Childhood and Environment

Children’s health is considered a priority at the international level—and also at ISGlobal. Our Childhood and Environment programme focuses on evaluating the effects of environmental pollutants on children’s health , with particular emphasis on exposure during pregnancy and the postnatal period. The figure below describes the main areas of research interest in this field:
- Exposures
—Urban environment (e.g. air pollution, noise, green spaces, pedestrian areas, temperature, light)
—Indoor pollution (e.g. air pollution, mould)
—Water pollution (e.g. chlorination by-products, microplastics)
—Toxic chemical compounds (e.g. persistent organic pollutants, bisphenol A, phthalates, pesticides, heavy metals)
—Electromagnetic fields
—Lifestyle (e.g. nutrition, physical activity, sleep)
—Social determinants (e.g. restrictions, socio-economic status, education)
—Genetics - Biological responses
—Epigenetics
—Metabolomics and proteins
—Immune system
—Microbiota - Health impacts
—Neurodevelopment and mental health
—Obesity and cardiometabolic health
—Respiratory health and allergies
—Foetal growth and birth outcomes
—Puberty
ISGlobal-Led Birth Cohorts
Within the Childhood and Environment programme, there is a strong focus on longitudinal birth cohort research. We are currently leading a Spanish network of birth cohorts called the INMA Environment and Childhood Project as well as the BiSC birth cohort (in Barcelona and the surrounding metropolitan area).
ISGlobal-Led Birth Cohort Networks
ISGlobal has also been instrumental in building a birth cohort network in Europe through three European projects: ENRIECO, from 2009 to 2011; CHICOS, from 2010 to 2013; and LIFECYCLE, from 2017 to 2021. These efforts have resulted in a framework for data sharing and harmonisation across than 30 European birth cohorts.
Our Team
Head
- Martine Vrijheid Head of the Childhood and Environment Programme, Research Professor and Coordinator of INMA-Sabadell Cohort
Our Team
- Jordi Sunyer Research Professor
- Mònica Guxens Research Professor
- Maribel CASAS Assistant Research Professor
- Mireia Gascon Assistant Research Professor
- Ioar Rivas Assistant Research Professor
- Lea Maitre Assistant Research Professor
- Mariona Bustamante Staff Scientist
- Payam Dadvand Associate Research Professor
- Judith Garcia Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases and Environment Programme
- Isabelle Thierry Chef
- Sofía Aguilar Predoctoral researcher
- Albert Ambròs Technician GIS
- Augusto Anguita Postdoctoral Researcher
- Laura Balagué Predoctoral Researcher
- Anne-Claire Binter Postdoctoral Researcher
- Núria Botella Statistician
- Laura Ciaran Tècnic de laboratori
- Lourdes Cirugeda Data Manager INMA
- Marta Cosín Postdoctoral Researcher
- Ester Cots Predoctoral Researcher
- Montserrat De Castro Technician GIS
- PATRICIA DE LLOBET Research technician
- Carola Domènech Field Technician
- Mikel Esnaola Statistician
- Esmée Essers Predoctoral Researcher
- Lorenzo Fabbri Predoctoral Researcher
- Amanda Fernandes Postdoctoral Researcher
- Muriel Ferrer Research Technician
- Serena Fossati Postdoctoral Researcher
- Sheila García Nsue Project Manager
- Laura Gómez Predoctoral Researcher
- Susana Gros Project Manager
- Nuria Güil Predoctoral Researcher
- Jean Baptiste Guimbaud Student
- Pol Jiménez Research Technician
- BEATRIZ JURADO Research Technician