VHIR has held a conference dedicated to World Environment Day, focused on one of today’s major global challenges: the impact of the climate crisis and environmental factors on human health. The event highlighted the role of biomedical research in understanding, preventing, and mitigating the effects of environmental changes on health, as well as the need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to address this complex challenge.

Organized within the framework of VHIR’s CORE Environmental & Public Health, the event brought together researchers from different fields of knowledge to share scientific evidence and research experiences related to the effects of pollution, extreme environmental phenomena, and climate change on health.

An interdisciplinary perspective on environmental challenges and health

The event began with a session dedicated to the role of cities and urban environments in population health. Cristina Vert Roca, researcher in the Aging, Frailty and Transitions Research Group in Barcelona at VHIR, addressed the challenges of building healthier cities in a context marked by the climate crisis.

Next, Adelina Geyer Traver, deputy director of the Institute of Geosciences of Barcelona (CSIC) and expert in volcanology, delivered a lecture on the origin, properties, and environmental impacts of volcanic ash. Her contribution provided a complementary perspective to biomedical research and highlighted the importance of integrating disciplines such as geosciences to better understand the relationship between natural phenomena and human health.

The connection between environment and health was also evidenced in the presentations by María Jesús Cruz Carmona, head of the Pneumology Research Group at VHIR, who discussed the health effects of the La Palma volcanic eruption, and Antonio Rodríguez Sinovas, principal investigator of the Cardiovascular Diseases Research Group at VHIR, who presented results on the effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health and its relationship with the induction of ventricular arrhythmias.

The different sessions highlighted how diverse environmental factors can affect multiple systems in the body and reinforce the need to generate scientific knowledge that enables progress in preventive strategies and public health approaches.

Environmental and health research as a strategic priority at VHIR

The event is part of the activity of CORE Environmental & Public Health, a multidisciplinary scientific community that brings together more than 20 principal investigators from 15 research groups at VHIR. This structure promotes collaboration across different specialties to address the effects of environmental factors on health in a cross-cutting way.

The groups that are part of the CORE conduct research in areas such as respiratory, cardiovascular, infectious, neurovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as mental health. Their goal is to understand how exposure to pollutants, environmental changes, or extreme weather events influence the biological mechanisms involved in the development and progression of diseases.

This research combines epidemiological studies, patient cohorts, experimental models, and molecular mechanism analyses to generate knowledge with direct impact on clinical practice and public health policies. Among the main areas of interest are air and indoor pollution, heat waves, extreme weather events, increased allergens, changes in the distribution of climate-related infectious diseases, as well as the impact of droughts, floods, wildfires, and water quality.

Conducting this research in a hospital environment makes it possible to directly connect scientific activity with clinical practice, incorporating real patient data and fostering the development of translational research projects with a direct impact on population health.

An experience connecting research and environment

The event concluded with a visit to the campus outdoor areas to learn about VHIR’s biodiversity and the strategies implemented to promote more sustainable environments. During the activity, participants were able to discover the scientific criteria used in designing spaces that promote biodiversity and ecological efficiency within a hospital and research environment.

In addition, the functioning of the natural system of the campus outdoor pond was presented, an example of sustainable water management that allows its quality and conservation to be maintained without the use of chemicals.