Climate change and air pollution are major threats to public health. Unless decisive action is taken to reduce the impact, both issues will increase over time, as will the associated health problems.
Rising seawaters and extreme weather events could increase flooding, leading to an increase in water-borne disease outbreaks, and lead to unsanitary living conditions. Droughts and heatwaves could increase heat-related deaths, and affect crops and access to food. Air pollution is associated with increased risk of respiratory conditions and numerous other health problems.
Our team has significant experience in researching the impact of climate and air quality on health. In 2018 alone we’ve shown that fine-particulate air pollution can increase the risk of miscarriage, developed forecasts for heat-related deaths worldwide based on current climate trends, and shown that a link exists between air pollution and autism.
We apply environmental epidemiology, biostatistics, remote sensing modelling and infectious disease modelling to air quality and climate change. We regularly collaborate with international and domestic research groups, and have strong links with researchers in mainland China, who share an interest in air quality.
Head of Unit
Prof. Yuming Guo
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Contact: +61 3 9905 6100
Email: Yuming.Guo@monash.edu
Our Team
Deputy Unit Head & Senior Research Fellow
- Dr Shanshan (Shandy) Li – Epidemiologist and Biostatistician specialising in atmospheric environmental health and child health
Senior Lecturer
- Dr Danijela Gasevic – Built environment and health; Chronic disease prevention
Research Assistant
- Dr Zhengyu Yang – Research Assistant, Global Air Project
Adjunct Appointments
Current PhD Students
- Zhaoyue Chen – Estimating air pollution exposure with remote sensing and machine learning
- Yuan Gao – PM2.5 air pollution and respiratory outcomes in Asia Pacific regions
- Wenzhong Huang – The long-term health effect of air pollution and greenness under the context of climate change
- Ke Ju – Systematic study on infectious complications of diabetes among Chinese adults
- Muhammad Khan – Weather conditions and biomarkers: a population-based cohort study
- Rahini Mahendran – The impact of climate change on emerging infectious diseases
- Bo Wen – Ambient air pollution, DNA polymorphisms, and cognitive abilities among children
- Yao Wu – Air pollution, telomere length, and dementia
- Dr Rongbin Xu – Air pollution and epigenetics: multiple international cohort studies
- Tingting Ye – Greenness and children’s health
- Dr Pei Yu – Air pollution and cancer risks
- Wenhua Yu – Deep ensemble model for environmental health assessment
Past PhD Students
- Gongbo Chen – PM1 and human health: novel exposure assessment and important health outcomes
- Samuel Hundessa – Climate change and malaria transmission: A national study in China
- Amanda Johnson – Coal mine fire and human health: Hazelwood Health Study
- Qi Zhao – Climate change and hospital admission in Brazil: A national study
Past Visiting Scholars
- Dr Peng Lu, Binzhou Medical University – Environmental toxicology and environmental health
- Dr Guoxin Xia, Binzhou Medical University – Public Health, Epidemiology, Surgery
- Associate Professor Yajuan Zhang, Ningxia Medical University – Environmental epidemiology, air pollution and human health, climate change and human health
- Dr Youn-Hee Lim, Seoul National University, 2018 – Environmental epidemiology and statistics, health impacts of air pollution and climate change
- Dr Kejia Hu, Zhejiang University, 2017-2018 – Health impacts of climate change and air pollution
- Dr Qin Li, Peking University, 2017-2018 – Environmental exposure and birth health
- Associate Professor Chunlei Han, Binzhou Medical University – Environmental Inequality and human health