New regional champions to help improve air quality across the UK
NewsFour new regional Clean Air Champions will join the national Clean Air Champions, Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, Dr Jenny Baverstock and Dr Gary Fuller in supporting the work of the SPF Clean Air Programme.
The programme is a £42.5 million investment that supports high quality research and innovation to:
- develop practical solutions for today’s air quality issues
- equip the UK to proactively tackle future air quality challenges.
Collaboration and Impact
The champions will act as the central point for air quality research in their region:
- Midlands to north of England
- Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland.
They will work to increase collaboration and impact across and beyond the programme.
About the regional champions
The new regional champions are:
Dr Suzanne Bartington (Midlands to north of England)
Suzanne is a clinical research fellow at the University of Birmingham.
She has expertise in public health, with research interests on the health effects of air pollution and environmental public policy formulation and evaluation.
She is public health lead for the West Midlands Air Quality Improvement Programme (University of Birmingham), applying environmental science expertise to support the West Midlands:
- air quality
- health
- economic benefits.
She is passionate about public engagement and communication and a strong believer in translating academic knowledge to diverse audiences.
Find out more about Suzanne on the University of Birmingham website.
Dr Neil Rowland (Northern Ireland)
Neil is a Research Fellow based at the Management School, Queen’s University Belfast.
An applied economist with a background in economics and geography, he is part of the Administrative Data Research Centre Northern Ireland Environmental Health Research Group.
As part of a team Neil is carrying out research to understand the health and mortality impacts of outdoor air pollution in Northern Ireland using a variety of linked datasets.
An important element of this work is communication. Bringing research findings to policymakers and the wider public to inform strategies for improving air quality and to raise awareness of its health impacts.
Find out more about Neil on the Queen’s University Belfast website.
Dr Heather Price (Scotland)
Heather is a lecturer in environmental geography, based at the University of Stirling.
She has significant experience working on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research projects including:
• Air Network project
• Tupumue lung health project (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).
The key aim of her research is to find creative, acceptable, and future-proofed solutions to the ‘wicked’ problem of air pollution.
Find out more about Heather on the University of Stirling website.
Professor Paul Lewis (Wales)
Paul is Professor Emeritus at Swansea University Medical School with a research background in the environmental impacts on respiratory health.
He is an expert member on the Welsh Government Clean Air Advisory Panel, helping advise on fine-particulate targets in readiness for a new Clean Air Act in Wales.
He is also a member of:
• Wales Air Quality Direction Independent Review Panel
• Domestic Solid Fuel Burning in Wales, Task and Finish Group.
Find out more about Paul on the Swansea University website.