In this episode we discuss environmental health, the risks affecting human health and well being, and the value of prevention rather than mitigation with a focus on the African continent.
- Environmental health effects related to solar radiation exposure — skin cancer, cataract, immune suppression, etc.
- Climate change adaptation in the African context — how to be prepared for extreme heat waves?
- The importance of collaborative and transdisciplinary work to effectively solve environmental health issues
Our guest today, Dr Caradee Wright is a Specialist Scientist at the South African Medical Research Council leading the Climate and Health Research Programme. She is also a Lecturer at the University of Pretoria, Research Associate at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Associate Professor at the University of Johannesburg. She holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Otago and an MSocSc in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Natal (now UKZN). Her research focuses on environmental health in Africa, including personal solar ultraviolet radiation exposure and skin cancer prevention, personal dosimetry, health risk assessment and air pollution-related disease measurement and prevention. She is a member of the Global Young Academy, past Vice-President of the National Association for Clean Air, Co-Editor of the Clean Air Journal and Founder of the Environmental Health Research Network. Find her on Twitter.
Our interviewer is Oluwaseyi Arowosegbe, a PhD student of Epidemiology and Public Health at Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Switzerland where he is currently working on the application of remote-sensing data to bridge the gap in ground-level particulate matter data in South Africa. He holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His research interest includes environmental exposure modelling and observational studies assessing the association between environmental exposures and health outcomes. Find him on Twitter.
Episode notes and references:
- Environmental Health Research Network (EHRN)
- Major climate change-induced risks to human health in South Africa
Music by Ritesh Prasanna
Podcast website: https://atmospherictales.com