European Centre for Environment & Human Health

"The relationship between the environment & human health is one of the most pressing issues we face – interdisciplinary research centres like ours will be key to navigating the challenges ahead." In our final anniversary blog, Prof Gesche Huebner looks to the future. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-w...

"Our international ambitions were clear from the start...Europe was literally in the name of our centre" Tim Taylor explains how, over the last 15 years, our research has become increasingly international. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-g...

"Hybrid meeting spaces, a Centre pet, a grand piano, coffee on tap, and a space that didn’t feel like an office at all." Martine Paynter explains how she navigated an audacious wish list to design the Centre's new collaborative working space at the Penryn campus. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-m...

Health inequalities feature in much of our research, but we also have an active group of staff considering internal equality and justice issues. Jess Dicken tells us how Centre members have looked inwards to help push for health equity in the wider workplace: www.ecehh.org/news/15ys-li...

How do you move an entire research centre to remote working with a day's notice? Ness Gordon and Martine Paynter reflect on how they supported the Centre through the Covid-19 pandemic, and slowly "found our own rhythm too". www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-c...

The Peninsula Forum "wasn’t just another event series, it was a vital bridge between academic research and the real-world challenges faced by businesses, communities, and policymakers." Emma McBurney shares her take on our ever-evolving and collaborative forum. www.ecehh.org/news/looking...

"I had heard of Cornwall before I moved here, but I never imagined it would become my second home." Dr Monika Walia chronicles her journey from Delhi to Penzance, and explains how the unique day-to-day life at the Centre has helped her find home amongst the chaos. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-b...

The Health and Environment Public Engagement network plays a fundamental role in our research. Prof Ruth Garside explains how this "diverse, good-humoured group of citizens, full of curiosity and sharp ideas" have challenged our assumptions and honed our approaches. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-p...

"Once you’re a part of the European Centre for Environment & Human Health, you remain a part of it". Our anniversary blog series continues as Dr Aimee Murray looks back on being one of our first PhD students and encountering a new word: ‘transdisciplinarity’. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-p...

"Supporting multisectoral and interdisciplinary ambition requires the vision to build an understanding of the interconnection of environment AND health at the highest level". Prof Conny Guell explores how we have spread the word about our research across the world. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-s...

"When it comes to human health, there is no authority more influential on a global scale than the World Health Organisation." Prof Ben Wheeler charts our route to becoming a WHO Collaborating Centre and impacting environment and health policy at the highest level. www.ecehh.org/news/journey...

Our MSc in Environment and Human Health has seen 14 intakes of students, over a hundred graduates, and navigated its way through both a pandemic and a campus relocation. Dr Lewis Elliott reflects on how the programme has changed and hears from our fantastic alumni: www.ecehh.org/news/evolvin...

The Centre's microbiology group started small – consisting of just 3 people in 2011. Prof Will Gaze charts the team's growth, their "life-or-death arms race against pathogens", and the outsized impact their research has had on policy. ecehh.org/news/15yrs-tackling-antimicrobial-resistance

"It’s perfect for a five-minute break: just long enough to slot in a few pieces and reset your brain." In this week's instalment of our anniversary blog series, Dr Jo Garrett explores the enduring (and sometimes infuriating) tradition of the Centre jigsaw. www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-p...

Where better to start our anniversary blog series, than by hearing from the people who founded the Centre back in 2011. Professors Mike Depledge CBE, Emma Bland, and Lora Fleming Hon CBE give us the inside scoop on how they got the Centre off the ground: www.ecehh.org/news/15yrs-f...

This year marks the Centre’s 15th anniversary, and we’re launching a special series of blogs to reflect our amazing, twisting, turning journey. Our introductory post is now live and there will be more to come – 15, to be precise! www.ecehh.org/news/anniver...

Keen to hear more about our ongoing work on emergency preparedness, climate resilience & disability in Scotland? Read this guest news piece about our November workshop with Inclusion Scotland & ERCS by Maia Pace, Elaine Paterson & Fin Tams-Gray! sensing-climate.com/news/disabil...

A unique partnership between the University of Exeter and the National Trust received a prestigious award. The ‘Shaping Landscapes for People and Nature to Thrive’ partnership was a winner at the Knowledge Exchange UK Awards in the Strategic Partnerships category. @renewbiodiversity.bsky.social

New Paper Published! 📚 We’ve developed a novel approach for estimating exposure to land cover at the LSOA level, designed to reduce exposure misclassification. Read more here: www.ecehh.org/news/mapping... @ecehh.org @renewbiodiversity.bsky.social

Ghosts of Air Quality: Past, Present & Future Explore Exeter’s air quality stories on a free literary heritage walk! 📍 Cathedral Close 🕒 3 PM & 5 PM Reserve your spot: 3 PM 👉 lnkd.in/ey4vQ7jv 5 PM 👉 lnkd.in/eKXghmCQ Funder: @gw4alliance.bsky.social Air Network @ecehh.org #ExeterEvents #AirQuality

Need something to look forward to in the post Xmas grey of January? Sign up for our sparkling MIxed Methods Systematic Review course in person for 2 days in lovely Exeter! #systematicreview www.exeter.ac.uk/faculties/hl...

PhD studentship available. Please repost. www.swbio.ac.uk/agriculture-... @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk @exetergses.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social @hls.exeter.ac.uk @exetermarine.bsky.social @ecehh.org @willhgaze.bsky.social @elzehesse.bsky.social @thembauk.bsky.social

How can natural infrastructure reduce health inequalities? Prof Ben Wheeler is exploring: "Geographical health inequalities in the UK are stark...the gap in healthy life expectancy across local authorities in England is around 20 years." www.ecehh.org/news/nature-health-inequalities-webinar/

Welcome back to day 3 of #WalesClimateWeek🌳 Today we're sharing an @nihr.bsky.social funded project that reveals how green and blue spaces can shape wellbeing. Led by @swanseauni.bsky.social & partners, the project provides valuable insights for public health & policy making. 🧵Learn more!

Monitoring air quality with the help of dodos? Dr Jo Garrett and Dr Hanbin Zhang explain all from a "lively and meaningful collaboration between scientists, artists, and the public – bringing together different ways of seeing and sensing the city’s air." www.ecehh.org/news/sensing...

To support respectful discussions about disability and the climate crisis, @sensing-climate.bsky.social has launched ‘Crip Up Climate Conversations’. "Vulnerability is created by our society not by our bodies, and it doesn’t have to be that way." ecehh.org/news/guidance-climate-disability/

Countless drugs & chemicals now coexist in the environment, mixtures "that may be quietly shaping the evolution of antibiotic resistance." The fantastic Dr April Hayes explains how: theconversation.com/growing-cocktail-of-medicines-in-worlds-waterways-could-be-fuelling-antibiotic-resistance-266945

For the first time, how mixtures of commonly used medications, which end up in our waterways and natural environments, might increase the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been shown in new research from @ecehh.org ex.ac.uk/dW9 @uniofexeteresi.bsky.social @hls.exeter.ac.uk

🌎 It's World Mental Health Day 🌎 "This year, Britain reached 40˚C, just as children were finishing school for summer holidays. What is the reality of being faced with those temperatures as a parent?" PhD student Kat Runnalls explores that question... ecehh.org/news/climate-mental-health-parents

Congratulations to Emily Stevenson for successfully defending her PhD thesis entitled “Microplastics as vectors of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic systems.” Her supervisors: Prof Angus Buckling and Dr Aimee Murray (@exeter.ac.uk) and Prof Penelope Lindeque and Dr Matthew Cole (@pml.ac.uk).

Join myself and others in Exeter, alongside artist Steve McCracken, for a curated trail of art and science. Get real time insights into pollution while spotting new artworks of birds. @ecehh.org www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-to...

Brilliant to see our research featured in this Scientific American article: Microplastics Could Be Turning Bacteria into Drug-Resistant Superbugs www.scientificamerican.com/article/micr... @pml.ac.uk @hls.exeter.ac.uk @ecehh.org @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk @exetermarine.bsky.social

A study led by researchers from the University of Exeter, Cornwall has found that more than a third of children don’t play outdoors after school and one in five don’t at weekends, raising concerns about children’s physical and mental health. @ecehh.org

For UN World Humanitarian Day, Dr Anna Conzatti explores how shelter in times of crisis is not just about protection from the elements, but "about enabling people to live, recover, and rebuild in conditions that do not harm their health." ecehh.org/news/humanitarian-shelters-health/

How might spending time in nature affect people with anxiety or depression? Listen to Dr Katie Gibbs talk through the 'Greengage' project on BBC Radio Cornwall, assessing a 6-week programme of "nature-based activities at fantastic sites across Cornwall." ecehh.org/news/nature-anxiety-depression/

🌱 How can a local eco-hub spark lasting change? Our research explored the impact of a Devon-based hub on pro-environmental behaviour, community inclusion, and wellbeing. Read more: sites.exeter.ac.uk/per/2025/07/... #CommunityResearch #Sustainability #PublicEngagement #EcoHub

In this blog, we reflect on much-maligned equity considerations of the debate around zonal energy pricing - important for future energy transition debates as well as this one! Check out the blog below ⬇️ @ecehh.org

📣 Talk, networking and free lunch! 📆 Monday July 21 1 - 2pm at the ESI Hear more from Dr Emmylou Rahtz and Phyllida Bluemel, about their project 'Perspective Shifts' which received this year’s FX Creative Exchange funding. tinyurl.com/6c9syd92 @ecehh.org @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk @hls.exeter.ac.uk

We're excited to share highlights from ICEP 2025! Our team explored nature and wellbeing across diverse themes – from climate action to sustainable design at an event that: "Emphasised the role of architecture, design, and urban planning." ecehh.org/news/icep-environment-health-conference/

Now featured in a @uniofexeternews.bsky.social piece after taking part in the @royalsociety.org Pairing Scheme. I was paired with my local MP Jayne Kirkham to explore how research and policy can work together. Read more: news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h... @ecehh.org @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk

💦 Love wild swimming? So do we. 🌞🏊‍♀️🌳 But we also ask: Do wild swimmers get unwell more often than non-swimmers? Take 10 minutes to help us find out 👉https://bit.ly/freshwater-swim-survey #WildSwimmingUK

🌊 Wild swimming is irresistible right now! 🌞🏊‍♀️ But do swimmers experience infections more often than non-swimmers? To find out, we need YOU 🙋‍♀️ 🙋‍♂️ If you've swum in the past 2 weeks, we want to hear from you 👉 bit.ly/freshwater-s... @watershed-i.bsky.social @sascampaigns.bsky.social

📢 The Net Positive Centre website is live! 🌍Focused on advancing climate-health research & real-world solutions — from urban design to food systems.Funded by @UKRI_News led by a partnership @exeter.ac.uk @ukhsa.bsky.social @nationaltrust.org.uk @forestresearchuk.bsky.social netpositivecentre.com

🚀 Connecting Business & Research Event 📅 Tuesday, 15 July 2025 | 🕥 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM 📍 Peter Lanyon Building, Penryn Campus Discover how partnering with our research team can help fuel innovation in your organisation. Book your spot using the link below! ecehh.org/events/env-health-collab-forum/

@uniexecec.bsky.social @davvi36.bsky.social @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk @ecehh.org

🚨 SWIMMERS & NON-SWIMMERS WANTED! Take part in a survey about the health risks of freshwater bathing and help inform public health research 🏊‍♀️ Take the survey: bit.ly/freshwater-s... More about the National Health Snapshot study: www.ecehh.org/news/health-...

My adventures on #Dartmoor 🦋 Grateful for time in such a stunning place — not just for the views, but to reflect on the meaningful work we’re doing at RENEW. Proud to be part of a team that blends passion with purpose. #nature #biodiversity @ecehh.org

Lil intro to our early-stage rayyanR R package, from the first day of #ESMARConf2025 (youtu.be/dmcTZ-0eC18?...). Please beta test it and find its inevitable bugs/missing features so I can fix them/incorporate them (you can help us if you like!) 🙏 @ecehh.org @eshackathon.bsky.social #medlibs

🚨 SWIMMERS & NON-SWIMMERS WANTED! Take part in a survey about the health risks of freshwater bathing and help inform public health research🏊‍♀️ Take part: bit.ly/freshwater-s... More info: www.ecehh.org/news/health-... @exeter.ac.uk @uniofexeternews.bsky.social @oxonandrew.bsky.social

🚨 SWIMMERS & NON-SWIMMERS WANTED! Have you swum in a river/lake in the past 2 weeks? Did you feel unwell, or totally fine afterwards? Help inform public health research. 🏊‍♀️🧍‍♂️ 📋 Take part: bit.ly/freshwater-s... 🔍 More info: www.ecehh.org/news/health-...