Institute of Health and
Biomedical Innovation

Environmental health

Overview

Lidia Morawska

Professor Lidia Morawska leads our International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, which is a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Air Quality and Health.

We have established an excellent reputation for environmental health research across a range of areas including health impact assessments of climate change, UV radiation and indoor air pollution.

Our academic staff are internationally recognised for their research expertise.

An emphasis on environmental health and sustainable development ensures our research efforts are underpinned by strong quantitative risk assessment techniques, which are essential in contemporary cutting-edge public health research.

Research programs

Our programs focus on:

  • sun and health
  • indoor air quality
  • global environmental changes and population health.

Infrastructure

  • International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH)
  • Centre for Research Excellence in Sun and Health (CRESH)

Performance

Evidence of research quality

ERA (Excellence in Research for Australia) 2015 score:

  • 4 (above world standard) -
    • Public Health and Health Services (FOR 1117)
  • 3 (at world standard) -
    • Physical Sciences (FOR 02).

ERA (Excellence in Research for Australia) evaluates the quality of research undertaken in Australian universities against national and international benchmarks.

Developing new researchers

Research students
52
Early career researchers
5

Publication output

2011

Unique count
Total
81
High quality
37%
Author weighting
Total
18
High quality
50%

Research income

2011 total
$2,055,177 (funding split)
2007-2011
$6,250,201 (funding split)

Key grants

  • Centre for Research Excellence in Sun and Health - National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
  • Quantitative assessment of solar UV exposure for vitamin D synthesis in Australian adults - National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
  • An evaluation of the environmental health risk of heatwaves associated with global warming - Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage
  • From science to policy: quantifying and managing the risk of mosquito borne disease in the context of climate change - Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery
  • The effects of nano and ultrafine particles from traffic emissions on children's health - Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage

Partnerships

International linkages

  • USA
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • Poland
  • Austria
  • Korea
  • Israel
  • New Zealand
  • Germany
  • Japan
  • Brazil
  • Denmark
  • Belgium
  • UK
  • Switzerland
  • Netherlands

Cross-disciplinary engagement

  • Epidemiology
  • Sun exposure
  • Air quality
  • Bioaerosols
  • Nanoparticles
  • Particle physics

Impact

Evidence of impact

  • New knowledge to inform guidelines and policies to balance risks and benefits of sun exposure
  • Strategies for controlling and managing air pollutants
  • Integrated health and environmental risk assessments
  • Air quality assessment and policy advice
  • Environmental health hazard management
  • Projection of disease epidemiology

Research enquiries

IHBI research enquiries

Contact us to find out about research and discovery at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI).