
Human Health in the Face of Climate Change: Science, Medicine, and Adaptation
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - Friday, May 15, 2015
There is significant scientific evidence indicating that the global climate is changing, largely due to human activities. Such climatic fluctuations may adversely impact human health and well-being in a variety of ways, including through exposure to extreme weather events; disruption of ecosystems, agriculture, and food production; expansion of infectious diseases; and increased levels of harmful air particulates. New research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the health consequences of climate change on humans — including better quantification of these effects — to improve health preparedness and protect vulnerable populations.
The New York Academy of Sciences along with the “la Caixa” Foundation and BIOCAT will host a multidisciplinary conference that brings together climate scientists, atmospheric/oceanic scientists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, epidemiologists, public health specialists, and policy-makers, among others. This 2-day conference will highlight the latest research on climate change and its subsequent effects on human health, including vulnerability due to extreme weather events, land-use change and agricultural production, variable epidemiology of parasites and infectious diseases, and climate-altering pollutants.
Registration Pricing
Receive a 20% discount on registration fees by using the promotional code SPAINCLIMATE. Discount may not be applied to prior registrations. | |||
By 04/10/2015 | After 04/10/2015 | Onsite | |
Member | $395 | $450 | $500 |
Member (Student / Postdoc / Resident / Fellow) | $225 | $275 | $325 |
Nonmember (Academia) | $495 | $550 | $600 |
Nonmember (Corporate) | $700 | $750 | $800 |
Nonmember (Non-profit) | $495 | $550 | $600 |
Nonmember (Student / Postdoc / Fellow) | $250 | $300 | $350 |
Registration includes a complimentary, one-year membership to the New York Academy of Sciences. Complimentary memberships are provided to non-members only and cannot be used to renew or extend existing or expiring memberships. A welcome email will be sent upon registration which will include your membership credentials.
Presented by
Agenda
* Presentation titles and times are subject to change.
Day 1: Thursday May 14, 2015 | |
7:45 AM | Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Poster Setup |
8:30 AM | Welcome and Introductory Remarks |
9:00 AM | Keynote Address 1 |
Session I. Climate Extremes: Utilizing Science To Protect Vulnerable PopulationsChairperson: Andy Haines, MBBS, MD, FRCGP, FFPHM, FRCP, FMedSci, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | |
9:30 AM | Statistical Issues in Understanding the Relationship Between Climate and Health |
9:55 AM | Improving Climate Predictions for Better Disease Projections |
10:20 AM | Networking Coffee Break |
Session II. Climate Information for Better Health Preparedness: What Do We Need To Improve?Chairperson: Madeleine Thomson, PhD, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University | |
11:00 AM | Building Resilience in the Public Health Sector: The Development of an Evidence-Based Framework for Change Adaptation Planning |
11:25 AM | Incorporating Information from a Suite of Climate Data Sources to Enhance Disease Prediction |
11:50 PM | Forecasting Infectious Disease Outbreaks |
12:15 PM | Panel Discussion with Session I & II Speakers |
12:45 PM | Networking Lunch and Poster Session |
Session III. Connecting Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Community HealthChairperson Forthcoming | |
2:15 PM | Latitudinal Perspectives on Climate Change and Infectious Diseases of Wildlife |
2:40 PM | Setting an Agenda for Studying Interactions between Climate Change and Disease Ecology |
3:05 PM | Abiotic Factors Determining the Seasonal Transmission of Vector-Borne Diseases |
3:30 PM | Crossing Scales in Biodiversity Prediction for Human-Health Applications |
3:55 PM | Networking Coffee Break |
Session IV. Hot Topic Talks (Selected From Submitted Abstracts)Chairperson: Robert P. Anderson, PhD, City College of New York; City University of New York | |
4:30 PM | Speaker to Be Selected from Submitted Abstracts |
4:45 PM | Speaker to Be Selected from Submitted Abstracts |
5:00 PM | Speaker to Be Selected from Submitted Abstracts |
5:15 PM | Speaker to Be Selected from Submitted Abstracts |
5:30 PM | Panel Discussion with Session III & IV Speakers |
6:00 PM | Networking Reception and Poster Session |
7:30 PM | End of Day One |
Day 2: Friday May 15, 2015 | |
7:45 AM | Continental Breakfast |
8:30 AM | Keynote Address 2 |
Session V. Impacts of Climate Change on Food and Nutrition SecurityChairperson: Elisabet Lindgren, MD, PhD, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University | |
9:00 AM | Moving Forward: How to Adapt to Climate-Induced Damage to Oceans and Fisheries |
9:25 AM | Infectious Diseases in Livestock: Should We Care About Climate Change? |
9:50 AM | Networking Coffee Break |
Session VI. Effects of Wind and Dust on Airway Disease and Respiratory IllnessChairperson: Andrew Dobson, PhD, Princeton University | |
10:30 AM | Can We Inform Reactive Vaccination Strategies for Meningococcal Meningitis in Sub-Saharan Africa Using Dust and Climate Predictors? |
10:55 AM | Inhalation of Environmental Dust and Potential Impacts to Human Health |
11:20 PM | Wind-Borne Dispersion of Potential Human Pathogens and Toxins: Recent Lessons from Kawasaki Disease |
11:45 PM | Panel Discussion with Session V & VI Speakers |
12:15 PM | Networking Lunch and Poster Session |
Session VII. Climate-Induced Shifts in Infectious DiseasesChairperson: Josep Anton Morgui Castelló, PhD, Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (IC3) | |
1:45 PM | Integrating Climate Information into Surveillance Systems for Infectious Diseases |
2:10 PM | Mapping Disease Transmission Risk from Ecological and Biogeographic Perspectives |
2:35 PM | Strong Role of Climate Forcing in Malaria Dynamics in Low Transmission Regions: Implications For the Future |
3:00 PM | The Role of Seasonality in Neglected Tropical Disease Transmission |
3:25 PM | Networking Coffee Break |
Session VIII. Going Global: Pinpointing the Next Steps to Translate Climate Science into PolicyChairperson: Xavier Rodó, ICREA & Institut Català de Ciències del Clima - IC3 | |
4:00 PM | Lessons Learned in Health Adaptation |
4:25 PM | Health Co-Benefits of the Low Carbon Economy |
4:50 PM | Monitoring Epidemic Precursors of Infectious Diseases in Europe |
5:15 PM | Communicating Climate Science to the Public |
5:40 PM | Panel Discussion with Session VIII Speakers |
6:15 PM | Concluding Remarks |
6:30 PM | Conference Concludes |
Speakers
Organizers
Siobhán Addie, PhD
The New York Academy of Sciences
Robert P. Anderson, PhD
City College of New York, City University of New York
website
Melanie Brickman Stynes, PhD, MSc
The New York Academy of Sciences
Andrew Dobson, PhD
Princeton University
Christopher Dye, FRS, FMedSci
The World Health Organization
Andy Haines, MBBS, MD, FRCGP FFPHM, FRCP, FMedSci
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Xavier Rodó i López, PhD
ICREA & Institut Català de Ciències del Clima - IC3
website
Madeleine Thomson, PhD
International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University
Speakers and Session Chairs
Matthew Baylis, PhD
University of Liverpool
Jose A. Centeno, MSc, PhD, FRSC
International Medical Geology Association
website
Peter John Diggle, MSc, PhD
Lancaster University
website
Kristie L. Ebi, PhD, MPH
University of Washington
Carlos Pérez García-Pando, PhD
Columbia University and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Lisa Goddard, PhD
International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University
website
Deirdre Hollingsworth, MSc, PhD
University of Warwick
Elisabet Lindgren, MD, PhD
Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
website
George Luber, PhD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Jane Olwoch, MSc, PhD
University of Pretoria
Mercedes Pascual, PhD
University of Chicago
website
Richard E. Paul, MSc, DPhil
Institut Pasteur
website
A. Townsend Peterson, PhD
The University of Kansas
website
Jan C. Semenza, PhD, MPH, MS
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
website
Jeffrey Shaman, PhD
Columbia University
Cassandra De Young, PhD
UN Food and Agricultural Organization
Sponsors
For sponsorship opportunities please contact Siobhan Addie at saddie@nyas.org or 212.298.8641.
Bronze
Promotional Partners
The Academy of Medical Sciences
European Centre for Environment and Human Health
The Global Climate & Health Alliance
International Medical Geology Association
International Research Institute for Climate and Society of Columbia University
ISGlobal – Barcelona Institute for Global Health
OraTaiao NZ Climate & Health Council
Presented by
Abstracts
Keynote Address 1
Protecting Human Health in a Warmer World
Christopher Dye, DPhil, Office of the Director General, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Session I: Climate Extremes: Utilizing Science to Protect Vulnerable Populations
Statistical Issues in Understanding the Relationship between Climate and Health
Peter John Diggle, MSc, PhD
Lancaster University Medical School, Lancaster, United Kingdom
Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Models of climate and health need to acknowledge some inherent complexities of the system under investigation: it can only be measured imperfectly and incompletely; it is affected by a mix of natural and social processes, some of which are well understood, others less so; critically, both climate and health vary unpredictably in space and in time. In this talk, I will first illustrate the general principles of statistical method in a simple example, then describe applications of spatio-temporal statistical modelling in environmental epidemiology.
What Do We Need to Know to Protect Populations From Extreme Events?
Sari Kovats, MSc, PhD, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Session II: Climate Information For Better Health Preparedness: What Do We Need to Improve?
Building Resilience in the Public Health Sector: The Development of an Evidence-Based Framework for Change Adaptation Planning
George Luber, PhD, Climate and Health Program, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Importance of Temperature as the Main Driver to Malaria Transmission in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Jane Olwoch, PhD2
Coauthors: Kibii Komen1, Hannes Rautenbach PhD1, Joel Botai PhD1, and Adetunji Adebayo3
1 Geoinformatics and Meteorology - Center for Environmental Studies, Department of Geography, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
2 SANSA Earth Observation, South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Pretoria, South Africa
3 Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Forecasting Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States
Session III: Connecting Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Community Health
Influence of Climate Change on Pathogen-Host Dynamics and Different Latitudes
Andy Dobson, DPhil1
Coauthors: Peter K. Molnar, PhD2, Susan Kutz, DVM, PhD3
1 EEB, Eno Hall, Princeton University, New Jersey, United States
2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
3 Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Abiotic Factors Determining the Seasonal Transmission of Vector-Borne Diseases
Richard E. Paul, DPhil, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
Coauthor: Marie J. Vassallo, PhD, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
Crossing Scales in Biodiversity Prediction for Human-Health Applications
Robert P. Anderson, PhD, City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States
Session IV: Hot Topic Talks
Speakers to Be Selected from Submitted Abstracts
Keynote Address 2
Adapting to the Health Impacts of Climate Change
Elisabet Lindgren, MD, PhD, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden
Session V: Impacts of Climate Change on Food and Nutrition Security
Fisheries and Aquaculture Food and Nutrition Security in a Changing Climate
Cassandra De Young, MSc, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy
Coauthors: Doris Soto, PhD1 and Tarub Bahri, PhD1 1 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy
Infectious Diseases in Livestock: Should We Care About Climate Change?
Matthew Baylis, DPhil
Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Livestock infectious diseases are important for several reasons such as: welfare; livestock provide income, food and clothing and, particularly in Lower Income Countries (LICs), building materials and draught power; and they are a source of human disease – 60-70% of human pathogens originated from animals, especially livestock.
The most climate-sensitive diseases of livestock - and hence those most likely to respond to climate change - are vector-borne, water-borne, food-borne or have free-living environmental stages. These transmission routes apply to two-thirds of the livestock diseases with greatest impact on the global poor. Furthermore, vector-borne diseases threaten the developed world, as climate change allows insect and tick vectors, or the diseases they transmit, to spread beyond their normal ranges. The impact of vector-borne diseases of livestock can be economically costly or devastating.
Many non-climate disease drivers are changing at the same time as climate and, when a disease emerges, it is usually difficult to attribute the emergence to climate change. This is particularly the case for human diseases, as our disease exposures are changing very rapidly. The disease exposures of livestock are also changing, but less rapidly and, as such, livestock may act as sentinels of the effects of climate change on infectious diseases.
Session VI: Effects of Wind and Dust on Airway Disease and Respiratory Illness
Can We Inform Reactive Vaccination Strategies for Meningococcal Meningitis in Sub-Saharan Africa Using Dust and Climate Predictors?
Carlos Pérez García-Pando, PhD
Columbia University, New York, New York, United States
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, United States
The threshold strategy depends on timely surveillance, and rapid response, which are difficult to achieve in less-developed countries. The strategy can therefore benefit from improved surveillance and forecasting tools. In the last few years, scientists have linked the seasonality and part of the year-to-year variability of meningitis to climate and environmental factors, and proposed forecast tools. However, delivering apparently simple changes into an epidemic response strategy is complex. During my talk I will review recent research and practice seeking to improve the epidemic response strategy of National Ministries of Health in the Meningitis Belt of Africa, and the challenges ahead.
Inhalation of Environmental Dust and Potential Impacts to Human Health
Jose A. Centeno, MSc, PhD, FRSC
International Medical Geology Association
The Joint Pathology Center, Division of Biophysical Toxicology Laboratories, Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic, Maryland, United States
Health effects from exposure to particulate matter have been widely described in the medical respiratory diseases literature. Direct contact with potentially harmful inhaled particles and the fine, fragile airways contributes to making the respiratory system a major target for dust and toxic agents. But toxic agents carried by dust can also exert adverse effects in other parts of the body as they are dissolved in the lung and absorbed into the blood stream. It is not only the inhalation pathway that needs to be considered, but also the increased exposure from dust deposition on edible crops and in drinking water sources. Thus, in order to set up preventive measures and regulations for dust levels to ensure public health, it is critical to gain knowledge about the potential health effects of environmental dust exposure. Geological information on dust sources, processes that affect mobilization, and transport of dust, as well as toxicological information on the effects and pathways of dust particles through respiratory organs are needed. In addition, careful studies on dust levels, chemical composition, and environmental pathology are required. This presentation will emphasize the global scale of the problem, in terms of its environmental, chemical, and human health implications. Examples will be presented of potential health effects of inhaled environmental dust in deployed military personnel.
Wind-Borne Dispersion of Potential Human Pathogens and Toxins: Recent Lessons from Kawasaki Disease
Xavier Rodó, PhD, ICREA & Institut Català de Ciències del Clima - IC3, Barcelona, Spain
Session VII: Climate-Induced Shifts in Infectious Diseases
Integrating Climate Information into Surveillance Systems for Infectious Diseases
Madeleine C. Thomson, PhD, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Earth Institute/Department of Environmental Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, United States
The global health system is in a period of rapid change with global health surveillance receiving increasing recognition as a primary source of protection from newly emerging and reemerging threats; infectious diseases, new cycles of pandemics and bioterrorism as well as climate change. These changes impact directly national health systems and services.
This presentation will discuss the incorporation of climate information into routine epidemiological surveillance systems for climate-sensitive diseases (focusing on malaria) at the national level in Africa. In it is discussed the changes and improvements in policy, practice, climate services and data required for development and implementation, experience to date and research priorities.
Mapping Disease Transmission Risk from Ecological and Biogeographic Perspectives
A. Townsend Peterson, PhD, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States
Strong Role of Climate Forcing in Malaria Dynamics in Low Transmission Regions: Implications For the Future
Mercedes Pascual, PhD1,2
Coauthors: Menno J. Bouma, PhD3, Andres Baeza, PhD4, Amir Siraj, MSc5, Mauricio Santos-Vega, MSc1
1 University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2 Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
3 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
4 National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, Maryland, United States
5 University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States
Neglected Tropical Disease Transmission, Weather and Climate
Deirdre Hollingsworth, PhD, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
Session VIII: Going Global: Pinpointing the Next Steps to Translate Climate Science Into Policy
Lessons Learned in Health AdaptationKristie L. Ebi, PhD, MPH, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States To address the limited understanding of effective approaches to scaling up health adaptation options to address current and future climate variability and change in low- and middle-income countries, a qualitative review and synthesis of documents was undertaken covering the first five years of implementation (2008-2013) of three multinational health adaptation projects covering fourteen countries (Albania, Barbados, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Philippines Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan). Also, qualitative data were collected through a focus group consultation and interviews with 19 key informants purposively selected for their expertise and role in health adaptation.
The national projects increased resilience for particular weather-sensitive health outcomes by focusing on incremental improvements in policies and programs to address the current adaptation deficit associated with climate variability, and by beginning to establish enabling environments for additional adaptation. However, no project planned nor considered how to scale up successful community-based activities.
The activities undertaken may not be sufficient to address significant increases in climate variability and change. National health plans and budget processes need to move beyond focusing on shorter-term activities to address climate variability to prepare for climate change through better understanding of potential risks, strengthening health systems, ensuring adequate policies and legislation, facilitating institutional support, and public education and awareness programs, including disaster preparedness measures.
Health Co-Benefits of the Low Carbon Economy
Andy Haines, MD, F Med Sci, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Monitoring Epidemic Precursors of Infectious Diseases in Europe
Jan C. Semenza, PhD, MPH, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
Communicating Climate Science to the Public
Sabrina McCormick, PhD
Travel & Lodging
Location
CosmoCaixa
Isaac Newton, 26
Barcelona, Spain
Tel. + 34 93 212 60 50
Fax: + 34 93 253 74 73
Suggested Hotel Accommodations around CosmoCaixa
ABaC Hotel
Address: Avenida Tibidabo 1, (walking distance)
Telephone: + 34 933196600
Web: http://www.abacbarcelona.com/en
Hotel Bertran
Address: Calle Bertran, 150 (walking distance)
Telephone: + 34 932127550 / Fax: + 34 934187103
Web: http://www.bertran-hotel.com
Hotel Alimara
Address: Calle Berruguete 126, (next to the Ronda de Dalt beltway, 20-min car ride)
Telephone: + 34 934270000 /Fax: + 34 934279292
Web: http://www.alimarahotel.com
Suggested Hotel Accommodations in Downtown Barcelona
Within walking distance of public transportation
There are not many hotels within walking distance of CosmoCaixa, and thus we recommend that participants book a hotel in downtown Barcelona around Plaza Catalunya, which is in close proximity to public transportation (Ferrocalines de Cataluña or bus # 17).
B-Hotel Hotel Catalonia Ramblas Hotel H10 Universitat Hotel Regina Hotel Catalonia Duques de Bergara Hotel Pulitzer Hotel Soho Hotel Reding | Public TransportationBus Train: Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat Driving Shuttle Buses to and from the Conference Center (CosmoCaixa) During the conference, shuttle bus transportation will be available for participants with hotel reservations in downtown Barcelona. Shuttle buses will depart in the morning from B-Hotel located at Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 389-391, 08015, and return to this hotel at the end of the day (schedule follows). Bus Schedule Thursday, May 14, 2015 - From B-Hotel Thursday, May 14, 2015 - From CosmoCaixa Friday, May 15, 2015 - From B-Hotel Friday, May 15, 2015 - From CosmoCaixa |
Hotel Inglaterra Hotel Ciutat Vella Hotel Atlantis Hotel Lleó |