant academics, health

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).

EHSI is a novel, progressive approach to bridging the science-

innovation-policy gap (see Figure 2), reviewed and validated by an

international panel of experts via the PRLTI-Cycle 5 funding protocol.

Figure 2: EHSI bridging the science-innovation-policy gap

Collaborative Research at EHSIEHSI is responding to environmental health research needs despite

current resource constraints and prevailing economic circumstances.

The research programme builds on respective and complementary

expertise of Environmental Health Academics and Practitioners

(EHAPs) and consolidates activities in a truly interdisciplinary Institute

aligned to the central objectives of DIT‘s research strategy (Figure 3).

EHSI’s research corresponds to many of the priority areas for future

investment in public research as identified in the report by the Irish

Government’s Research Prioritisation Steering Group (Forfás, 2012).

Such collaborative and interdisciplinary research shall contribute to

improvements in quality of life, impact on policies and potentially

lead to enterprise development.

The interdisciplinary teams pursue specific areas of research focus

(SARFs) to provide the evidence base and develop interventions

consistent with the specific objectives of Ireland‘s National

Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP).

Specific Areas of Research Focus (SARF‘s) include:

• Bio-monitoring

• Energy

• Food

• Policy & Lifestyle (including Air Quality & Climate Change)

• Water

Figure 3: EHSI teams pursue integrated, cross-disciplinary research with collaborative partners

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

develops’. In addition to its established role in diagnosis, molecular,

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

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.

Energy

Environmental sustainability is one of DITs strategic research themes

and this includes energy and the health effects of climate change.

This SARF builds on existing research collaborations in addition

to leveraging the expertise of DIT’s Dublin Energy Lab (DEL), a

multidisciplinary research group of engineers, physicists, marketing

professionals and architects who are focused on the development of

evidence-based policies to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase

security of supply and enhance national competitiveness, etc.

Food

In Ireland as in other developed countries, food intake can impact

negatively on human health in terms of poor diet and food borne

illness resulting from contamination. Assessing, monitoring and

investigating the health impacts of poor diet, food quality and food

safety are key components of this SARF. Research will focus on food

safety, quality and nutrition of vulnerable groups on the island of

Ireland, including children, the elderly and the underprivileged.

Science &

InnovationPolicy

research

practitioners

stakeholders &cross-sectoral

input

GAP

IPH

Technology Development &

Commercialisation

EHSI

Bio-monitoring

Water

Energy

Food

Policy & LifestyleUU

DCC

Computational Methods

Teaching, Learning

& Outreach

Other Stakeholders

DIT

DCU

EPA

HSE

Policy & Lifestyle

This SARF addresses social and psycho-social factors that influence

a population‘s well-being, which in turns contributes, significantly,

to the state of any economy. This is a truly integrated and

interdisciplinary SARF (e.g. air quality, climate change, quality of life

issues, etc.) because it addresses the impacts of key environmental

issues that impact population well being and public health policies.

EHSI provides knowledge to the decision makers to keep Ireland at

the leading edge in environmental health research while improving

the quality of life of the population.

Air Quality & Climate Change:

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

risk. The air quality and climate change unit in EHSI has expertise on

a wide range of air pollution intervention studies, and on exposures

to environmental tobacco smoke. It has a well-established track

record in research, key publications, and research funding from

Irish, EU and US funding agencies. It is a truly inter-disciplinary and

cross-sectoral team that includes collaborations with regional (e.g.

DCC, DCU), National (e.g. HSE, IPH) and international partners (e.g.

Harvard university, Umea University, WHO Europe, EU JRC Ispra).

Water

The National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP) identifies

the need to ensure clean, safe, adequate drinking water supplies and

to promote sustainable management of all waters, while enhancing

quality of life. This SARF seeks to reduce the influence of poor water

quality on public health by identifying specific areas of threat, develop

technologies for detecting, assessing and minimizing the levels of

biological and chemical pollutants in drinking water supplies and

develop novel water monitoring, hygiene and water treatment systems.

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

» 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

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

Technology Development & Commercialisation

Assistive Technologies

Disability is a significant environmental health issue since

disabled people face challenges arising from exclusionary

designs in our environment. This CCRA aims to apply Universal

Design through Low-Cost Modifications to interactions between

people, technology and environments. Research will focus

on using low-cost sensors and strategies to develop specific

technological solutions/interventions to address factors that

challenge disabled and elderly people in their living environment.

Healthcare

Healthcare Technology encompasses a wide range of healthcare

products, used in clinical measurements for diagnosis,

assessment, monitoring and treatment of disease. This CCRA

leverages basic and applied research expertise in Optometry,

Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging and Bio-spectroscopy to develop

Healthcare Technologies which are central to the establishment of

clinical measurement platforms for diagnosis (and treatment) of

environmental health related diseases.

Hygiene & Infection Control

The emphasis on hygiene and infection control within the

healthcare sector is increasingly important in light of media

publicity on bacterial resistance. Bacteria such as MRSA are

significant environmental health risks to patients. There is an

urgent need for a technological strategy that will improve

hygiene standards. This CCRA has applications in many of the

SARFs (e.g. Water, Food Quality & Safety and Bio-monitoring)

Monitoring

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.

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.

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 LaydenHead of EHSIDublin Institute of TechnologyKevin St., Dublin 8.

Tel: +353 (0)1 402 4707E-mail: noreen.layden@dit.ieWebsite : www.dit.ie/ehsi