The report provides an overview of the current situation in Catalonia from three complementary perspectives: research, healthcare and the lived experience of people affected by the condition through the Long COVID patient association. By bringing these perspectives together, the document identifies some of the main bottlenecks and proposes concrete priorities to improve knowledge, care and support for people living with Long COVID.

A burden that remains difficult to measure

Long COVID can affect multiple organs and manifest through a wide range of symptoms, including fatigue, cognitive difficulties or “brain fog”, problems regulating functions such as heart rate and blood pressure, and worsening of symptoms after exercise. Its heterogeneity, combined with the absence of specific diagnostic tools, makes the condition particularly difficult to diagnose and manage.

Data from the population-based COVICAT cohort show that around 23% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the early stages of the pandemic developed symptoms lasting at least three months. Among those affected in 2021, 56% continued to report symptoms two years later.

Based on confirmed cases and the prevalence observed in the COVICAT cohort, the expert group estimates that at least 92,000 people had developed Long COVID in Catalonia by January 2021. As infections increased, this figure is estimated to have reached at least 176,000 cases by July 2022, although only around 14,000 cases are recorded in the healthcare system. Considering estimates of subsequent infections, the incidence of Long COVID associated with Omicron variants, and the partial recovery of some cases, more than 250,000 people could currently be experiencing symptoms compatible with Long COVID. The expert group cautions that the available data make it possible to estimate the order of magnitude of the problem, but not to determine its current scale with precision.

“Although the risk of developing Long COVID has decreased with vaccination and the emergence of Omicron, tens of thousands of people continue to live with its consequences. The large gap between estimated and recorded cases also shows how much we still need to improve diagnosis and surveillance,” says Lourdes Mateu, director of the Long COVID program at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, and co-author of the report.

Limited care and fragmented research

The report identifies important gaps in both research and healthcare. Research in Spain has largely depended on general competitive or European funding calls rather than a dedicated national programme. This limits the ability to establish large cohorts, conduct long-term follow-up and undertake clinical trials.

Access to specialised care is also limited. According to the report, Catalonia currently has only one multidisciplinary Long COVID unit, at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona. Other specialised services established earlier in the pandemic have been discontinued, while some successful local models have not been scaled up. This contributes to territorial inequalities in access to care.

Beyond the health consequences

The report also incorporates the experiences of people living with the condition, through the Long COVID patient group. They highlight difficulties in obtaining recognition of the condition and appropriate care, geographical and financial barriers, challenges in remaining in or returning to work, and difficulties accessing disability benefits and social protection. They also point to the psychological impact of prolonged uncertainty and the lack of recognition of their symptoms.

Since the early stages of the pandemic, organisations representing people affected by Long COVID have played an important role in supporting those affected, helping to define research priorities, recruiting participants for studies, disseminating scientific findings, and engaging with healthcare professionals and policymakers. “For many people, Long COVID affects their ability to work, care for their families and participate in everyday life. Adequate social and workplace support must therefore also be part of the response,” says Silvia Soler, a representative of the patient group and co-author of the report.

Priority actions

The report proposes concrete measures that can begin to be implemented now, such as strengthening research and the identification of biomarkers; improving diagnosis, registration and follow-up through primary care; and facilitating the recognition of disability and workplace accommodations for people affected by Long COVID.

“It is clear that the challenges in research, healthcare and social support are closely interconnected. The aim of this report is not only to describe the gaps, but also to identify realistic priorities that can help improve the response to Long COVID in Catalonia,” says Silvia de Sanjosé, ISGlobal researcher and coordinator of the GCMSC.

Reference:

Long COVID: State of the Art, Challenges, and Perspectives from the Field in Catalonia 2026. Multidisciplinary Collaborative Group for the Scientific Monitoring of COVID-19. September 2026.

In recent years, the paradigm of health research has undergone an interesting shift, moving from a traditional top-down approach to one that aims to actively engage patients, citizens, and communities as co-creators of knowledge.

This participatory model democratises science and enhances the relevance, impact, and sustainability of health research. However, the transition from aspiration to systemic change presents complex institutional, methodological and practical challenges. This workshop offers a comprehensive journey from theory to practice, structured around broad disciplinary areas rather than siloed methodologies. We will have expert presentations across global health, environmental, clinical, and translational research, as well as interactive World Café sessions, where participants will collectively explore the opportunities, barriers, ethical considerations, and institutional conditions required for meaningful participatory research. The insights generated throughout the day will inform the development of an institutional position paper, outlining shared principles, priorities, and practical recommendations for embedding participatory approaches across the health research ecosystem.

Whether you are a researcher, community advocate, patient, or policy maker, this event provides a unique platform to learn from inspiring practices, share insights and build synergies. We aim to leave participants with the understanding that health research should not only be conducted for society, but also in partnership with it.

REGISTER NOW

Registration is open to staff from all research centres. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to staff from ISGlobal and IDIBAPS, followed by researchers from CRACS centres. Applications from other centres will be accepted subject to availability.

Speakers

• Vincent Dumez, Former Co-Director, Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public (CEPPP); and Former Co-Director, Patient Collaboration and Partnership Directorate, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal (Canada)
• Dra. Rosa Arias, Director, Science for Change
• Dr. Danielle Marie Agnello, post-doc researcher, University of Copenhagen
• Professor Sarah Lebeer, ISALA Principal Investigador, University of Antwerp

With the support of the Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa Programme (CEX 2023-001290-S) funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033.

The study, led by Maria Carolina Florian, a researcher at the Regenerative Medicine Programme at Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and ICREA Research Professor, and Paula Petrone, a researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, presents ChromAgeNet, an artificial intelligence-based tool that identifies ageing-associated patterns in microscopy images of haematopoietic stem cells by analysing the 3D organisation of chromatin, the material made up mainly of DNA and proteins found in the cell nucleus that packages DNA and regulates which genes are active, ultimately determining cell identity and function.

The work has been a central part of the doctoral thesis of Pablo Iañez, researcher at ISGlobal, and brings together expertise in stem cell biology, ageing, image analysis and artificial intelligence. The results are published in Aging Cell, an international journal of reference in the field of aging research.

To develop the model, the researchers analyzed three-dimensional images of mouse hematopoietic stem cell nuclei, stained with DAPI, a simple and widely used technique for visualizing DNA. Using a convolutional neural network —a type of artificial intelligence model designed to analyze images—, ChromAgeNet learned to distinguish young cells from aged cells.

Based on the appearance of the nucleus, the model demonstrated a 77% probability of correctly distinguishing cells into two groups, outperforming even a machine learning model based on chromatin features previously defined by the researchers.

Detect what the eye does not see

One of the relevant aspects of the work is that the differences associated with aging are not necessarily visible to the naked eye in microscopic images. Stem cell aging is a heterogeneous process and changes in the architecture of the nucleus can be very subtle. ChromAgeNet allows, however, to identify combinations of spatial chromatin features that contain information about the aging state of cells.

In addition, the researchers analyzed the performance of the model to determine which specific features of the images are the most helpful in distinguishing young cells from aging cells. This analysis identified, among other factors, chromatin entropy, heterochromatin located at the periphery of the nucleus, and certain chromatin condensates as predictive features of age-associated state.

Knowing which elements of the DNA organization the model uses to make its predictions allows us to go beyond a simple classification between young and aged cells and provides information on the characteristics of the nuclear architecture associated with aging. This approach can complement other age biomarkers, such as the so-called epigenetic clocks, which estimate biological age based on certain chemical changes in DNA, including those related to methylation.

A new way to look for rejuvenation strategies

The team also explored the potential of ChromAgeNet as a screening tool for treatments capable of modifying age-associated characteristics. As a proof of concept, the model was applied to aged hematopoietic stem cells treated with different epigenetic drugs to assess whether these treatments produced changes in chromatin organisation compatible with a younger state.

These results do not demonstrate that the treatments have functionally rejuvenated cells, but they do show the potential of ChromAgeNet as a tool to detect age-associated changes in response to different interventions and explore potential rejuvenation strategies.

The use of DAPI, a low-cost stain that is easy to incorporate into microscopy protocols, together with the small number of parameters in the model, facilitates its possible application in high-throughput microscopy workflows, systems that allow large quantities of samples to be analyzed. This could contribute in the future to study a large number of compounds and accelerate the identification of candidates for cell rejuvenation strategies.

As part of the work, the researchers have also made available to the scientific community a dataset of three-dimensional images of hematopoietic stem cells, together with ChromAgeNet. This resource can facilitate the development and validation of new computational tools to study the aging of these cells, an area for which there are currently few publicly available imaging datasets.

Overall, the study demonstrates that the three-dimensional organization of DNA contains quantifiable information about the aging of blood stem cells and that artificial intelligence can help extract this information from microscopic images. ChromAgeNet thus provides a new tool to study cellular aging and explore possible strategies to preserve or recover hematopoietic stem cell functions in a faster and more scalable way.

Reference

Pablo Iáñez Picazo, Eva Mejía-Ramírez, Dario Di Bari, Elena Vitali, Maria Carolina Florian, Paula Petrone. Deep learning predicts hematopoietic stem cell aging from 3D chromatin images. Aging Cell, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70656

A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, and the University of Basel proposes a new framework to standardise this process. The method has been developed to be applicable to different types of digital health data and was tested using walking activity and gait data from 2,181 people. The study has been published in npj Digital Medicine. 

Digital devices can record health parameters at a frequency and over periods of time that would have been difficult to achieve only a few years ago. However, having more data does not necessarily mean having better information. To use these data in research or clinical practice, it is necessary to decide which parts are relevant and how they should be summarised. These decisions can influence how the results are subsequently interpreted.

There are currently no internationally accepted guidelines standardising how continuous, high-resolution digital health data should be aggregated, nor is there consensus on the terminology used to describe this process. A previous review cited in the study found, for example, that more than half of the studies using mobile devices that were analysed did not specify which data restrictions they had applied.

A three-step process

To address this problem, the research team used a structured expert consensus process, in which 16 specialists from different disciplines went through several rounds of proposals, assessment and discussion until agreement was reached. The panel included experts in sensor and algorithm development and evaluation, biomechanics, epidemiology, statistics and different clinical fields.

“The framework we propose follows three stages. First, we identify possible ways of summarising the data, taking into account their technical validity, clinical interpretability, sample size and distribution. We then statistically assess how stable the resulting measures are within the same individual and whether they can distinguish between relevant groups - for example between people with and without walking disabilities. Finally, experts compare these results with existing evidence, available international guidelines and practical considerations to select the most appropriate measures,” explains Sarah Koch, first author of the study and a researcher at the University of Basel and ISGlobal.

More than 2,000 people monitored for one week

To test how the framework works, the researchers applied it to data from the European Mobilise-D project. The analysis included 2,181 people, including participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, proximal femur fracture and congestive heart failure, as well as healthy controls. Participants wore a sensor for seven days that recorded their mobility in real-world conditions.

The team started with seven measures related to walking activity and gait —including step count, walking speed, stride length, cadence and walking bout duration— and assessed different ways of aggregating them. The process ultimately enabled the selection of 24 mobility indicators, aggregated at daily and weekly levels and related both to the amount and patterns of walking activity and to gait characteristics.

“Even when we applied the method to populations with very different mobility impairments, we obtained clinically interpretable and statistically stable indicators that can be used to compare different individuals or the same individual over time. Moreover, the framework is not designed solely to analyse mobility: its structure can be adapted to other health parameters recorded continuously over extended periods, such as heart rate or temperature,” says Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Deputy Director of ISGlobal and last author of the study.

Reference

Koch S, Buekers J, Alvarez P, Becker C, Bonci T, Carsin AE, Caulfield B, Cobo I, Del Din S, Demeyer H, Frei A, Hausdorff JM, Ionescu A, Aminian K, Klenk J, Lemos-Portela J, Marchena J, Maetzler W, Micó-Amigo E, Piraino P, Singleton D, Sverdlov O, Troosters T, Rochester L, Garcia-Aymerich J. Aggregation framework for continuous digital health measures and application to walking activity data. npj Digit. Med. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-03222-z 

The decision is consistent with Donald Trump’s outright rejection of climate policies. Trump has even called climate change "the greatest hoax" ever perpetrated against the world. But there is also a more immediate political context. The war with Iran has severely disrupted international energy markets, leading to a sharp rise in fuel prices. In this setting, the Administration frames environmental regulation as part of the problem: climate policies, it argues, limit American energy production and raise costs. The EPA is now promising more coal and gas, along with lower energy prices.

Whether this deregulation will significantly lower energy bills for households remains open to debate. What is scientifically far less debatable is the cost of continuing to burn fossil fuels.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the EPA's new position is its argument that potential health damages from U.S. power sector emissions are too "uncertain, conjectural, remote, and complex" to justify regulation.

Climate change is no longer primarily a threat to future generations. It is happening now. Global and ocean temperatures have risen, glaciers and ice sheets are melting, and sea levels are rising. Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense, alongside increasing risks from droughts, wildfires, extreme rainfall, and flooding. And all of these changes carry direct consequences for human health.

The Cost of Climate Change Is Already Measured in Lives

Heat is probably the impact we can measure best. Researchers at ISGlobal in Barcelona, led by Joan Ballester, have developed epidemiological models to estimate heat-attributable mortality in Europe. In a landmark study, they estimated approximately 61,700 heat-related deaths during the summer of 2022. Spain, with around 11,300, was among the hardest-hit countries.

The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause roughly 250,000 additional deaths each year. However, the WHO itself defines this figure as a conservative estimate.

The team has expanded this work using a database covering virtually the entire European population. For 2024, they estimated 62,775 heat-related deaths across 32 countries. These figures are currently integrated into the Lancet Countdown in Europe, one of the leading international tracking initiatives monitoring the health impacts of climate change. The 2026 report reveals that heat-related mortality has increased in virtually all European regions studied, with the steepest rises observed in Southern and Southeastern Europe.

Yet heat deaths are only the most visible and easily quantified part of the problem.

Droughts, Wildfires, and Prices: The Case of Spain

In Spain, heat and drought affect public health by impacting water availability, food production, and wildfire risks. Wildfires do not only cause direct casualties and injuries: their smoke contains fine particulate matter that can travel long distances, exposing populations far removed from the fires themselves. On top of this, there are far harder-to-quantify impacts: food insecurity, mental health issues, loss of livelihoods, population displacement, and migration, as well as disruptions to healthcare services following floods, fires, and other extreme events. Drought and water scarcity, for instance, can simultaneously impact drinking water, nutrition, infectious disease spread, fire risk, and mental well-being.

Available Figures Capture Only a Fraction of the Impact

The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause roughly 250,000 additional deaths each year. However, the WHO itself stresses that this is a conservative estimate. It primarily accounts for four main pathways—heat, malaria, diarrheal diseases, and childhood malnutrition—leaving out numerous impacts that cannot yet be adequately quantified. Among these omitted factors are severe heat events, flooding, water scarcity, agricultural system disruptions, climate-driven migration, and broad socioeconomic consequences. The WHO cautions that its 250,000 estimate is not a full prediction of climate change’s overall health impact.

And the future will largely depend on the decisions we make today. Every additional fraction of a degree of warming escalates risks to health, ecosystems, and human society.

The Domino Effect of Deregulation

This is why the EPA’s decision is far more than a domestic American issue. The United States remains one of the world's largest economies and major emitters, as well as the largest cumulative historical emitter of CO₂. Consequently, its decisions have a direct climate impact alongside a massive political ripple effect. International climate policies rely heavily on mutual trust that nations will progressively reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. When a global economic leader asserts the exact opposite—claiming that curbing greenhouse gases is an unnecessary barrier to prosperity—it undermines global prevention efforts everywhere.

Climate policy is public health policy. The question is no longer whether climate change will affect our health. It is how much illness and how many deaths we are willing to accept.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the EPA's new position is its argument that potential health damages from U.S. power sector emissions are too "uncertain, conjectural, remote, and complex" to justify regulation.

Scientific evidence tells a very different story. We are already counting the deaths.

Phasing down fossil fuels is not just about preventing climate damage decades down the road. It delivers immediate benefits by reducing air pollution and its cardiovascular and respiratory impacts. The false trade-off between economic prosperity and climate protection ignores these co-benefits—and, above all, ignores the fact that climate change is already being paid for in illness and human lives.

Climate policy is public health policy. The question is no longer whether climate change will affect our health. It is how much illness and how many deaths we are willing to accept.

During the morning, from 10 am to 2 pm, researchers and other professionals from the PRBB research centres will share their day-to-day work with the public. 

We invite you to have a great time, experience science, enter spaces that are not usually accessible to the public, discover one of the city’s iconic research facilities and talk to the people who work here.

Find out more and reserve your ticket. 

ISGlobal Activities

Green Spaces and Health. Does Urban Planning Affect Our Health?

At this station, we will explore the research we carry out on urban spaces and discover how the environment in which we live can influence our health and well-being.

• Facilitated by: Claudia Sanz and Raül Toran (ISGlobal Scientific Culture Unit)

Photographic Exhibition The Frontiers of the Climate Emergency - Perspectives on Climate Change: Barcelona and the Sahel

Part of the "Climate, Health and Migration" project, promoted by ISGlobal and the Coordinadora d’Associacions Senegaleses de Catalunya. The exhibition can be visited at a self-guided, open and accessible space for everyone.

A neglected disease with limited treatment options

Trypanosoma cruzi infection affects more than seven million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America, and is now also a public health concern in the United States, Europe and Japan. About 30–40% of infected people develop Chagas disease, with serious heart or digestive complications, yet fewer than 1% are diagnosed and treated. The only two drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are given in regimens set more than 50 years ago that frequently cause side effects, and up to 31% of patients stop treatment early.

Six treatment strategies compared over three years

“TESEO is the first randomized clinical trial to evaluate benznidazole and nifurtimox head-to-head under identical conditions, with sustained follow-up to detect parasites in the blood by PCR for three years,” says Igor Almeida (UTEP), co-senior author of the study with Joaquim Gascón (ISGlobal) and Faustino Torrico (CEADES).

The phase 2b trial enrolled 450 adults at three centers in Bolivia and randomly assigned them to six groups: three benznidazole regimens (the 60-day standard, 30 days and 90 days) and three nifurtimox regimens (the 60-day standard, 30 days and 90 days). The researchers recorded drug-related adverse events and tested participants’ blood for parasite DNA by qPCR over three years.

Fewer side effects with 30 days of benznidazole

Only the 30-day benznidazole regimen significantly reduced side effects: 37% of participants had a drug-related adverse event, compared with 60% on the standard regimen, a reduction of nearly 40%. It was also easier to follow, with 83% of patients completing treatment without interruption, compared with 60%. Most side effects appeared within the first two weeks, regardless of treatment length, and almost all resolved.

Without compromising efficacy

Three years after treatment, the parasite remained undetectable in the blood of 94% of participants in the 30-day group, compared with 95% in the standard group, meeting the prespecified criterion for non-inferiority. The 30-day regimen therefore offered the best balance between benefits and harms of the six strategies tested. The nifurtimox regimens were less effective overall (81% to 90%).

“The improved safety profile of the shorter benznidazole regimen, combined with once-daily dosing, has the potential to substantially increase the proportion of patients who complete treatment,” says Gascón. The 30-day course also uses a quarter of the drug: “We can treat four patients with the same amount of drug we previously used for one,” adds Torrico.

Larger phase 3 trials are needed to confirm these results before the 30-day regimen can be incorporated into treatment guidelines. People currently receiving treatment for Chagas disease should continue the regimen prescribed by their doctor.

Reference

Alonso-Vega C, Pinto Rocha JJ, Rojas Delgadillo LG, García Ruiloba W, Palacios López A, Pinto Rocha LV, Méndez Bartolomé S, González VR, Laserna M, Ribeiro I, Pinazo MJ, Thomas MC, López MC, Losada Galván I, Ortiz L, Schijman AG, Urbina JA, Sanz Bravo S, Gascón J, Torrico F, Almeida IC. Efficacy and safety of alternative benznidazole and nifurtimox regimens for adults with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection (TESEO): an open-label, randomised, non-inferiority phase 2b trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2026; published online September 22. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(26)00436-6.

The study analysed data from 1,409,084 births at term —defined as births occurring between 37 and 40 weeks of gestation— in Spain recorded by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) between 2010 and 2018 and estimated exposure during pregnancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅). The levels of these pollutants were calculated using models that combined pollution monitoring data with satellite information, meteorological data and characteristics of the surrounding environment. 

Low birth weight was defined as a birth weight below 2,500 grams. Among all the births analysed, 4.6% involved low birth weight. The percentage was higher among babies born to mothers with primary education (5.3%) than among those whose mothers had secondary (4.9%) or tertiary education (4.3%).

Higher risk associated with pollution and lower educational attainment

The results show an association between greater exposure to PM₂.₅ during pregnancy and an increased risk of low birth weight. Specifically, for every increase of 10 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) in PM₂.₅ exposure, the odds of low birth weight increased by 6%. In the case of NO₂, an increase of 10 µg/m³ was associated with a 1% increase in the odds of low birth weight. The associations were more pronounced and precise among babies born to mothers with primary education, with 18.3% and 4.6% higher odds of low birth weight per 10 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 and NO2, respectively, highlighting differences in vulnerability according to maternal educational attainment. 

Educational attainment showed a stronger association with the outcome. Compared with babies born to mothers with tertiary education, those whose mothers had secondary education had 32% higher odds of low birth weight, while among babies born to mothers with primary education, the odds were 76% higher.

“This greater vulnerability could reflect an accumulation of stressors, including nutritional deficiencies and more limited access to antenatal care, together with poorer maternal health and greater chronic stress, which could limit the ability to cope with the harmful effects of pollution,” says Stefan Sieber, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study. 

Thousands of potentially preventable cases

The research team used statistical models to estimate how many cases of low birth weight could have been prevented under different hypothetical scenarios for reducing pollution. If exposure to PM₂.₅ had been limited during pregnancy to 10 µg/m³, the limit set by European legislation, there couldhave been 662 fewer cases between 2010 and 2018. With a limit of 5 µg/m³, corresponding to the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline, the estimated reduction would have been 2,032 cases. For NO₂, limiting exposure to 20 µg/m³ (European legislation) was associated with an estimated reduction of 432 cases, while a limit of 10 µg/m³ (WHO guideline) was associated with an estimated reduction of 938 cases. 

The benefits of reducing pollution were clearer and greater among babies born to mothers with primary compared to higher education, consistent with the stronger association between pollution exposure and low birth weight in this group. In this group, for example, limiting PM₂.₅ concentrations to 5 µg/m³ would have reduced the estimated number of low birth weight cases from 8,349 to 7,974, a reduction of 759 cases (-9.1%), while in the secondary and tertiary groups the cases reduced by 2.2% and 2.6%, respectively. Limiting NO₂ to 10 µg/m³ would have resulted in an estimated reduction of 376 cases (-4.5%) in the primary group, while in the secondary and tertiary groups the cases reduced by 0.7% and 1.4%, respectively. These results highlight that air pollution reduction policies have the potential to reduce social health inequalities.

Increasing maternal education would have had a greater effect

The study also considered a hypothetical scenario in which all mothers had attained tertiary education, meaning advanced vocational training or a university degree. Under this scenario, the team estimated a reduction of 9,246 cases of low birth weight for PM₂.₅ and 9,275 cases for NO₂. The estimated prevalence of low birth weight would fall from 4.6% to 3.96%.

“Combining measures to reduce air pollution with social policies aimed at improving mothers’ educational attainment could significantly reduce the burden of low birth weight in Spain, particularly among the most vulnerable populations, helping to improve health equity,” says Cathryn Tonne, ISGlobal researcher and senior author of the study. 
 

Reference:

Sieber, S., Ballester, J., Nieuwenhuijsen, M., Pozzer, A., Tonne, C. The impact of improved air quality on low birth weight and health inequalities in Spain from 2010 to 2018. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2026. Doi: 10.1093/ije/dyag130 

The PRIME Commission, established by the National University of Singapore and The Lancet in 2023, brings together 41 experts from around the world and draws on work in 20 countries. The Commission found persistent gaps between what was promised, such as vaccines or social protection benefits, and what people could actually access when systems came under stress.

“What the PRIME Commission found is that people themselves aren’t ‘vulnerable’, but rather, that systems create vulnerability,” said Professor Helena Legido-Quigley, Co-Chair of the Commission and Professor at Imperial College.

“Pandemic preparedness cannot stop at having plans and capacities on paper. We need to make sure enabling systems can actually reach and protect people when they come under pressure,” said Alberto García-Basteiro, ISGlobal researcher and author of the Commission report.

From passive preparedness to 360° readiness

The report shifts the focus from pandemic preparedness, which asks whether plans and capacities exist, to pandemic readiness, which asks whether these work in a health emergency.

The Commission’s blueprint sets out six calls to action: move from preparedness to 360° readiness; institutionalise community participation; cooperate to save millions of lives; fix vulnerable systems, not “vulnerable people”; govern for trust; and commit to protection and accountability.

Vaccine access: millions of lives could be saved through a more equitable approach

The Commission modelled future pandemic scenarios and found that, in a hypothetical influenza A pandemic, rapid vaccine development could reduce deaths by 59%, from 58.5 million to 23.9 million. A more equitable allocation, based on population size rather than purchasing power, reduces global mortality by 64%, to 21·2 million deaths, equivalent to 37·3 million deaths averted, saving a further 2·7 million lives particular in middle-income countries. Measures to improve vaccine confidence would reduce deaths further still, by another 1.9m lives. 

A blueprint for Governments to protect all-of-society

The NUS-Lancet Commission provides a practical framework for governments to work with communities and create plans aimed at protecting everyone, for 360° pandemic readiness.

“The PRIME Commission brings an important perspective to pandemic preparedness by asking a simple but often overlooked question: will these plans actually work for everyone? Its focus on equity, community participation and trust is highly relevant to building stronger and more resilient health systems, by promoting a whole of society approach” said Elizabet Diago, Coordinator of the Preparedness Hub at ISGlobal. 

Reference

Calderón-Larrañaga S, Bakhti R, Etemadi M et al. The NUS–Lancet PRIME Commission: transforming pandemic readiness for equity. The Lancet, 2026.

  Formulario de inscripción

 

Agenda

• 16.30h-17h. Bienvenida socias
• 17h-17.15h. Bienvenida (Virginia Rodríguez, ISGlobal y WGH Spain/Judith García Aymerich, ISGlobal/Barcelona Activa)
• 17.15h-17.30h. Ponencia central (Helena Casadevall Adroher)
• 17.30h-18.30h. Mesa redonda con ponentes expertas (Helena Casadevall Adroher, Helena Montasell y Judith Vall) 
• 18.30h-18.50h. Mesa redonda con socias (Silvia Gómez y Alba Cuixart, ISGlobal y WGH Spain) 
• 18.50h-19h. Cierre de la sesión
• 19h-20h. Espacio de networking

Women in Global Health Spain

Women in Global Health Spain forma parte de Women in Global Health, una organización internacional sin ánimo de lucro que trabaja para promover la equidad de género y fortalecer el liderazgo de las mujeres en la salud global.

A través de su red internacional de capítulos, WGH impulsa el cambio movilizando a una comunidad diversa de profesionales, investigadoras, responsables políticas y personas aliadas para promover sistemas de salud más equitativos, inclusivos y sensibles al género.

 

 Formulario de inscripción

During infection in human blood, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum faces two competing demands: on the one hand, it must multiply to sustain the infection; on the other, some parasites must develop into sexual forms known as gametocytes in order to be transmitted to other people through mosquitoes. Whether to continue multiplying or become gametocytes is the key decision in the life cycle of P. falciparum, the parasite responsible for most severe cases of malaria.

It has long been known that the parasite can detect changes in its host’s environment, such as fever or shortages of specific nutrients, and adjust its production of gametocytes accordingly: when conditions become unfavourable, it is advantageous for the parasite to invest more resources in transmission to a mosquito in order to infect another human host.

A single mechanism for responding to different types of stress

In recent years, researchers have identified regulators such as gdv1 and ap2-g, which play a central role in initiating the formation of gametocytes. It was also known that stressful conditions for the parasite, such as nutrient limitation, promote gametocyte production, but the molecular mechanism triggering this response remained unknown.

To uncover it, the research team combined genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and genetic engineering. Parasites were exposed separately to three stress conditions: nutrient limitation, treatment with the antimalarial drug DHA, and a simulated fever episode. The researchers then analysed which genes were activated, which proteins increased in abundance, and how the organisation of chromatin—the structure that regulates access to DNA—changed. The same experiments were also carried out in parasites in which the regulators involved in the process had been genetically modified.

“All three stimuli activated the same regulatory pathway. They all triggered similar changes in the gdv1 and ap2-g genes,” explains Elisabet Tintó, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study.

GDV1 and gdv1-as: switching sexual development on and off

The study, supported by CaixaResearch, shows that the stress response does not simply involve switching genes on, but also reorganising heterochromatin, a form of DNA packaging that keeps certain genes silenced. The system also includes its own built-in control mechanism. Once activated, GDV1 triggers conversion into gametocytes, while simultaneously inducing the production of gdv1-as, an RNA molecule that represses gdv1 activity. This regulatory feedback loop acts as a braking system: it enables a rapid response to stress while preventing GDV1 expression from remaining active for longer than necessary, which could otherwise prove lethal for the parasite.

AP2-HS: a control hub for responding to the environment

The study also reveals that AP2-HS, a protein that regulates gene expression, acts as the control hub that enables the parasite to respond to different types of stress. Its role is crucial: when it detects stressful conditions, AP2-HS activates GDV1 expression, thereby initiating gametocyte production. At the same time, AP2-HS also activates other stress-survival mechanisms, revealing this gene as a key factor in the resilience of malaria parasites.

“When we deleted the ap2-hs gene, the parasites completely lost their ability to develop into gametocytes, even under stressful conditions such as fever, DHA treatment or nutrient limitation. Moreover, the few gametocytes that began to develop failed to become viable,” explains Tintó.

“This work helps answer a question that had remained unresolved for years: how the parasite adapts its life cycle to a changing environment and produces the transmissible forms that are essential for its survival at the population level,” says Alfred Cortés, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal and coordinator of the study.

Reference

Tintó-Font, E., Casas-Vila, N., Martínez-Guardiola, C., Pérez-Cantero, A., Ràfols, N., Nyarko, P. B., & Cortés, A. (2026). AP2-HS and a GDV1 regulatory feedback loop mediate environmental induction of sexual conversion in Plasmodium falciparum. Nature Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02473-6

*Open access link: https://rdcu.be/gQB7cttRfJDa

People who get too little or poor-quality sleep tend to have more health problems. Lack of sleep has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues, and chronic pain, among many other conditions. But behind these associations lies a harder question to answer: does poor sleep actually help cause these problems, or is it merely a consequence of poorer health?

Our study, recently published in the Journal of Sleep Research, brings new evidence to this question. The results suggest that certain sleep disturbances—especially short sleep duration and insomnia—may directly contribute to the development of various health issues.

This distinction is crucial. Imagine, for example, that we observe people with insomnia suffering more heart attacks. That doesn't necessarily mean insomnia is a cause. People with insomnia might experience higher stress levels, engage in less physical activity, have poorer overall health, or have different social circumstances. All these factors can make two things appear linked without one necessarily causing the other.

Using genetics to better understand the sleep-health link

To try to overcome this issue, we used a genetics-based approach called Mendelian randomisation. Put simply, the idea is to leverage the fact that certain genetic variants predispose people to specific traits, such as sleeping less, being more prone to insomnia, or being a morning person.

Because these genetic variants are randomly assigned at conception, we can use them as a sort of "natural experiment" to examine whether a specific trait influences health.

In our case, we went one step further. Rather than studying a single disease, we systematically analyzed seven sleep- and circadian rhythm-related traits against 702 different health outcomes and conditions. Furthermore, the results from one population were validated in a second independent population, and multiple sensitivity controls were applied to minimize false positives.

The link between short sleep, insomnia, and health

The findings highlighted short sleep duration and insomnia in particular.

Genetic predisposition to short sleep was linked to a higher risk of various neurological and mental health issues, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or neuroticism; musculoskeletal conditions like osteoarthritis and back pain; and other conditions such as asthma or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Genetic predisposition to insomnia was also associated with a wide range of problems, notably myocardial infarction, depression, and various joint disorders. On the other hand, predisposition to snoring was linked to higher body mass index, increased low-grade inflammation, and a higher risk of falls.

What is most interesting, however, is that almost all of these associations had previously been observed in observational studies that followed people over many years (here are a few examples). Now, genetics points in the very same direction. When two completely different scientific approaches arrive at similar conclusions, we have stronger grounds to believe that short sleep or insomnia could be one of the underlying causes of some of these diseases. This is likely the most significant takeaway of our work.

Quality sleep to prevent disease

If poor sleep were merely a consequence of ill health, improving sleep might make us feel better, but wouldn't necessarily prevent disease. Conversely, if sleep is one of the drivers leading to these conditions, improving it becomes a potential preventive tool.

We cannot yet state definitively that sleeping better or treating insomnia will prevent a heart attack, depression, or joint disease. What we can do is highlight where sleep interventions are most likely to have a real impact on health. This now needs to be tested in well-designed clinical trials. Quality sleep is a reflection of a healthy lifestyle, but it is very likely also one of the key tools we have to achieve it.

Between 2016 and 2024, CHAMPS identified 18,784 eligible deaths across seven countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and South Africa. In 9,415 cases, minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), a technique developed and validated by ISGlobal, was used to obtain tissue samples through a minimally invasive procedure. In total, 8,500 cases were reviewed by multidisciplinary teams to determine the causes of death.

A closer look at causes of death

To determine the causes of death, CHAMPS teams use a post-mortem approach that combines different sources of information: minimally invasive tissue sampling, laboratory analyses, interviews with relatives or caregivers (verbal autopsy), and reviews of paediatric and maternal medical records. Multidisciplinary teams then integrate all this evidence to assign one or more causes to each death and assess its potential preventability.

This approach makes it possible to identify not only the underlying cause of death, but also other conditions that contributed to it. The published results show that causes of death are complex and that different factors often coexist. Among stillbirths, the most frequent cause was perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia (lack of oxygen), often associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, placental complications or infections. Among neonatal deaths, the main causes included complications of prematurity, asphyxia or hypoxia, and sepsis. Among babies and children under five, respiratory infections, sepsis, malnutrition, malaria and diarrhoeal diseases were among the main factors identified. 

From data to prevention

Of the 7,558 deaths assessed, 6,103 were considered preventable or potentially preventable, meaning that approximately four in five deaths could have been prevented. These findings highlight opportunities to strengthen maternal, neonatal and child health interventions, particularly antenatal care, obstetric and emergency care during childbirth, infection prevention and control, paediatric care, and nutritional support. 

CHAMPS findings have also contributed to changes in health services. In Kenya, they informed interventions that included expanding kangaroo mother care and training in emergency obstetric and neonatal care. In South Africa, the data contributed to expanding access to antenatal ultrasound and incorporating aspirin for the prevention of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy into the national formulary. In Sierra Leone, findings on malnutrition supported the country’s first national procurement of ready-to-use therapeutic food for children with malnutrition.

A technique developed in Barcelona

One of the cornerstones of CHAMPS is minimally invasive autopsy, a technique developed and validated by ISGlobal research teams through the CaDMIA and CaDMIA-plus projects. The technique makes it possible to obtain small samples from different organs using fine needles for subsequent analysis and provides an alternative to conventional autopsy in settings where the latter may be difficult to perform due to limited infrastructure or cultural considerations.

Ten years after its launch, CHAMPS has provided detailed information on the causes of death among newborns and children under five. These data can help strengthen surveillance systems and better guide interventions aimed at preventing avoidable deaths. 

Reference

Madewell ZJ, Dangor Z, Mutevedzi PC, et al. Causes of Death Among Stillbirths and Children Aged <5 Years in Africa and South Asia — Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance, Seven Countries, 2016–2024. MMWR Surveill Summ 2026;75(No. SS-6):1–24. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7506a1

A changing profile of diagnosed individuals

For many years, research has shown that certain characteristics are more common among people diagnosed with ADHD or ASD than among the general population. These include pregnancy- and birth-related factors such as preterm birth and low birth weight; family and socioeconomic factors such as lower parental education or household income; a parental history of psychiatric disorders; and greater use of healthcare services before diagnosis.

To investigate whether the profile of diagnosed individuals has changed over time, the researchers analysed data from more than 2.1 million children and adolescents living in Denmark. They compared more than 71,000 individuals diagnosed with ADHD or ASD between 2012 and 2022 with more than 713,000 peers without these diagnoses.

The results show that, although children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD or ASD were still more likely than their peers to present these characteristics, the differences became progressively smaller over the study period. For example, ten years ago, children born with low birth weight were 54% more likely to receive a subsequent diagnosis of ADHD or ASD than those born at a normal weight. By the end of the study period, that difference had fallen to 17%. Similar reductions were observed for preterm birth and several indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage.

"The key message is not that these risk factors are no longer important," says Magnus Elias Tarp, PhD student at Aarhus University and first author of the study. "What we found is that people diagnosed in recent years resemble the general population more closely than those who received the same diagnoses a decade ago."

A new perspective on the rise in diagnoses

Most research on ADHD and ASD has focused on why diagnoses are increasing or on identifying factors that increase the risk of developing these conditions. This study asks a different question: whether the characteristics of the people receiving these diagnoses have also changed over time.

The authors suggest that this shift may reflect several factors, including greater awareness of ADHD and ASD, improved identification by healthcare and educational services, broader access to diagnostic assessment, or changes in the threshold at which neurodevelopmental traits are considered clinically impairing. While the study cannot determine the relative contribution of each of these factors, it suggests that the increase in diagnoses should not be interpreted solely as evidence of an increase in the underlying occurrence of ADHD or ASD.

"Our findings help us better understand why ADHD and autism diagnoses have increased so markedly in recent years," says Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, researcher at ISGlobal and Aarhus University and senior author of the study. "They do not show that these conditions are being overdiagnosed or that they have become less severe. Rather, they indicate that the population receiving these diagnoses has changed over time, and this needs to be taken into account when interpreting current trends. Further research in other countries would be needed to determine whether these findings can be replicated elsewhere", he adds. 

Implications for research and service planning

According to the researchers, these findings have important implications for interpreting trends in the prevalence of ADHD and ASD and for planning healthcare, educational and social services.

The results also suggest that some of the improvements reported in recent studies on outcomes among people with ADHD or ASD may partly reflect changes in the profile of the diagnosed population rather than changes in the prognosis of these conditions themselves.

Reference:
Tarp ME, Lousdal ML, Rask CU, Keyes KM, Formánek T, Brikell I, Liu X, Maseras GT, Plana-Ripoll O. Changes in Characteristics Associated With ADHD and ASD Diagnoses in Denmark Over Time (2012–2022). JAMA Psychiatry. 2026. DOI:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2026.2722

Utilizing the "3E" framework (Equity, Ethics, and Efficiency), the workshop shifts the focus from data volume to the flow of benefits and decision-making authority for disadvantaged regions. It will promote synergy across research streams, discuss equitable innovative solutions regarding multidisciplinary data integration and the implementation of sovereign, federated data systems, and identify actionable steps to rectify historical power imbalances in data management, analysis and use.

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Day 1

Challenges and opportunities in data sharing to transform global partnerships

Presentation: “Collective action for responsible global health data sharing and use”

Practical exercise: Learn to recognise the challenges in data sharing from a use case

Panel Discussion on challenges and opportunities

Day 2

Practical considerations on responsible data sharing

Use case: Collaborating with the MoH in Mozambique in data analysis

Panel discussion on practical considerations

Tools and implementations to promote equitable, ethical, and efficient data sharing

Presentation of the ADBEx platform

Panel discussion on tools and implementations

Speakers

Lauren Fromont (ISGlobal): Organiser and chair

Alfredo Mayor (CISM, ISGlobal): Organiser, chair, and presenter

Dawit Wolday (MacMaster): Panelist

Esperança Sevene (Universidade Eduardo Mondlane): Panelist

Stélio Tembe (Ministry of Health, Mozambique): Panelist

Arnau Pujol (ISGlobal): Presenter

Beatriz Arregui (ISGlobal): Presenter

Tsaone Tamuhla (SANBI): Presenter and panelist

Juan Ramón González (ISGlobal): Panelist

Diya Uberoi (McGill): Panelist

Lalama Jabby (ISGlobal): Moderator

With the support of the Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa Programme (CEX 2023-001290-S) funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033.

Most of us know we should eat better - for our health, and for the planet. Unhealthy diets are among the leading causes of chronic disease and early death worldwide, and the way we currently produce and consume food is one of the main drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. Yet knowing all this is rarely enough to change how we eat. What moves people to change, and to keep changing? That is the question at the heart of our recently published paper.

Over a full year following 12 adults in Barcelona, we found that health was what first moved most people to change their diet, but it was not the only motive that kept them going: concerns for the environment and ethics grew significantly over time. People became more aware of where their food came from, how it was produced, and what it meant for the planet and for the people in the supply chain. Over time for some people, these concerns had become as important as health in guiding their choices. Price became less of a barrier: participants found that eating more sustainably could be more affordable than they had assumed, especially when buying seasonal produce, planning meals better, and wasting less food.

Health was what first moved most people to change their diet, but it was not the only motive that kept them going: concerns for the environment and ethics grew significantly over time.

Eating better for our health, for the planet, for others

But what does "eating sustainably" actually mean? In this study, we used a broad definition that goes beyond simply eating more plants or reducing red meat. A sustainable diet is healthy and predominantly plant-based - rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, and low in red and processed meat and ultra-processed foods. But it is also about how you eat: reducing food waste, choosing seasonal and minimally packaged foods, and supporting fairly sourced products that ensure fair wages and local economies. A way of eating that is good for your health, people and planet at the same time.

What does "eating sustainably" actually mean? A way of eating that is good for your health, people and planet at the same time.

The intervention consisted of twice-weekly app-based messages and three personalized online feedback sessions tailored to what participants had been eating in the weeks before. All 12 completed the full year. Most reduced red and processed meat and ultra-processed foods, and increased vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Many went further, reducing food waste, buying local, choosing seasonal. Changes beyond the plate.

Impact beyond the plate

We also heard powerful personal stories. One participant told us they had always thought sustainable food was exclusively about the environment, never considering the people who grow and produce it. Another described a shift that went well beyond what they ate: a deeper relationship with nature, a more holistic way of seeing their everyday choices. Several mentioned that simply answering the weekly questionnaire helped them notice patterns they had never been aware of before. Self-monitoring wasn't just measurement, it became part of the change itself.

Simply answering the weekly questionnaire helped them notice patterns they had never been aware of before. Self-monitoring wasn't just measurement, it became part of the change itself."

The desire to eat better can grow stronger

Something else caught our attention: the role of habits. As participants settled into new routines - choosing local vegetables, skipping processed meats, cooking more with legumes - their new practices became more automatic. And this sense of routine grew alongside their environmental awareness and confidence in their own choices.

What does this mean in practice? Our findings suggest that dietary counseling should go beyond health-centric advice to also engage environmental and ethical dimensions — not as an afterthought, but as motivators that can anchor long-term behavior change. Digital tools that can adapt to each person's evolving motivational profile hold particular promise. That said, cost, time, and social pressures remained real barriers for some participants. Sustainable diets need to be accessible to everyone — not just those already motivated and resourced to choose them. Individual-level support must be accompanied by structural changes at the policy level.

Our findings suggest that dietary counseling should go beyond health-centric advice to also engage environmental and ethical dimensions — not as an afterthought, but as motivators that can anchor long-term behavior change.

This study is part of a larger project that also developed and validated REFRESH, a brief dietary screener for the Spanish and Mediterranean context, and produced a separate pilot study on the feasibility and impact of the full intervention. Together, they offer a fuller picture of what it takes to move people toward more sustainable eating. The desire to eat better - for our health, for the planet, for others - already exists in most people. What this work suggests is that, given the right conditions, it can grow stronger.

[Laura Bervian is a Medical Doctor from Brazil based in Barcelona. She is a consultant at the Education Department of ISGlobal and has an online practice focused on Lifestyle Medicine and Phytotherapy, supporting people in building healthier and more sustainable habits in their daily lives. You can connect through website, LinkedIn , ORCID and Instagram.]

The study analysed data from 59 low-income and lower-middle-income countries between 2002 and 2021 and projected future scenarios through 2030. Researchers first estimated the relationship between ODA funding and mortality. They then used these estimates to model the potential health impacts of different wealth redistribution policies designed to offset the decline in ODA funding.

A baseline scenario of declining aid

The analysis found that higher levels of development assistance were associated with a 24% reduction in overall mortality and a 33% reduction in mortality among children under five.

The researchers then modelled a scenario in which current reductions in development assistance continue through 2030. Under this scenario, they projected approximately 7.6 million additional deaths, including 1.4 million among children under five. This defunding scenario served as the baseline against which different wealth redistribution policies were evaluated.

Alternative financing mechanisms

The researchers assessed ten policies that have been proposed in recent high-level international agreements and policy discussions. These included taxes on ultra-high-net-worth individuals (billionaires), multinational corporations, financial transactions, carbon emissions, cryptocurrencies, and interest earned on sovereign debt.

Each redistribution scenario was modelled on top of the projected aid reduction scenario, allowing the researchers to estimate the extent to which additional revenues could offset the health impacts of declining assistance.

Across all scenarios, the policies generated sufficient resources to offset part—or, in most cases, all—of the projected negative health impacts associated with current aid reductions. Depending on the mechanism and level of taxation, these measures were estimated to prevent between 6.6 million and 29.5 million deaths by 2030.

Among the policies analysed, a 3% tax on the wealth of billionaires was associated with up to 29.5 million deaths averted by 2030. A global minimum tax on large multinational corporations was associated with approximately 20 million deaths averted, while taxes on financial transactions were associated with around 24 million deaths averted.

“We first estimated how the current reduction in humanitarian and development assistance could lead to millions of avoidable deaths in the world’s most vulnerable countries,” says Gonzalo Barreix, researcher at ISGlobal and first author of the study.

“With donor countries facing growing indebtedness and increasingly reallocating resources towards military spending, funding humanitarian assistance via the taxation of large fortunes was one of the most viable strategies” says Lucio Esposito, senior economist of the study and researcher at the ICESI School of Economics and University of East Anglia School of Global Development.

“Our models showed that maintaining, or even increasing, humanitarian and development assistance could save millions of lives over the coming years,” says Rodrigo Anderle, researcher at the Institute for Collective Health in Brazil and one of the modellers of the study.

Policies already under discussion

The study comes at a time when development assistance from several major donor countries has undergone abrupt cuts. At the same time, international discussions on financing for development have increasingly focused on alternative mechanisms to mobilise resources.

Recent initiatives, including commitments discussed by the G20, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development held in Seville in 2025, and the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on international taxation, have renewed interest in wealth taxes, minimum corporate taxation and other redistribution measures.

The authors stress that the aim of their study is not to advocate for a specific policy, but rather to estimate the potential health impact of a range of financing mechanisms that are already part of international policy discussions.

“We live in an extremely unequal world, where a small number of individuals and corporations are accumulating wealth at an unprecedented pace and scale, while millions of vulnerable people continue to die for lack of access to basic, often low-cost, humanitarian interventions,” says Davide Rasella, ICREA Professor at ISGlobal, who conceived and coordinated the study. “Our findings show that implementing even modest wealth redistribution policies, such as those proposed in recent international agreements, could literally save tens of millions of lives in the coming years.”

Reference

Barreix, G., Rezende, RV., Ferreira, A., de Oliveira Ferreira, L. et al., Rasella, D. Wealth Redistribution Policies to Mitigate the Impact of Development Assistance Defunding: A Retrospective Evaluation and Forecasting Analysis up to 2030, The Lancet, 2026. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00975-X

Reaching Long Ranau, a Punan-Tubu village in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, is no easy task. After a day by jeep along winding mountain dirt roads to Long Pada, the first village of our study, we still faced nearly four hours by boat. Two boats and four boatmen transported the four people of the INDILEAD project upstream, crossing several rapids and waterfalls. While we made our way along the riverbank, most of the time the boats and the cargo were pulled by human strength or through skillful handling of the engine. That night, during the meeting to present us to the community, the chief Muliono welcomed us and thanked us for coming, saying, “We know access here is difficult, but we remain because this is the land where our parents were born.”

Dhole and Jefry pulling a boat up the Punan River to Long Ranau.

Moving and remaining with the Punan-Tubu

The Punan-Tubu are an Indigenous People — or Masyarakat Adat — who have historically inhabited the Tubu valley and its tributaries. While the term Punan refers broadly to hunter-gatherer communities across Borneo, the Punan-Tubu have their own language and cultural identity. Until the 1960s-70s, their way of life was semi-nomadic, deeply rooted in knowledge of the forest and the gathering of forest foods, with temporary settlements that shifted according to internal and external factors within a defined territory.

The sedentarization of these communities began in the 1960s with the arrival of Christian missionaries and was later consolidated through the Indonesian nation-state project. In 1970, the government forced the populations of this region to relocate to semi-urban settlements near Malinau, far from the isolation of the mountains and forests, so that they could be fully integrated as citizens. While the forms of movement chosen by the community as a way of inhabiting and managing the forest were treated as a primitive condition to be overcome, the displacement imposed by the State was presented as a necessary path toward progress.

The sedentarization of these communities began in the 1960s with the arrival of Christian missionaries and was later consolidated through the Indonesian nation-state project.

One year after this radical experience, several people rejected the model of civilization imposed upon them and returned to the mountains, forming the five villages known today — Long Pada, Long Ranau, Long Nyau, Long Tepu, and Long Titi. To this day, most families still spend much of their time in small temporary farms dispersed throughout the territory. Since 1996, these communities have also participated in the community-based collaborative management of Kayan Mentarang National Park.

A living room in Long Titi.

Of the five villages, Long Pada is the most “accessible.” The others require days of walking through the forest, driving muddy roads, or moving through rivers full of rapids. But despite this isolation, daily life in the villages does not seem so distant from life in the city: houses are similarly built, internet connection is available, there is some access to electricity, and some places even have large appliances such as washing machines. At the same time, there is a relative independence from monetary systems, and forest-based living remains an integral part of everyday life. As Levang et al described it, “they want to go wild boar hunting in the morning and watch television in the evening” - or today, TikTok. The Punan-Tubu actively move through these apparent contradictions, composing their own self-determined present.

The INDILEAD project: changing practices, emerging risks

We visited these communities between February and March 2026 as part of the INDILEAD field team, which included me, Shannon O’Brien, Vissia Ardiyani and Ratnawati (a Punan-Tubu nurse herself), as well as the translator Abbie and the park ranger Okto during the final two village visits. In Indonesia, the project is carried out through a partnership between UB/ISGlobal/UOC in Barcelona and Poltekkes Kemenkes in Palangka Raya. This work builds on previous fieldwork and relationships developed by the project PIs Martí Orta-Martinez and Cristina O’Callaghan-Gordo.

Long Nyau.

This tension between sedentarization and nomadism is central to the concept of epidemiological transition. Twenty years ago, Dounias et al described how the diet of the Punan-Tubu living in the mountains was generally more diverse and nutritious than that of their relatives relocated to the outskirts of Malinau, who also showed poorer health indicators. Today, the transition itself has clearly reached the mountains. Overall, people in the communities appeared to be in good health, with no evident signs of either malnutrition or obesity. However, in the health assessments conducted in parallel to our study by Ratna, anaemia, elevated blood pressure, and hyperglycaemia were occasionally observed.

The raising of chickens and pigs has become increasingly common, alongside the replacement of forest-collected sago by cultivated cassava or rice and the occasional consumption of refined sugar, seasonings, and processed snacks. At the same time, according to local reports, animal epidemics and climate change were affecting hunting, drastically reducing, for example, the wild boar population which had previously represented the communities’ main source of meat. While the diversification of meat sources may help reduce hunting pressure on the ecosystem, and crop diversification may reduce seasonal fluctuations and vulnerability to climate events, it is also important that these communities have access to the information and resources needed to face these transitions in the healthiest way possible.

The INDILEAD project studies how the transition to modern hunting methods, namely the use of lead-based ammunition, may be causing high levels of lead in Indigenous communities that rely on bushmeat as a protein source.

Recognizing these frictions between forest life and new technologies, the INDILEAD project studies how the transition to modern hunting methods, namely the use of lead-based ammunition, may be causing high levels of lead in Indigenous communities that rely on bushmeat as a protein source. Because lead exposure can affect children’s development and compromise the health of future generations, reducing this risk is also a way of protecting continuity. Through this research, the project seeks to explore, together with the communities, ways of reducing or preventing this exposure without undermining local forms of collective life — forms that protect the valuable ecosystems these communities inhabit but also enact other ways of living together.

Flooded horizons

Meanwhile, on the boat to Long Tepu, we could see how, in the middle of the forest, a massive wall was cutting through the landscape, announcing the future mega-hydroelectric dam that will power the Kalimantan Industrial Park Indonesia (KIPI), some two hundred kilometres away. Part of a network of five dams, the largest hydroelectric project of its kind in Southeast Asia, it will soon flood a significant portion of the still-preserved rainforest of the Bornean interior, including 244 hectares of protected area. Nevertheless, it is still being promoted by the government as part of a “green transition” strategy, in what is supposed to become the “largest green industrial area in the world”.

Dam construction site along the Tubu River.

Within a year, the waters are expected to flood part of the Punan-Tubu territory, especially Long Tepu and Long Titi, which will be totally or partially submerged. According to what community members told us, part of the affected population will be relocated to a new settlement to be created between the two villages, as well as to Long Pada, which is already building a new site in anticipation of a growing population. Fifty years ago, the State forced the Punan-Tubu to move closer to progress, but many returned to their origins. Today, progress arrives at their doorstep, reducing their managed and voluntary isolation and once again forcing the relocation of villages, as in the time of nomadism. The problem was never movement itself, but who had the power to decide when, how, and why people should move, and where they belonged.

The problem was never movement itself, but who had the power to decide when, how, and why people should move, and where they belonged.

One day, while passing through a younger forest, Silang, one of our crew members, explained that this had once been the site of Long Titi, and that in the past, during the semi-nomadic period, communities moved whenever a tragedy occurred. In an ecosystem where nothing is permanent, where matter succumbs to heat and humidity and river courses change from one day to the next, this way of facing change rejects fatalism or resignation, revealing instead a wisdom about how to belong within impermanence. But where does one belong when the forest canopy sinks beneath a single, still surface?

A territory to belong to

Challenging the developmentalist assumption that Indigenous and remote communities are populations waiting to be absorbed into a single model of society, the Punan-Tubu reveal something different: a people actively negotiating the balance through which they have long remained. Through a global health lens, the abrupt impact of mega-infrastructures, gradual changes in diet, and exposure to heavy metals brought about by technological change extend beyond what exposure assessment or health indicators alone can capture. Taken together, this reaffirms that health is part of a complex relationship between individual choices, state decisions, and global transformations.

Maret, Silang, Muly, and Santo arriving at Long Tepu.

And yet, none of this can be fully understood without territory, bringing us back to Muliono’s words, that declaration of belonging to one vast, living, and mutable land. The difficulty of access, the mastery of moving up and down the river, and the adaptation of new crops to old fields are all part of that place where their parents were born and where it still makes sense to remain. Defending such territories means protecting areas of immense biodiversity and ecological value, but also meaningful social horizons that differ from the dominant, extractive ways of inhabiting the planet. Like so many other Indigenous peoples around the globe, the Punan-Tubu remind us that another possible world already exists, continuously sustained by those who never ceased to live it.

Because health is planetary, it is inseparable from the territories, ecosystems, and collective forms of life that make it possible. In that sense, placing these ways of living at the centre of global health agendas means recognizing them as worlds to learn from, and joining these communities in their defence.

Children at the guesthouse, Long Ranau.

The Tony McMichael Mid-Term Career Award is a major international recognition in the field of environmental epidemiology. Created in memory of pioneering environmental epidemiologist Tony McMichael, it recognises mid-career scientists who combine scientific excellence and innovation with mentorship, leadership and a commitment to applying environmental epidemiology to improve public health. 

A career advancing environmental and occupational health

Over the course of her career, Turner’s research has helped advance understanding of how environmental and occupational exposures affect human health, with a particular focus on air pollution, cancer and occupational hazards. Her work has included large-scale studies on the long-term health effects of air pollution and, more recently, has explored how climate change and the shift towards more sustainable ways of working can affect workers’ health.

She currently coordinates INTERCAMBIO, a five-year Horizon Europe project investigating how climate change, sustainable working practices and green jobs affect workers’ physical and mental health. Through participatory and intervention-based research across sectors including construction, healthcare, public transport, renewable energy and waste management, the project aims to generate evidence that can inform future occupational health policies.

"It is a great honour to receive an award that bears Tony McMichael's name. His work continues to inspire generations of environmental epidemiologists, and I am grateful to the colleagues who have been part of this journey,” says Turner. “This recognition reinforces the importance of conducting novel research that can help protect health in the face of environmental and climate challenges." 

Scientific leadership and impact beyond research

Turner has also contributed to major international assessments that help translate epidemiological evidence into public health action. Most recently, she played a leading role in the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs Volume 138 on automotive gasoline and some oxygenated additives. The evaluation concluded that automotive gasoline is carcinogenic to humans, providing an important evidence base for cancer prevention and occupational and environmental health.

Beyond her research, Turner has taken on prominent roles within the international environmental health community. She has served on several World Health Organization advisory groups and has contributed to ISEE for many years, including through her role as Secretary-Treasurer.

Mentorship and support for the next generation of environmental epidemiologists have also been a central part of her scientific career. Her nomination highlighted her commitment to mentoring early-career researchers, promoting equity in environmental health and strengthening the connection between scientific evidence and policymaking.

The award was presented during the 2026 ISEE Annual Conference, held in Munich, Germany, from 30 August to 2 September 2026.

SENTITS is based on a different way of connecting research with the territory. Through co-creation, citizen science and multi-stakeholder collaboration, the project seeks to bring together researchers, public administrations, civil society and other local actors to identify challenges and develop solutions that respond to real needs.

“Territorial actors identify a collective need, while universities and research centres contribute the scientific knowledge and resources needed to respond, with the final aim of generating systemic transformations” explains Josep M. Antó, who played a key role in developing the project proposal.

From territorial challenges to transformative action

SENTITS will work through two closely interconnected lines of action.

The first will support the development and scaling up of transformative research and innovation activities addressing challenges identified with the actors in the territory. These actions will build on existing research and collaborations and use participatory approaches to co-design, test and evaluate solutions in real-world settings. The work will focus particularly on areas such as community and planetary health, sustainable mobility, and urban resilience and climate adaptation.

The second line of action is the creation of the Laboratory for Transformative Social Innovation (LIST), which will provide a common structure to coordinate and support the activities. This also includes providing methodological support, facilitating shared agendas and partnerships, and monitoring the progress and impact of the actions.

“Our Impact Unit is well placed to help coordinate the different research and translation teams in ISGlobal that are already working with local actors in planetary health, urban health and preparedness and resilience,” says Adelaida Sarukhan, SENTITS coordinator. “By responding to local needs and engaging with other centres in shared agendas, we can develop and scale up transformative actions that generate meaningful changes in the territory.”

SENTITS will run until December 2028.

On 13 November, the Auditorium of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) will host the INCLUDE Final Conference, bringing together researchers, institutional representatives, health professionals and other key stakeholders to reflect on how to move towards more equitable, diverse and scientifically rigorous biomedical research.

Organised by the INCLUDE consortium, the conference will provide an opportunity to share the main lessons learned, tools and experiences developed throughout the project, as well as to open a space for dialogue on the challenges that still persist within scientific institutions and the transformations needed to address them.

The programme will offer a journey from analysing the structural inequalities that shape science and health to identifying and discussing concrete strategies to drive institutional change.

Topics will include the integration of gender and intersectional perspectives into biomedical research; diversity in research teams and knowledge production; geopolitical inequalities in science; the creation of safe and equitable working environments; the role of Gender Equality Plans; and the resistance, learning and opportunities that accompany processes of institutional transformation.

The conference will also present the main results and resources developed by INCLUDE, including the Manifesto for Equity and Diversity in Biomedical Research, the INCLUDE Toolkit, the Policy Brief and the Community of Practice.

As a pre-event, on 12 November, a session will take place at the Museu de la Ciència CosmoCaixa, featuring a public lecture by Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, one of the world's leading HIV researchers. Admission will be free for INCLUDE participants, subject to prior registration.

We invite researchers, health professionals, institutional representatives, civil society organisations and everyone committed to a more critical, equitable and inclusive approach to science and health to take part.

Participation in both events is free of charge, subject to prior registration. See the full programme. 

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The conference aims to build on this process and open the conversation to experiences from other territories. Over two days, we will explore initiatives connecting nature and health through diverse contexts, scales and approaches. We will share what is being done, what has been learned so far, and the challenges and opportunities involved in putting these proposals into practice.

The event aims to provide a space to exchange experiences, foster connections between stakeholders and explore how these lessons can help strengthen the relationship between nature and health in the province of Barcelona. At the same time, the conference seeks to foster new collaborations between the health sector, territorial management and community organisations, building on the collaborative process initiated within the Barcelona Resilience Hub.

Agenda

Tuesday 27 October, Hospital del Mar 

8.30am - Welcome and registration

9.00am - Opening of the conference

• Esteve Fernández Muñoz, Secretary of Public Health of the Government of Catalonia
• Celia Santos Tapia, RESONATE Project, ISGlobal
• Rocío Cebrián, Deputy Director of Hospital del Mar

9.15am - Mindfulness and connection with nature: guided meditation

• Irene Cervera-Buisán, Les trenades
• Maite Tacías, Floreix

9.30am - From utility to relationship: nature-based interventions and an ecosocial perspective on health

• Silvia Gili Olmeda | University of Barcelona

10.15am - How can we implement the Blue Prescription along the Barcelona coastline?

Moderator: Mònica Ubalde-Lopez, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Experiences:

• Carme Pigem, CAP Llançà
• Xènia Ros, Som Mar Association

11.15am - Coffee break

11.45am - Benefits of the connection between nature and health

Moderator: Raquel Céspedes, coordinator of the "Environment, Health (One Health) and Prevention" Group of REiCOP (Spanish Network for Research on Long COVID)

Experiences:

• Maite Tacias, clinical psychologist and founder of Floreix. Member of the COPC and FEATF
• Mayte Serrat, Fibrowalk, Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS Unit, Vall d’Hebron Hospital

12.45pm - Lunch break [not included]

2.00pm - From evidence to practice: transforming the approach to life’s distress in primary care, from medicalisation to nature-based social prescribing

Moderator: Laura Illamola Martin, family and community physician and member of the Research and Innovation Committee of Baix Llobregat (ICS)

Experience:

• Ramon Gilbert, Community Emotional Wellbeing Lead, EAP Can Vidalet-CAP Bòbila, and member of the RECETAS project

3.00pm - From theory to reality. Practical experiences of nature-based therapies (in person)

Participants will have the opportunity to choose one practical experience

• Cartography of Silence – Blue therapy, art and nature interventions by the sea | COPC Psychoenvironmental Health Working Group (Les trenades, Sinegrow and Blava)
• Breathing the Sea – Blue therapy, art and nature interventions by the sea | COPC Psychoenvironmental Health Working Group (Les trenades, Sinegrow and Blava)
• Experiential therapeutic Stand Up Paddle session on an urban beach | Carolina Navalón-Martínez and Laura Gil (Blue Soler)
• Som Mar Blue Prescription | Mònica Ubalde (VerdeMare) and Xènia Ros (Som Mar)

5.00pm - End of the day

Wednesday 28 October, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB)

9.00am - Mindfulness Self-Compassion. Guided meditation on compassionate breathing

• Elisabet Asensio, Badalona Serveis Assistencials

9.15am - Childhood, nature and health: sowing wellbeing for the future

Moderator: Irene Cervera-Buisán, Catalonia Health and Nature Roundtable, COPC and Les trenades

Experiences:

• Júlia Moya Garcia, social educator, SEO/BirdLife Catalonia Education Programme, Education Area, Society and Territory Unit
• Meritxell Ponce, paediatrician at Hospital de Barcelona, member of the Environmental Paediatrics Promotion Group of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat
• Elena Codina Sampera, paediatrician at the Paediatric Environmental Health Unit of Sant Joan de Déu Hospital
• Montse Masó-Aguado, environmental scientist and nurse. Coordinator of the Childhood, Adolescence and Youth Section of the Health and Nature Roundtable, Paediatric Environmental Health Unit of Fundació Hospital d’Olot i Comarcal de la Garrotxa

10.15am - Forest bathing with migrant people: an experience from a community and ecosocial perspective

Moderator: Isis Saiz, Espai Ambiental Cooperativa

Experiences:

• Maria Eugenia Encinoza Tosta, participant
• María Julia Sánchez Salame, participant and biodanza facilitator
• Oliver Calzas Bollinger, forest bathing guide
• Silvia Simó Castelló, social worker at CAP Sagrada Família

11.15am - Coffee break

12.00pm - Nature-based therapy experiences in the healthcare sector: Blue, Green and Virtual Reality in Badalona and Terrassa

Moderator: Elisabet Asensio, Badalona Serveis Assistencials

Experiences:

• Elena López Villabona, REBEC CAP Progrés-Raval, and Maria José Ciudad, neuropsychologist, Centre d’Atenció Intermèdia el Carme, Badalona Serveis Assistencials
• Marta Ribó, Health Officer at Badalona City Council
• Emma Bueno, Coordinator of Espai Mar Badalona
• Elena Martínez, social worker at Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa

1.00pm - Lunch break [not included]

2.30pm - Project incubator (in person)

Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a project incubator

• Session 1. How can the Blue Prescription be incorporated along the Barcelona coastline? Facilitators: Mònica Ubalde ISGlobal - VerdeMare), Pilar Vendrell (Directorate-General for Environmental Policies and Natural Heritage – Government of Catalonia); Pat Gonzalez (A Bordo Lab-B)-TBC
• Session 2. Regional Health and Nature Roundtable for Barcelona: which stakeholders are involved and how can it be integrated into the Catalonia Nature and Health Roundtable? Facilitators: Nora Maristany and Sandra Carrera
• Session 3. Making nature an everyday option: spaces, resources and opportunities. Facilitator: Irene Cervera-Buisán | Les trenades
• Session 4. Community action for health and the ecosocial transition. Proposals for taking action in Barcelona. Facilitators: Isis Sainz and Andrés Garcia (Espai Ambiental).

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ISGlobal researcher Manolis Kogevinas has been honoured with the EPICOH Lifetime Award, the highest distinction granted by the Scientific Committee on Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH) of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). The award recognises his outstanding career in occupational epidemiology and his contribution to the development of evidence-based public health policies. The distinction was presented on 26 August during the annual EPICOH conference held in Stockholm.

The EPICOH Lifetime Award highlights more than three decades of scientific leadership by Kogevinas, helping to transform our understanding of how occupational exposures influence the development of chronic diseases, particularly cancer and respiratory diseases. Throughout his career, he has led some of the most influential international studies in occupational and environmental epidemiology, incorporating innovative approaches such as the exposome, advanced exposure assessment and the study of interactions between environmental and genetic factors.

The EPICOH committee also highlighted the impact of his work on risk assessment and prevention. His contributions have been instrumental in the international classification of occupational carcinogens through the development of key reference tools such as CAREX and the formulation of recommendations that have influenced European legislation and international strategies for the prevention of cancer and other work-related diseases.

In addition to his scientific contributions, the award highlights his role in the creation of international research networks, the training of new generations of epidemiologists, and his ability to translate scientific evidence into practice and public policy.

With this award, EPICOH recognises a scientific career that has helped establish occupational epidemiology as an essential discipline for understanding the impact of work on health and for promoting preventive policies that protect the health of workers worldwide.
 

The ceremony marked the conclusion of the Master's in Global Health, tropEd Master's in Global Health and Master's in Applied Clinical Research: Global Health Specialisation, jointly taught by UB and ISGlobal.

Looking back at the journey and ahead to future challenges

During her speech, Núria Casamitjana, Director of Education and Training at ISGlobal, and director of the Master's in Global Health and the tropEd Master's in Global Health, recalled the first days of class, when the students “seemed expectant, curious, uncertain and perhaps a little worried about what lay ahead”. After a year of learning and growth, she highlighted that they are now “ready to pursue a career in what they enjoy most”.

“You may need time and you will encounter difficulties, but you are prepared to tackle them”, added Dr Casamitjana, who encouraged the new graduates to approach their work “with passion, generosity and kindness”.

The event also featured Quique Bassat, Director General and Scientific Director of ISGlobal, ICREA Research Professor, and co-director of the Master's in Global Health, and Alberto García-Basteiro, ISGlobal researcher and Head of the Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Service at Hospital Clínic Barcelona, who was chosen by the students to deliver the speech on behalf of the teaching staff. The guest lecture was delivered by Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, Emergency Coordinator at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Representing the students, Lucia Emefa Agroh, from the tropEd Master's in Global Health, and Sevan Balian, from the Applied Clinical Research programme, shared their reflections on their experience during the academic year.

Final projects: different approaches to global health challenges

The students presented their master's final projects before academic panels. The projects reflect the diversity of topics and perspectives encompassed by global health.

Master's in Applied Clinical Research: Global Health Specialisation

• Development of STI risk prediction models among migrants attending primary care in Catalonia using electronic health record data
• Positive Commercial Determinants of Health: A Conceptual Review of Governance Mechanisms that Enable Health-Promoting Commercial Contributions
• Sexual and reproductive health needs and health service utilisation among migrant women after irregular maritime migration to the Canary Islands
• Walnut consumption and risk of dementia in the Framingham Heart Study
• GUT MICROBIOTA ALPHA DIVERSITY AND SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS CONCENTRATIONS AND RESPIRATORY CHEST INFECTIONS AND WHEEZING IN EARLY LIFE
• Heat adaptation strategies in the homes of older adults: A Scoping review and case study in Barcelona
• Factors Associated with Hepatotoxicity in Patients Initiating Tuberculostatic Drugs for Latent Tuberculosis Infection at Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (2020–2025)
• Development of an aptamer-based rapid diagnostic test for malaria severity assessment
• Exploring feasibility, acceptability, and perceived impact of heat-mitigation interventions for migrant agricultural workers in Spain: A multi-stakeholder qualitative study

Master's in Global Health / tropEd Master's in Global Health

• Current distribution and role of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in malaria transmission in Africa: A Systematic Review
• Educational attainment and major cardiovascular events in the individuals with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review
• Antimicrobial Resistance in Wildlife as a One Health Sentinel
• Mortality and Cause of Death Among HIV-Exposed and HIV-Unexposed Children: A 15-Year Population-Based Cohort Study in Manhiça, Southern Mozambique
• Community-based preparedness for health system resilience in anticipation of siege. A desk review and lessons learned from Syria, Sudan and Gaza.
• Cultural and Social Barriers to Reproductive Healthcare for Moroccan Migrant Women in Europe: A Rapid Scoping Review
• Sex Differences in Atherosclerotic Plaque Prevalence in Femoral and Carotid Arteries: A Population-Based Study
• Long-term educational effects of the 2015 Magude malaria elimination initiative: evidence from Southern Mozambique, 2017–2022
• Urban Nature and Women's Mental Health: A Scoping Review of Outcomes, Mechanisms and Inequalities Through an Intersectional Lens
• Seguimos Adelante: Immigration Enforcement, Labor Conditions, and the Health of Undocumented Mexican Laborers in California. A Narrative Literature Review
• Mindfulness Interventions in Green and Blue Spaces and Their Effects on Mental Health Outcomes for People Globally: A Scoping Review
• Scoping review on Preparedness and Response Plans and Strategies for Citizens in Catalonia
• The Role of Social Connection in the Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Depression: A Systematic Review
• Urban environment and sleep outcomes in children and adolescents. An Umbrella Review
• Amazon Tipping Point: The Economic and Health Cost
• Mapping Research Gaps in Paediatric Advanced HIV Management and Challenges from Healthcare Workers in Nigeria
• Women Inclusive Leadership and Care Provisions in the Mental Health Policy of Uganda; A Critical Narrative Policy Review
• Mental Health and Climate Change: A Rapid Review of Traditional Communities and Proposed Exploratory Qualitative Case Study of Ribeirinho Communities in Belém do Pará, Brazil
• The Impacts of Nature Exposure on Perinatal Mental Health in Canada: A Qualitative Research Protocol

A new graduating class ready to contribute to global health

The ceremony marked the end of a year of learning, research and exchange among students from diverse backgrounds. The new graduates now become part of an international community of professionals who will work, through research, clinical practice, public policy or humanitarian action, on challenges such as migrant health, the effects of climate change, mental health and the response of health systems to conflicts and emergencies.

As Casamitjana noted, the professional path will not always be immediate or straightforward, but the graduates complete this stage with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to move towards what they want to do and contribute to improving people's health in an equitable and sustainable way.

Reading time: 4 min

In 2025, a biological discovery marked a milestone that, although discreet, resonates as an alarm across the planet: the confirmation of the presence of wild mosquitoes in Iceland. For biology, this represented a historic break; the “Icelandic exception”, the natural shield that low temperatures had provided against these species, was disappearing. What for centuries had been an insurmountable climatic barrier is now beginning to become a thing of the past.

This phenomenon is neither an isolated event nor a biogeographical curiosity. It is, in fact, a tangible symptom of how climate change is rewriting the rules of the living world. The planet’s average temperature is reaching unprecedented levels and, with every fraction of a degree of warming, ecological niches shift, allowing opportunistic species —and the pathogens they carry— to expand their range into latitudes and altitudes that were previously inhospitable.

The new reality of Southern Europe

If we look closer to home, in Southern Europe and specifically in Spain, this process is already well established. The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), a vector capable of transmitting viruses such as dengue, chikungunya or Zika, is no longer an occasional visitor but a permanent neighbour. What we are seeing is not only a geographical expansion but also a change in seasonality: milder winters and longer summers allow the life cycles of these vectors to accelerate and extend.

This expansion is no coincidence. As we have documented within the framework of the Planet Hub, the combination of changes in rainfall patterns and rising temperatures creates ideal conditions for vectors that were previously confined to tropical regions to find a favourable environment in our cities and rural areas.

A global perspective on planetary health

When the biological map is redrawn in this way, the implications for planetary health are profound. The spread of dengue is perhaps the clearest example of this new era. The disease, which historically placed an overwhelming burden on tropical regions, is now challenging the health systems of countries that were not prepared to manage local transmission.

But the risk goes beyond a single pathogen. We are facing a “mixing” of biological cycles: when ecosystems that were previously separated by climatic barriers begin to overlap, the opportunities for pathogens to jump between species increase exponentially, a phenomenon known as spillover. We are entering uncharted territory where climate unpredictability translates into greater health vulnerability.

From observation to action

In this scenario, science has a dual responsibility. On the one hand, we must deepen our understanding of tipping points, or points of no return in the Earth system: critical thresholds which, once crossed, can trigger irreversible changes in the climate and, by extension, in our health. On the other hand, the urgency of the situation requires us to act: the development of early warning systems (EWS) based on robust computational models is our best tool. These systems must not only predict the climate, but also integrate patterns of human mobility, changes in land use and vector ecology in order to anticipate outbreaks before they occur.

This year, World Mosquito Day should serve as a reminder that human health cannot be separated from the health of our planet. Iceland is only the first warning; the real challenge is to understand that, in a warming world, geographical barriers no longer protect us. Resilience in this century depends on our ability to anticipate these changes and act on the underlying causes of this accelerating transformation.

Loneliness is increasingly recognised as a major public health concern, with consequences for both physical and mental health. In Spain, around 20% of the population reports experiencing loneliness, while in Barcelona an estimated 100,000 people are affected.

Social prescribing seeks to address social and emotional needs by connecting people with resources and activities available in their communities. Nature-based social prescribing (NBSP) adds engagement with nature to this approach, for example through activities in parks, gardens or other natural spaces.

The EU-funded RECETAS project tested Friends in Nature (FiN), an intervention that combines contact with nature with peer support and facilitated group activities. “FiN combines strategies by building groups with peer support, providing social opportunities that are strengthened by experiences in nature, and by developing social skills,” says Laura Coll-Planas, first author of the study and current researcher at the University of Vic.

Two approaches to reconnect with nature and others

The trial recruited 320 adults aged 18 and over, experiencing loneliness from 12 socioeconomically vulnerable neighbourhoods in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Participants had a median age of approximately 63 years and 80% were women.

Half were assigned to the FiN programme, which consisted in meeting in small groups for 2 hours each week over nine weeks, accompanied by trained facilitators. Sessions combined group dynamics and peer support with outdoor activities in the local area, including visits to gardens, parks, riverways, coastal areas and cultural heritage sites. The activities were selected from a menu of neighbourhood-specific options developed with local stakeholders. The other half received a 30-minute motivational interview and information about nature-based activities available in their neighbourhood, which they could pursue independently.

Loneliness decreased across the study population by an average of 10.5% after three months, reaching a 16.8% reduction after one year, with no significant difference in loneliness between the two groups at three-months. The study also found no significant changes in health-related quality of life.

A closer analysis revealed an important difference according to participants' situation at the start of the study. Those with higher levels of loneliness and poorer emotional wellbeing benefited more from the facilitated FiN groups. In contrast, among those with less loneliness and better emotional wellbeing, the lighter-touch approach of an interview and signposting to local nature activities produced comparable reductions in loneliness.

Tailoring support to people's needs

The findings suggest that there may not be a single approach to tackling loneliness that works equally well for everyone. People experiencing greater emotional and social difficulties may need the additional peer support, group dynamics and facilitation offered by FiN, while others may benefit from simply being helped to identify and access opportunities already available in their communities.

The Barcelona results differ from those of another RECETAS trial conducted in Helsinki among frail older adults living in assisted-living facilities. In that study, the FiN intervention produced greater reductions in loneliness than the control group and improved several dimensions of health-related quality of life. The differences between the two populations reinforce the importance of adapting NBSP programmes to the needs and circumstances of the people they are designed to support.

The study has some limitations: most participants were women and the median age was around 63, which may limit how widely the findings can be generalised to men and younger adults. Nevertheless, for ISGlobal researcher and senior author of the study Jill Litt, “Our findings provide novel insights that will advance NBSP as a strategy to build community assets and improve social health in urban populations.” They also suggest that NBSP pathways can be more or less effective depending on people’s baseline needs.

The approach goes beyond viewing contact with nature as a passive health intervention, as Litt and colleagues explain in a Nature comment. By bringing people together around shared experiences in natural spaces, NBSP can create opportunities to form relationships, become more actively involved in one's community, and feel part of the natural world. This, Litt says, “is vital for generating the ingredients for a life well-lived - with purpose, belonging and meaning”.
 

Reference

Coll-Planas L, Masó-Aguado M, Briones-Buizassa L et al. Effectiveness of a nature-based social prescribing intervention on loneliness and health-related quality of life among vulnerable urban adults (RECETAS-BCN): an observer-blinded randomised controlled trial. 2026. The Lancet Regional Health Europe. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2026.101821

Comentario: Litt, J.S., Tate, W. & Chawla, L. We are nature: expanding theoretical foundations for nature and health research and practice. 2026. Nat. Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00706-5

[The following text is the foreword to ISGlobal's 2025 Annual Report, written jointly by Quique Bassat, Director General, and Denise Naniche, Scientific Director.]

2025 was a year of intense geopolitical tension, eroding the multilateralism and cooperation that global health depends on. Ongoing conflicts, a fragmenting global trade system, a global decline in development aid, and the rise of AI-driven disinformation strained trust and international collaboration.

At the same time, environmental and climate-related threats intensified, with a surge in mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya and West Nile virus, and extreme climate events -heatwaves, floods and wildfires- affecting millions.

But despite these challenges, there were positive developments: the Seville Commitment reaffirmed support for development cooperation, the WHO Pandemic Agreement marked a step forward in global preparedness, and COP30 advanced the Belém Health Action Plan to strengthen health systems’ adaptation to climate change.

Generating Evidence for Action

Within this landscape, ISGlobal’s research continued to generate robust evidence to inform policy and practice. Our researchers estimated the lives saved through international development aid, and warned of the consequences of its defunding. A series of studies deepened our understanding of how air pollution during pregnancy affects early brain development, while new analyses quantified the mortality burden associated with the record-breaking summer heat of 2024, highlighting its disproportionate impact on women and older populations and reinforcing the value of early warning tools such as forecaster.health.

In uncertain times, the contribution of our staff, collaborators, students, and partners to rigorous science and collective action remain more important than ever.

Further contributions include research showing how the efficacy of malaria vaccines may depend on the timing of administration within the transmission season, as well as the validation of rapid tests to expand access to Chagas disease diagnosis in low-resource settings.

Overall, our dedicated team of over 600 people contributed 672 scientific papers and 14 policy documents, developed innovative diagnostic tools and software, and secured 156 newly-funded projects.

Driving Engagement and Impact

2025 was also a year of continued institutional engagement. ISGlobal assumed the leadership of the Planetary Health Hub alliance secretariat, organised a webinar on the growing threats to scientific integrity and research freedom as part of the SPHERA consortium, and led the Voices for Health workshops in collaboration with “la Caixa” to promote dialogue and action on health and climate change. We also reached a record number of participants in LMICs through our online Spring School, and were selected to organize the 2027 European Congress of Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH) in Barcelona, a leading event in global health.

A key priority this year has been to strengthen how our research translates into societal impact.

A key priority this year has been to strengthen how our research translates into societal impact. To this end, we created an Impact Unit to embed impact across all programmes and support researchers in planning and documenting the impact of their work.

None of this would have been possible without the commitment of our staff, collaborators, students, and partners, as well as the continued support of our funders and institutional allies. In uncertain times, their contribution to rigorous science and collective action remains more important than ever.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of Phlebotomine, tiny insects commonly known as “sand flies”. Although it is not usually life-threatening, it causes skin lesions and ulcers that may persist for months or even years and can leave permanent scarring, with significant physical, psychological and social consequences. It is estimated that there are around one million new cases worldwide each year, particularly across the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Americas.

Until now, early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases had been developed mainly for tropical regions, where phenomena such as ‘El Niño’ make it possible to produce forecasts several months ahead. In temperate regions, by contrast, the atmosphere has been considered far less predictable, making it difficult to develop similar tools for vector-borne diseases.

The study, published in Science Advances, shows that this limitation can be overcome by incorporating two major patterns of Atlantic climate variability: the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV). The NAO is an atmospheric phenomenon that modulates winds over the Atlantic and influences winter rainfall across Europe and North Africa, while the AMV describes slow changes in Atlantic sea surface temperatures that unfold over years or even decades. The study’s findings show that the interaction between these two patterns modulates rainfall across North Africa and, indirectly, influences the evolution of leishmaniasis.

From Atlantic climate to disease transmission

Variations in Atlantic sea surface temperatures alter atmospheric circulation and the winds that transport moisture towards North Africa, thereby influencing rainfall. These rains regulate vegetation growth in desert ecosystems and, in turn, the populations of rodents that act as reservoirs for the parasite. Because cutaneous leishmaniasis depends closely on this chain of processes, its occurrence can also be predicted from Atlantic climate signals.

“The desert acts as a natural filter that reveals the Atlantic’s climate memory. Because it is influenced by fewer climate processes, it allows the Atlantic signal in rainfall patterns to be isolated much more clearly. Thanks to this, we identified a region where rainfall is remarkably predictable, the deserts of Tunisia and Morocco, and demonstrated that this predictability is also transferred to an infectious disease,” says Adrià San-José, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study.

Building on this understanding of disease transmission, the research team developed a dynamic model that reproduces transmission of the parasite between humans, sand flies and rodents. The model integrates local temperature and rainfall with information from both the atmosphere and the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, it was able to predict both the timing and intensity of outbreaks of Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica in Morocco and Tunisia up to 12 months in advance. In Tunisia, however, where the Atlantic’s climatic influence is weaker and more heterogeneous, improvements in forecasting were more modest.

Implications for public health

“It was widely believed that this type of forecasting was only possible in the tropics. What is remarkable is that we have identified a source of predictability in a temperate region as well and incorporated it into a model that is ready for operational use. In this respect, our study is clearly pioneering and opens up new opportunities to develop early warning systems in places where they were previously considered unfeasible,” explains Xavier Rodó, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal and senior author of the study.

The ability to anticipate risk several months in advance provides valuable time to implement preventive measures, such as vector control, management of animal reservoirs and preparation of healthcare systems for potential outbreaks. Beyond leishmaniasis, the research team believes that the methodology developed could also be applied to other rainfall-modulated diseases across both Europe and North Africa.
 

Reference

San-José, A., Aoun, K.; Lemrani, M., López, L., Idris, M., Bouratbine, A., Paul, R., Rodó, X. Coupled Atlantic Atmosphere–Ocean Variability modulates Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in North Africa, enabling long-lead seasonal forecasts. Science Advances, 2026. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb0774

Las resistencias antimicrobianas se producen cuando las bacterias, los virus, los hongos o los parásitos dejan de responder a los antibióticos que utilizamos para combatirlos. Este fenómeno dificulta el tratamiento de las infecciones y constituye uno de los grandes retos actuales para la salud global.

Bajo el lema En un mundo en el que viajamos constantemente, también lo hacen las bacterias, la campaña traslada este problema a los espacios cotidianos de la ciudadanía. Vídeos en stop motion, murales en el transporte público, una exposición artística y un ciclo de mesas redondas invitarán a reflexionar sobre cómo nuestras decisiones pueden contribuir a frenar esta “pandemia invisible”.

Con gestos cotidianos y decisiones informadas podemos prevenir infecciones, evitar la propagación de bacterias resistentes y preservar la eficacia de los antibióticos: cuídate, infórmate y actúa.

Ciclo de mesas redondas

Durante el mes de noviembre se organizarán cuatro sesiones abiertas al público en diferentes equipamientos de Barcelona. Profesionales de la microbiología, la salud pública, la prevención de infecciones, la salud ambiental y otras disciplinas conversarán con la ciudadanía sobre los mitos y las decisiones cotidianas relacionadas con la higiene, los antibióticos y las resistencias antimicrobianas.

Las sesiones permitirán plantear preguntas, analizar situaciones cercanas e identificar acciones individuales y colectivas que pueden contribuir a proteger nuestra salud.

Mitos, manías y fake news: los hábitos de higiene que hacen más mal que bien

¿Desinfectarlo todo es siempre mejor? ¿Es necesario utilizar productos antibacterianos para lavar la ropa o limpiar el hogar? ¿Los antibióticos sirven para curar un resfriado?

Esta sesión desmontará algunas de las falsas creencias más habituales sobre la higiene, las infecciones y los antibióticos. También ofrecerá herramientas para distinguir la información fiable de la desinformación y adoptar hábitos realmente efectivos para prevenir infecciones.

📍 Lugar: Centre Cívic El Guinardó
📅 Fecha: 11 de noviembre de 2026, a las 19 h

Antibióticos: ¿los utilizamos bien? Decisiones cotidianas que protegen nuestra salud

Los antibióticos han revolucionado la medicina, pero utilizarlos de manera inadecuada acelera la aparición de bacterias resistentes.

A partir de casos y situaciones cotidianas, la mesa redonda abordará cuándo es necesario tomar antibióticos y cuándo no, qué ocurre si interrumpimos un tratamiento, qué debemos hacer con los medicamentos sobrantes, cómo deben gestionarse las posibles alergias y qué riesgos conlleva la automedicación.

📍 Lugar: Centre Cívic Vil·la Urània
📅 Fecha: 18 de noviembre de 2026, de 18.30 a 20 h

Una sola salud: ¿cómo conectan los antibióticos, los animales, el medio ambiente y nosotros?

La salud de las personas está estrechamente relacionada con la de los animales y la del medio ambiente. Los antibióticos utilizados en la medicina humana, la ganadería o los sistemas productivos pueden favorecer la circulación de bacterias resistentes entre diferentes ecosistemas.

Esta sesión introducirá el concepto de Una Sola Salud —o One Health— mediante ejemplos relacionados con la producción alimentaria, la salud animal, la calidad ambiental, la seguridad alimentaria y la prevención de infecciones. También abordará cómo las crisis humanitarias, los conflictos, los desastres naturales y las migraciones pueden influir en la propagación de las resistencias antimicrobianas.

📍 Lugar: Casal de Barri de Vallcarca – Can Carol
📅 Fecha: 19 de noviembre de 2026, a las 19 h

Mitos, manías y fake news: los hábitos de higiene que hacen más mal que bien

Una nueva sesión abierta al vecindario para revisar nuestras rutinas de higiene, resolver dudas sobre el uso de los antibióticos y desmentir creencias que pueden llevarnos a adoptar prácticas innecesarias o contraproducentes.

📍 Lugar: Biblioteca El Carmel – Juan Marsé
📅 Fecha: 24 de noviembre de 2026, a las 10 h

Exposición «Una Sola Salud»

Durante todo el mes de noviembre, el Casal de Barri de Vallcarca – Can Carol acogerá una instalación artística inmersiva e interactiva dedicada a las resistencias antimicrobianas.

La experiencia permitirá descubrir, desde una perspectiva artística y divulgativa, cómo aparecen y se propagan las bacterias resistentes, qué impacto puede tener el consumo de antibióticos sobre el medio ambiente y por qué la salud humana, la animal y la ambiental no pueden entenderse por separado.

📍 Lugar: Casal de Barri de Vallcarca – Can Carol
📅 Fechas: del 1 al 30 de noviembre de 2026

Las resistencias antimicrobianas viajan en transporte público

La campaña también saldrá a la calle mediante vídeos en stop motion y murales instalados en estaciones, metros, autobuses y otros espacios del transporte público de diferentes ciudades del Estado.

Estas acciones visuales mostrarán cómo las bacterias pueden desplazarse con nosotros y recordarán algunas medidas sencillas para prevenir infecciones, reducir los contagios y evitar la aparición de nuevas resistencias.

El vídeo de la campaña, disponible en catalán, castellano, inglés, italiano y portugués, se proyectará en pantallas del transporte público. Paralelamente, los murales acercarán los principales mensajes de la campaña a miles de personas durante sus trayectos cotidianos.

De la sensibilización a la acción

Las actividades quieren abrir el debate sobre las resistencias antimicrobianas a toda la ciudadanía y generar espacios de conversación entre personas expertas, profesionales sanitarios, responsables públicos y sociedad civil.

Además de sensibilizar y promover un uso más responsable de los antibióticos, las aportaciones recogidas durante la campaña contribuirán a elaborar un informe final sobre las medidas y regulaciones necesarias para facilitar acciones más ágiles y efectivas frente a las resistencias antimicrobianas.

Studies in humans show that disrupting the body's internal clock can weaken immune responses and increase susceptibility to infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a study in UK found that sleep disturbances were linked to a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. “However, no previous study had evaluated whether disrupting the body’s biological clock also increases the risk of developing long COVID”, says first author Kyriaki Papantoniou, Associate Professor at the Medical University of Vienna and Associated Researcher at ISGlobal. 

Night shift workers at increased risk of long COVID

In this study, the research team followed 2,941 adults in the population-based COVICAT cohort in Catalonia between 2021 and 2023. Among the 1,899 participants who became infected with SARS-CoV-2, 284 developed long COVID - defined as having persistent symptoms lasting for more than three months after the infection - during the 2-year follow-up.

Compared with day workers, those working night shifts had an 88% higher risk (i.e. almost double) of developing long COVID after accounting for other risk factors such as vaccination history or chronic diseases. This association was stronger in night workers with obesity. Moreover, the increased risk was observed both in current and former night workers, suggesting that it reflects longer-term effects of circadian disruption rather than short-term changes.

In contrast, night shift work was not associated with a higher risk of becoming infected, suggesting that disruption of the biological clock may influence how the body recovers from infection rather than the likelihood of catching the virus.

"Our findings suggest that circadian disruption plays a role in the transition from acute infection to persistent symptoms," says ISGlobal researcher Manolis Kogevinas, who coordinated the study.

Poor sleep further amplifies the risk

The researchers found that chronic insomnia also increased the risk of long COVID by 42%, independently of night shift work. Together, the two factors had a synergistic effect: night shift workers with chronic insomnia were 2.7 times more likely to develop long COVID than day workers without insomnia.

The biological mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood, but the time of day when the body encounters a pathogen may influence the immune response. In addition, disruption of the body's biological clock can impair the immune system’s ability to clear the infection. 

Improving sleep as a preventive strategy

Given the increase of insomnia prevalence in the general population, the authors underline the need to understand the short and long-term effects of disturbed sleep on infection-related outcomes. In any case, the findings point to sleep as a potentially modifiable factor in preventing long COVID and other post-infectious conditions.

"Promoting healthy sleep habits and minimising circadian disruption could represent simple, low-cost strategies to reduce the long-term consequences of viral infections, particularly among people who work night shifts," concludes Kogevinas.

The researchers note that the study's strengths include the use of a well-characterised population-based cohort with detailed information on work schedules, sleep habits and health, as well as an internationally recognised definition of long COVID. However, the participants were aged 40 to 65 years, so the findings may not necessarily apply to younger or older populations, and other occupational factors, such as work-related stress, cannot be completely ruled out.
 

Reference

K. Papantoniou, A. Espinosa, M Karachaliou, C Lassale, G Castaño-Vinyals, B Harding, De Matteis S, Straif K, E Alonso, C Dobaño, G Moncunill, N Blay, S Iraola-Guzmán, R de Cid, J Garcia-Aymerich, M Kogevinas. Night work, sleep disruption and long-COVID risk: a population-based cohort study. SJWEH. 2026.

Through practical, hands-on seminars, participants will explore state-of-the-art analytical frameworks and statistical workflows recently developed in exposomics. Each session will combine theoretical concepts with codes and implementation resources, enabling participants to apply the presented techniques in their own research endeavours.

Please see research themes below. You can consult the speaker list and full program and the full program with session abstracts.

Register here

Participation is free of charge.

About the workshop series

Integrating multiple omics layers with environmental data is essential for advancing precision environmental health and epidemiology, but it also involves major computational and methodological challenges.

This workshop series introduces state-of-the-art analytical frameworks and statistical workflows developed to address these challenges. Participants will begin with multi-block dimensionality reduction, used to transform high-dimensional and collinear exposomics data into biologically meaningful signatures.

The sessions will then explore methods for relating exposures to biological mechanisms through mediation and causal frameworks, analysing complex environmental mixtures, connecting molecular and exposure layers through network-based approaches, and integrating emerging omic layers such as the microbiome.

Participants will also discover strategies for working with missing or incomplete data, imbalanced outcomes and longitudinal analyses. Finally, the series will examine the role of Large Language Models (LLMs), generative AI and eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in creating trustworthy, interpretable and practical multi-omics workflows.

Together, these approaches provide researchers with a practical and actionable toolkit for addressing modern epidemiological and precision environmental health challenges.

Code and materials

Designed as a highly practical, hands-on experience, the seminars will give participants access to the codes and resources needed to implement the presented techniques. All session codes and materials will be available directly and free of charge during and after the workshop through our Github and YouTube channel.

Audience

This workshop is aimed at Master/PhD students, researchers, clinicians, and other professionals working in exposomics, epidemiology, or toxicology who are interested in understanding how omics data, including the exposome, can be integrated into epidemiological research.

Research Topics

Module 1: Foundations of exposomics data integration & multi-block dimensionality reduction

• Introduction to multi-omics data integration: an overview of approaches
• Foundations of Dimensionality Reduction and Multi-Block Data Integration

Module 2: From exposures to biology: a tour of exposomics data integration frameworks in practice

• Multivariate Mediation Frameworks in Environmental Epidemiology
• Statistical Frameworks for Evaluating Complex Co-Exposures and Mixtures
• RGCCA for Exposomic Data Integration in Youth Health
• Network-Based Approaches for Multi-Omics and Environmental data Integration and Interpretation
• Metagenomics and the Microbiome as an Omic Layer in Health Research
• Longitudinal Methods and Frameworks for Multi-Omics and Environmental data Integration
• Outcome-wide analysis for exposomics 

Module 3: Machine Learning & AI frontiers

• eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) for making predictions in exposomics
• Biological Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning to Decode Environment-Disease Mechanisms
• Developing an Integrative Exposomics Platform (ExposomeX) to Expedite Discovery of the “Exposure–Biology–Disease” Nexus

Organisers

This workshop series has been organised by Léa Maitre, Augusto Anguita and Adrià Setó. Please contact Anna Oje (anna.oje@isglobal.org) for any queries or further information.

Do you want to revisit the first series?

Recordings of all 2024 sessions are available on YouTube. To access the slides and codes, please click HERE, or explore the workshop proceedings HERE.

With the support of the grant CEX2023-001290-S funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033.

Role of cattle in malaria transmission

Scientists have spent decades developing strategies to control malaria vectors. One of the most debated questions concerns the role of cattle in malaria transmission, giving rise to two competing hypotheses: zooprophylaxis and zoopotentiation. The former suggests that cattle can act as an alternative blood source, diverting malaria-carrying mosquitoes away from humans. The latter proposes that livestock may increase mosquito populations and, consequently, enhance disease transmission. However, previous studies have typically treated livestock as a household-level resource, without considering its broader role as an environmental exposure across the wider landscape shared by multiple households.

Environmental epidemiology framework

The new study introduces a spatial approach based on cattle density within a defined area, treating livestock as an environmental variable rather than solely as a household characteristic. According to the study's first author, Almudena Sanz, a researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at Virginia Tech, this approach captures spatial effects that extend beyond the household where the cattle are kept, "applying an environmental epidemiology framework for the first time, which may help explain why previous studies have produced conflicting results."

According to Carlos Chaccour, the study's principal investigator, also at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at the University of Navarra, this new methodology "could be used to evaluate livestock-based malaria control strategies and help resolve the long-standing debate between zooprophylaxis and zoopotentiation."

This study was carried out as part of the BOHEMIA project, funded by Unitaid, which conducted a trial in Mozambique and Kenya using a One Health approach. Ivermectin, a well-tolerated antiparasitic drug, was administered to both humans and livestock through mass drug administration campaigns to reduce the mosquito population and, consequently, malaria transmission.

Reference

Sanz Gutierrez A, Otuko R, Xie K, et al. Spatial exploration of the impact of cattle on risk of malarial infection using data from a cluster randomised trial. BMJ Global Health. 2026;0. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2025-022607

The event will introduce key concepts such as the exposome and healthy urban planning, explaining in a clear and engaging way how urban planning and design decisions can either promote or undermine population health. To this end, visual examples, live questions and interactive activities will help participants connect their everyday urban experiences with the latest scientific evidence.

In addition, participants will be introduced to open-access tools for exploring urban health indicators and comparing different cities, fostering a better-informed public with greater capacity to interpret data about their own environment. The programme will also include practical demonstrations of environmental sensors and healthy building materials, highlighting the importance of transparency and public access to information as key drivers for promoting healthier urban environments and better-informed policies.

This interdisciplinary dialogue aims to raise public awareness of the crucial role that the urban environment plays in collective health and to inspire a shared reflection on how to design cities that are healthier, more sustainable and more liveable for everyone.

Register here

Wildfire smoke does not only affect people living close to the flames. Its particles can travel hundreds of kilometres, exposing people to elevated levels of air pollution even in cities and regions far from the fire. Although wildfire smoke and urban air pollution share some common pollutants, they differ in their chemical composition. Growing scientific evidence suggests that these differences may also influence their effects on human health.

Why Wildfire Smoke Deserves Special Attention?

Wildfire smoke is not simply "dust" or soot. It is a complex and constantly changing mixture of gases and fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Its exact composition depends on the type of vegetation that burns and the combustion conditions.

Wildfire smoke is not simply "dust" or soot. It is a complex and constantly changing mixture of gases and fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds.

This complex chemical composition means that the toxicity of wildfire smoke varies from one fire to another. In addition to its unique chemical composition, wildfire smoke often leads to extremely high concentrations of air pollutants over short periods of time. During severe wildfire events, PM₂.₅ levels can exceed air quality guidelines, exposing large populations to hazardous pollution levels.

What is happening in Spain?

Spain is among the European countries most exposed to wildfires. As global temperatures rise and climate change drives more dry weather condition, the risk of wildfires is increasing in Spain and much of Southern Europe, making exposure to wildfire smoke a growing public health concern.

Average annual exposure to wildfire-related PM₂.₅ is highest in regions such as Galicia, Extremadura, the Valencian Community, the Region of Murcia and Andalusia. Although wildfires can occur at different times of the year, smoke-related air pollution typically peaks in July and August, coinciding with heatwaves.

What does the evidence show?

A study conducted as part of the CATALYSE Horizon Europe project led by ISGlobal and published in The Lancet Planetary Health, analysed the impact of wildfire smoke across Europe between 2004 and 2022.

The study estimates that short-term exposure to wildfire smoke caused an average of 535 deaths per year across Europe. It also shows that treating PM₂.₅ from wildfire smoke as equivalent to PM₂.₅ from other sources like traffic would substantially underestimate its impact on mortality.

Treating PM₂.₅ from wildfire smoke as equivalent to PM₂.₅ from other sources like traffic would substantially underestimate its impact on mortality.

The most immediate health effects are observed in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Children, older adults, pregnant women and people with pre-existing health conditions are particularly vulnerable, with emergency department visits increasing during wildfire smoke episodes.

How to protect your health during a wildfire smoke episode

Precautions recommended by Spain's Ministry of Health to protect yourself from wildfires and wildfire smoke include:

• Stay indoors, keeping windows and doors closed to prevent polluted air from entering.
• Wear an FFP2 or N95 respirator if you need to go outside. Surgical and cloth masks do not effectively filter fine PM₂.₅ particles.
• Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
• Follow official air quality alerts and the recommendations issued by public health authorities.

Read our 2025 Annual Report to find out the defining moments of our year and the numbers behind our work. 

A short version in PDF is also available.

Ivermectin is one of the most widely used antiparasitic drugs worldwide and is administered through mass drug administration campaigns to control neglected tropical diseases. Although it has shown potential to reduce malaria transmission by killing the mosquitoes that spread the disease, its use during pregnancy remains contraindicated because of the limited evidence available in humans.

Each year, inadvertent exposure to ivermectin occurs during very early pregnancy, as many women are still unaware that they are pregnant during the first few weeks. Despite this, evidence on its safety remains very limited, particularly during the first trimester. To generate new data, the research team analysed a prospective cohort embedded within the BOHEMIA trials, conducted in Mozambique and Kenya to evaluate the impact of mass ivermectin administration on malaria transmission.

“The substudy included 238 women who became pregnant between two weeks before and four weeks after receiving ivermectin or albendazole, which was used as the comparator treatment. All participants were followed up monthly until the end of pregnancy,” explains Patricia Nicolas, first author of the study and an ISGlobal researcher at the time the research was conducted.

The largest cohort studied to date

Of the 238 women included in the study, 129 had been potentially exposed to ivermectin and 109 to albendazole. Among those with a known pregnancy outcome, adverse outcomes (miscarriage, stillbirth or major congenital anomalies) occurred in 22.9% of the group treated with ivermectin and 19.5% of the group treated with albendazole. The differences between the two groups were not statistically significant.

“This trial represents the largest prospective cohort published to date on exposure to ivermectin during the first weeks of pregnancy and complements the limited evidence available so far, which included fewer than one hundred documented first-trimester exposures,” says Nicolas.

Prenatal care: a key factor

In addition to the effect of treatment, the study showed that women who experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes were much less likely to have received antenatal care and recommended preventive measures during pregnancy, such as iron and folic acid supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets and preventive treatment against malaria. However, it should be noted that women who experience very early miscarriages have fewer opportunities to attend antenatal care visits.

More evidence, but still not enough

“Our findings help strengthen the evidence base on inadvertent exposure to ivermectin in early pregnancy, but the number of documented pregnancies remains too small to support changes to clinical or regulatory recommendations. Further evidence from additional studies and surveillance systems will be needed,” concludes Carlos Chaccour, co-principal investigator of BOHEMIA and an ISGlobal researcher at the time of the study.

Reference
Nicolas, P., Mundaca, H., Brazeal, A., Houana, A., Ngama, M., Macucha, A., Matano, A., Elobolobo, E., Vegove, V., Martinho, S., Kariuki, M., Mbanze, J., Mitora, S., Montañà, J., Ringera, I., Túnez, L., Imputiua, S., Munguambe, H., Mutepa, V., … Chaccour, C. (2026). Risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes following inadvertent exposure to ivermectin during the periconception period: findings from two cluster-randomized trials in Mozambique and Kenya. eClinicalMedicine, 97(104069), 104069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104069

The Lancet Countdown Europe is an international, interdisciplinary research initiative that aims to develop open, transparent and rigorous indicators to track the impact of climate change on population health. As well as monitoring the health impacts of climate change, it follows the adaptation and mitigation actions taken, the economic and financial aspects, and public and political engagement across Europe. This special edition of the Lancet Countdown in Europe report will be published in the Lancet Public Health journal on September 10, 2026.

This report will be launched in Barcelona. Prof. Cathryn Tonne, co-Director of The Lancet Countdown in Europe, will present the main findings. International, European, and local organisations will follow. They will highlight the progress developed on the ground, and the gaps needed to accelerate climate change action in cities

A panel discussion with local representatives and experts will follow. The discussion will explore the key ingredients needed for successful integrated climate and health action: How does transformative change actually happen? What role do indicators play in driving equitable progress? How are cities turning climate policy into practice? And how do we bring people along to build the social support that ambitious action demands, supported throughout by strong implementation, monitoring, partnerships and societal engagement?

The event is open to everyone, either in person or online. Refreshments will be served at the end of the event, and there will be an opportunity to meet the researchers who contributed to the Europe Cities report of the Lancet Countdown, as well as the keynote speakers and panelists.

Follow the event live 

You can follow the event in streaming using the following link. 

Agenda

Please see the full Volume 138 IARC monograph that was recently published, which contains the full evaluation by the Working Group: https://publications.iarc.who.int/652

It had been 37 years since the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) last evaluated whether automotive gasoline causes cancer. That was in 1988 and since then a large number of new scientific studies on the subject have been produced worldwide. IARC convened 20 experts from 16 countries in February-March to critically review the total updated scientific evidence base. I had the distinct privilege and pleasure of chairing the Working Group meeting, where we evaluated the studies according to strict and established criteria.

Sufficient evidence that automotive gasoline causes bladder cancer and leukaemia

In 1988, automotive gasoline was previously classified (volume 45) as possibly carcinogenic to humans (also known as Group 2B). This year, we concluded that overall there was sufficient evidence for cancer in humans. Therefore, the answer to the question is indeed, yes, there is convincing evidence that automotive gasoline causes cancer. Automotive gasoline exposure causes urinary bladder cancer and acute myeloid leukaemia in adults. The official classification is known as a Group 1 classification, that automotive gasoline is carcinogenic to humans. This is the highest level used by IARC when evaluating whether an agent is carcinogenic to humans.

Source: IARC.

The studies in exposed humans mainly included people exposed to automotive gasoline fuel and vapours as part of their job. Automotive gasoline is a complex mixture, and occupational exposure occurs during the production and transport of gasoline and during vehicle refuelling. Service station attendants are also exposed to higher levels of gasoline than the general public.

One of the major epidemiological studies assessing gasoline exposure, which contributed to this evaluation, was conducted by researchers now at ISGlobal (formerly at IMIM during the study).

Limited evidence that automotive gasoline can cause other types of cancer

Studies of other types of cancer were also reviewed, and it was determined that the evidence was limited. This means that there were some studies that showed that automotive gasoline was associated with an increased risk of other types of cancer, but the evidence was not strong enough to make a clear conclusion at this moment in time. There was limited evidence in humans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia), multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and cancers of the stomach and kidney. There was also limited evidence for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in children, including from studies of children living in close proximity to service stations.

Gasoline causes genetic damage, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation

In addition to evaluating studies of cancer in humans exposed to automotive gasoline, we also found that there was sufficient evidence for cancer in laboratory animals (studies of mice and rats) and strong mechanistic evidence in exposed humans. There was strong evidence that gasoline is genotoxic (causes genetic damage), that it induces oxidative stress, and it induces chronic inflammation in exposed humans, mainly service station attendants. There was also convincing mechanistic evidence in experimental systems for endpoints associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

More research is needed

Although automotive gasoline is now classified as a Group 1 agent, there is still much more research that can be done to provide an even more complete picture of the cancer risk to humans. More research can be done to provide more evidence as to whether automotive gasoline causes cancer at other sites, beyond urinary bladder cancer and acute myeloid leukaemia in adults, including in new large-scale studies in humans. It is important that research is conducted independently, is unbiased, and free from potential conflicts of interest.

What about gasoline additives?

In addition to automotive gasoline, we also evaluated whether oxygenated gasoline additives cause cancer. Oxygenated gasoline additives are used to enhance octane rating and to increase combustion efficiency, as well as minimize atmospheric pollution. The additives evaluated included methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), and tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME). The evidence for the different oxygenated gasoline additives was weaker than it was for automotive gasoline and classifications ranged from Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) to Group 3 (not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans).

For more information please also see the IARC Monographs website.

IARC is the specialised agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that focusses specifically on cancer research and prevention. The IARC Monographs Programme has coordinated to date, 138 cancer monograph evaluation meetings in its more than 50-year history. These evaluations are often used for national and international policies, guidelines, and recommendations to minimize cancer risks.

The study addresses one of the main challenges in sports medicine: anticipating injuries before they occur. Although numerous artificial intelligence-based models have been developed in recent years, most have important limitations that make them difficult to apply in professional clubs. Rather than simply building a more accurate model, this work proposes a new methodological framework that addresses several of the main shortcomings identified in the scientific literature.

A new way to understand injury risk

The main innovation is to treat injury prediction as a survival analysis problem. This makes it possible to represent mathematically something practitioners already know: risk increases progressively as training or competition minutes accumulate. Unlike traditional classifiers, this behaviour is built into the model by design.

This approach is complemented by three further innovations:

• Beta Calibration, which adjusts probabilities so that they accurately reflect the observed real-world risk;
• The incorporation of decision theory, which adapts risk thresholds according to the sporting importance of each situation;
• The introduction of Rest Benefit Certainty (RBC), which allows coaching staff to define the level of certainty they want before deciding whether a player should rest.

Together, these elements turn an abstract probability into a contextualized recommendation that helps professionals assess when it is more beneficial for a player to participate or rest.

Four seasons of data from the women's first team

The study was developed using one of the most comprehensive longitudinal datasets available in elite women's football: four consecutive seasons from the FC Barcelona women's first team (2019-2023), covering 34 players, nearly 14,000 daily observations and 83 non-contact musculoskeletal injuries. The data integrate GPS information, training load, minutes played, competitions, international duty and injury duration.

A much more reliable injury-risk detection system

The results show that survival analysis-based models consistently outperform the traditional machine-learning algorithms used to date for injury prediction. In particular, these models achieved better discrimination than conventional classifiers, substantially improving the identification of high-risk situations.

Statistical calibration also corrected the tendency of the models to underestimate actual risk, making the resulting probabilities much more reliable and interpretable for the medical team.

In temporal validation on a completely new season, the system produced positive gains in player availability, suggesting that this type of model can help reduce the impact of injuries by keeping more players available throughout the season.

Cumulative fatigue, the strongest predictor

The analysis shows that the most important predictor is the distance accumulated over the previous 21 days, followed by high-speed running intensity and same-day accelerations and decelerations. This result reinforces the idea that cumulative fatigue is the main mechanism associated with non-contact injury risk.

"Unlike previous approaches, this framework makes it possible to identify, rank and calibrate the factors associated with injury risk with statistical rigour, and to quantify the contribution of cumulative fatigue. Above all, it offers a new scientific perspective on a complex phenomenon," says Juan R. González, a researcher at ISGlobal.

"The methodological challenge was twofold: to represent how risk accumulates with exposure while also contextualising the resulting probabilities so that they can be interpreted according to the relevance of each situation. Incorporating decision theory makes it possible to adapt risk thresholds to each sporting context and turn predictions into a useful tool to support professional decision-making," explains Manuel Huth, first author, from the University of Bonn.

From research to the pitch and beyond

This research provides unique insight into the factors that explain injury risk, with external load as the starting point. The athlete's digital twin integrates this with internal load - how the body responds to effort, through biomarkers, physiological indicators and molecular data - and each athlete's genetic profile: an essential tool to support the technical and medical staff, personalise each athlete's monitoring and anticipate injuries. This is the line that Barça Innovation Hub is driving together with Made of Genes.

"This kind of research brings scientific rigour to factors that, until now, we often interpreted intuitively. The real value is to better understand how load and each athlete's biology relate to injury risk," explains Gil Rodas, physician at FC Barcelona.

"Advancing in this field requires research and methodology of the highest scientific rigour, like this work. As a data and artificial intelligence platform partner, at Made of Genes we bring research onto the pitch through anticipation and performance-enhancement models that integrate, within a digital twin, each athlete's external load, internal load and genetic profile," adds Berta Canal, data scientist at Made of Genes.

The potential reaches well beyond elite football: as wearable sensors are now widely used not only by professional athletes but also in amateur sports and physically demanding occupations, the same approach could support injury prevention far beyond the football pitch.

About the study

Title: Injury prediction in elite women's football: an integrative machine learning-based decision-support framework
Journal: npj Digital Medicine (Nature Portfolio)
Publication: Online, 8 July 2026
DOI: 10.1038/s41746-026-02937-3
Data: FC Barcelona women's first team · 4 seasons (2019/20-2022/23) · 34 players · 83 non-contact injuries
Authors: Manuel Huth, Berta Canal-Simón, Eva Ferrer, Gil Rodas, Xavier Yanguas, Jan Hasenauer and Juan R. González
Institutions: ISGlobal · University of Bonn · Made of Genes · FC Barcelona Medical Department and Barça Innovation Hub · Hospital Clínic-Sant Joan de Déu · Leitat · CIBERESP · Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Reading time: 3 min

[This post was written by Aina Nicolàs, Camila Picchio and Anthony Armenta, from the Public Health Liver Group at ISGlobal.]

A vaccine, rapid diagnostic tests and effective treatment options exist. You’d think that viral hepatitis must be close to elimination, but it’s far from over.

The latest World Health Organization (WHO) Global Hepatitis Report has shown that viral hepatitis infections, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), continue to cause over one million deaths annually. At the same time, most people living with chronic viral hepatitis remain undiagnosed or untreated, revealing a disconnect between the tools already available and better health outcomes. When we look more closely at Europe, the picture is equally striking: elimination targets remain far out of reach, with a strong gap in both diagnosis and treatment rates.

The challenge, then, is not simply whether effective medical tools exist. It is whether people can actually access, understand and navigate the services that provide them.

The challenge is not simply whether effective medical tools exist. It is whether people can actually access, understand and navigate the services that provide them.

This is particularly important for migrant communities in Europe, who may face barriers that traditional clinic-based approaches do not adequately address. These communities are disproportionately affected and account for an estimated 25% of HBV infections and 14% of HCV infections. This happens because of a complex interplay of factors, including limited availability of preventive strategies in their home countries, and substantial barriers to access and navigate their host health systems, which are further compounded by cultural and linguistic barriers.

For someone trying to access care in a new country, these barriers can be structural as well as personal: not knowing where to go for testing, struggling to understand health information in an unfamiliar language, navigating appointments and referrals, or facing stigma and misconceptions around viral hepatitis.

Early diagnosis and timely care are therefore essential to prevent serious health problems and reduce further transmission.

The consequences of being missed by the health system can be serious. A delayed diagnosis often leads to the infection being detected only after advanced liver disease has developed. This means an increased risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and, ultimately, death. In parallel, when people don’t know they have the infection, they may not take the precautions needed to protect others, allowing it to spread within the community unknowingly. Early diagnosis and timely care are therefore essential to prevent serious health problems and reduce further transmission.

Bringing care closer to where people live

Reaching people who are not accessing traditional health services requires us to rethink where and how care is delivered.

According to WHO, simplifying and decentralising how we deliver screening and care services is central to viral hepatitis elimination efforts. This means moving some services beyond specialised clinical settings and closer to the communities that need them, while making it easier for people to move from testing to appropriate care.

Community health workers and other community facilitators can make this possible.

In practice, their role is very tangible. These frontline public health professionals may explain why testing matters in a language and context people understand, answer questions and address stigma and misconceptions, help someone find or access a testing service, guide them through appointments or referrals, and connect them with the formal health system when further care is needed. Because they often come from, work closely with, or have established trust within the communities they serve, they can bridge cultural, linguistic and structural gaps that healthcare services may struggle to overcome on their own.

Frontline public health professionals may explain why testing matters in a language and context people understand, answer questions and address stigma and misconceptions, help someone find or access a testing service, guide them through appointments or referrals, and connect them with the formal health system when further care is needed.

This is not a new idea.

Across different health systems, community health workers have helped extend care to communities that might otherwise be missed. In Rwanda, for example, community health workers have been instrumental in strengthening primary healthcare, with their responsibilities expanding from basic health promotion to integrated community case management. Their experience shows what can happen when community-based workers are recognised as a core part of how people reach and use health services.

Despite the substantial contribution of community health workers in health systems among low- and middle-income countries, their potential to support health systems in high-income countries is immense.

In Europe, a stronger and more integrated role for community health workers could help address persistent challenges in migrant health, including unequal access to services and growing cultural and linguistic diversity. Yet their roles are not consistently embedded within formal healthcare systems. Some countries and regions–like Belgium and the United Kingdom–have taken steps to connect community health workers more closely with primary care, while elsewhere their involvement remains fragmented or dependent on individual pilot programmes and research projects.

Realising their full potential therefore requires more than simply recognising that community-based approaches work. The people delivering these services also need the knowledge, practical tools and support to carry out their roles effectively and link communities with the wider healthcare system.

Turning this approach into action through HEP-HOP

This is one of the challenges that the Health Equity Programme: Hepatitis Outreach for Migrant Populations (HEP-HOP) project aims to address.

Leaving no one behind is at the heart of HEP-HOP, an EU-funded project focused on improving access to viral hepatitis care among migrants across Europe.

Because bringing services closer to communities must involve communities themselves, a central component of the project is decentralised, point-of-care testing for viral hepatitis, delivered with the involvement of community health workers and other community facilitators, including peer navigators, social mediators and civic integration teachers.

ISGlobal and the University of Antwerp are developing a structured training curriculum to equip frontline community workers with practical skills.

These are people who are already well positioned to build trust, communicate in culturally appropriate ways and help individuals navigate services. But for this model to be effective and scalable, they also need structured preparation for the responsibilities they are being asked to take on.

That is why ISGlobal and the University of Antwerp are developing a structured training curriculum to equip frontline community workers with the practical skills needed to:

• conduct decentralised screening,
• tackle stigma and misconceptions,
• engage with migrant communities in culturally appropriate ways, and
• increase awareness of viral hepatitis among migrants in Europe.

Designed with sustainability and scalability in mind, the curriculum has undergone an expert-led revision process involving community representatives as well as global advocacy organisations, including the World Hepatitis Alliance and the Hepatitis B Foundation, alongside other researchers and experts.

The goal is to strengthen the connections between communities and the health services already available, so that people can access testing, care and treatment earlier and more easily.

Eliminating viral hepatitis will depend on making existing tools work for everyone. Trusted community support, accessible services and stronger links to care can help ensure that no one is left behind.

PROGRAMA PRELIMINAR

9.00 h – 9.20 h Entrega de documentación

9.20 h – 9.30 h Bienvenida

9.30 h – 10.40 h Riesgo de introducción de arbovirus en el Mediterráneo

10.40 h – 11.20 h Sesión de Posters (x5)

11.20 h – 11.50 h Pausa café

11.50 h – 12.50 h La próxima generación de herramientas para el control de arbovirus

12.50h – 13.50h Arbovirosis de interés emergente: la situación en España

13.50h – 14.00h Clausura

                                                INSCRÍBETE AHORA

Reading time: 3 min

[This post was jointly written by Manolis Kogevinas, Emeritus Professor at ISGlobal, an Neil Pearce, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It is based on their academic paper "Football, fossil fuels, and public health in the era of climate crisis", published in Environmental Epidemiology.]

In December 2022, millions of people watched Lionel Messi lift the World Cup wrapped in a bisht (a traditional garment) placed on him by the Emir of Qatar. The image became a global symbol, not only for its sporting value, but because it revealed something deeper: the growing fusion between the planet's most popular sport and the economic interests of major fossil fuel producers.

In the 2026 World Cup, one of the sponsors was Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state oil company, and furthermore, the 2034 World Cup will take place precisely in Saudi Arabia.

But this article is not about football. It is about how fossil fuels shape our daily lives, our cities, our climate, and ultimately, our health. Football is simply the most visible mirror of a much broader phenomenon: the ability of certain industries to influence culture and public perception through platforms of massive reach.

A link that goes far beyond sports

For decades, major oil companies and states whose wealth depends on oil and gas have invested billions in projects with global visibility. Some estimates place this annual investment at around 6 billion dollars. Sport, and especially football, is one of the most effective vehicles for this. It is no coincidence that some of Europe's most successful clubs are controlled by sovereign wealth funds from oil-producing countries, nor that state airlines or energy companies appear on jerseys, stadiums, and broadcasts. The result is a constant presence, almost invisible due to its normality, of industries responsible for a substantial share of global emissions.

It is no coincidence that some of Europe's most successful clubs are controlled by sovereign wealth funds from oil-producing countries, nor that state airlines or energy companies appear on jerseys, stadiums, and broadcasts. The result is a constant presence, almost invisible due to its normality, of industries responsible for a substantial share of global emissions.

Even the most admired managers in contemporary football, Pep Guardiola, until recently at Manchester City, and Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, work on sports projects whose excellence is sustained by capital originating from fossil fuel-based economies, through the sovereign wealth funds of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, respectively. This is not a criticism of them, but an observation: sporting talent today coexists with financial structures that have profound implications for the climate and public health.

But reducing this strategy to a matter of image would be naive. What is at stake is the ability of these industries to maintain their social legitimacy at a time when science is unequivocal: the burning of fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate change, and climate change is already the single greatest threat to public health in the 21st century.

Public health in the era of extreme climate

Climate change is not an abstract phenomenon. Its effects on health are documented and intensify every year:

• More frequent and deadly heatwaves.
• Air pollution causing millions of premature deaths.
• Extreme events—floods, fires, droughts—that disrupt ecosystems and displace populations.
• Infectious diseases expanding into new regions.

These risks are documented in multiple reports, such as the Lancet Countdown, one of the most comprehensive evaluations on climate and health, in which ISGlobal researchers actively participate.

While the impacts of climate change increase, the industries responsible for the majority of emissions continue to find privileged spaces to project an image of modernity, dynamism, and progress.

And yet, as the impacts increase, the industries responsible for the majority of emissions continue to find privileged spaces to project an image of modernity, dynamism, and progress.

The power of normalization

This is where the link to sports, and to other cultural spheres, becomes relevant. Advertising and sponsorship do not just sell products: they shape mindsets. Associating fossil fuels with success, excitement, or sporting excellence helps maintain the idea that these industries are a natural and inevitable part of our lives.

Sportswashing is not just an ethical issue. It is a commercial determinant of health, because it indirectly influences health risks by delaying or weakening environmental protection policies.

This phenomenon has a name: sportswashing, a form of reputational laundering that uses sports to soften the public perception of activities with negative environmental impacts. But sportswashing is not just an ethical issue. It is a commercial determinant of health, because it indirectly influences health risks by delaying or weakening environmental protection policies.

An uncomfortable parallel: tobacco

History offers a clear precedent. For decades, the tobacco industry used sports to associate its products with vitality and success. The result was a significant delay in the adoption of tobacco control policies.

Today, no one would accept a cigarette brand sponsoring a major club's jersey. Yet, we continue to accept, and even celebrate, industries responsible for a climate crisis with massive health consequences occupying that very space.

Is this dependency inevitable?

A widespread idea is that sports, and by extension other cultural activities, need this type of funding to survive. But this narrative ignores something fundamental: the economic system of sports has been built on a spiral of rising expenditure, where additional revenues do not stabilize the model, but rather feed permanent inflation in salaries, transfers, and operational costs.

In other words: it is not that sports need fossil fuels; it is that the current sports model needs a constant flow of capital, wherever it comes from.

A moment for collective responsibility

The debate over the role of fossil fuels in sports is not a debate about fandom. It is not about stopping watching matches or giving up the thrill generated by the game. It is about recognizing that culture is also part of the system that determines our health.

It is not about stopping watching matches or giving up the thrill generated by the game. It is about recognizing that culture is also part of the system that determines our health.

Scientific societies have already proven that they can lead profound ethical changes, as occurred with tobacco. Today, the challenge is greater and more urgent. The question is not whether sports should divest from fossil fuels, but when and how.

Because, just as in the 20th century it became unacceptable for sports to serve as a platform to promote products that killed, in the 21st century it should be unacceptable to us that it contributes to normalizing the industry that is destabilizing the planet's climate.

Reading time: 5 min

When most people think about viruses, they think about disease. But viruses are everywhere: in oceans, soils, forests, wastewater, and on the surfaces we touch every day. In fact, there are an estimated 10³¹ viruses on the planet, of which only a tiny fraction has been identified.

This vast unknown viral diversity has been dubbed the “viral dark matter”. Thanks to recent advances in sequencing technologies, scientists are beginning to uncover the vast diversity of viruses present in soil, oceans, wildlife and other environments. One particularly fascinating study used samples from African army ants to characterise viral populations in a remote tropical forest in Gabon.  

Another remarkable study, this time focused not on forests but on cities globally, involved Xavier Rodó, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal. The study set out to map the diversity of RNA viruses across urban environments worldwide.

The hidden world of urban viruses

RNA viruses are of particular interest given their high mutation rates, which allow them to adapt quickly to new environments and hosts. Importantly, they account for two thirds of known human pathogens (HIV, influenza viruses, dengue, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2 are only some examples). Yet, few studies have looked at their diversity, especially in urban settings, where 56% of the world population now lives. 

The international MetaSUB consortium tackled this question by examining the diversity of RNA viruses in 102 cities and surrounding environments, across 31 countries. To do so, they analysed 2,922 genetic samples collected between March and July 2020, from a wide variety of urban and peri-urban environments: from handrails, benches or ticket machines in hospitals, banks and public transport stations, to nearby soils, green spaces and wastewater.

Key findings

These are some of the most noteworthy findings:

Thousands of previously unknown RNA viruses

The analysis uncovered 54,945 RNA viruses, 77% of which had not been previously reported. Two dominant classes of RNA viruses were observed across most countries, especially in environments closely associated with human activities. SARS-CoV-2 was also frequently observed, likely due to samples being collected during the pandemic.

Lower viral diversity in urban environments

Another clear finding was that viral diversity is lower in urban samples (streets, banks, subway stations) compared to those from peri-urban or natural environments, including sediment, soil or grasslands. This suggests that urbanization and human activity, whilst leaving a characteristic fingerprint, may “homogenize” viral communities. Wastewater also emerged as a major reservoir of viral populations, confirming its importance for viral monitoring.  But even in cities, the diversity remained huge- the analysis did not reach saturation, meaning that many more viruses likely remain undiscovered.   

New branches on the viral tree

The analysis also revealed evidence for two potentially new viral phyla, or major evolutionary branches, one new class and several previously unclassified groups. The study also found evidence that the emergence of double-stranded RNA genomes in the Duplornaviricote phylum may not have been a unique evolutionary event, as previously thought. Furthermore, by zooming in on a key viral enzyme (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase or RdRp), the researchers found evidence of directional selection, i.e. mutations that may provide the virus with selective advantages. Tracking these molecular signatures can help scientists understand viral evolution and adaptability, detect potentially pandemic strains, and guide vaccination strategies.

Urban viruses mostly infect bacteria

Most RNA viruses uncovered in the study are hosted by bacteria, fungi and plants, contrary to previous homocentric assumptions that RNA viruses mainly infect eukaryotes. In fact, more than half of the viruses for which a host could be identified were bacteriophages. This highlights the important ecological role these organisms play in shaping viral populations in cities and the complex eco-evolutionary dynamics that have shaped these relationships over time. Still, the researchers found over 100 viruses capable of infecting vertebrates, including families that contain well-known human pathogens such as rhinoviruses, polioviruses and enteroviruses. They also identified 166 RNA viruses associated with four major antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as ESKAPE pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. These viruses could eventually open the door to virus-based therapies against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In addition, the team uncovered viruses capable of infecting human gut bacteria such as Clostridia and Bacteroidia, two major components of our microbiota.

Socioeconomic factors may influence viral abundance

By correlating viral diversity with World Development Indicators, the study also found that urban areas in less developed countries tended to show a higher burden of vertebrate-associated viruses than those in more developed settings. For example, hospital samples from Islamabad and São Paulo showed higher viral abundance than those from Baltimore and Seoul.  

A call for viral discovery and monitoring

True, as the researchers caution, the study has important limitations. For example, sampling was uneven across countries and environments, making it difficult to determine whether observed differences reflect geography or simply differences in what was sampled (e.g. public transport stations in Poland versus greenhouses in France). Much more work lies ahead to investigate in full host-virus associations and the role this viral dark matter has in ecosystems and in human health.

Studies like this one will help improve our understanding of viral hosts and evolution, strengthen environmental surveillance, and support preparedness for future outbreaks.

Even so, the study is one of the most ambitious efforts to date to map the hidden world of RNA viruses in human-associated environments and sets a new standard for viral discovery by developing a robust pipeline for viral discovery, host prediction and phylogenetic analysis. It also provides one of the most comprehensive catalogues of environmental RNA viruses assembled to date (named UPVAtlas), providing a valuable resource for future research. Studies like this one will help improve our understanding of viral hosts and evolution, strengthen environmental surveillance, and support preparedness for future outbreaks.

Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor for health and has been linked to a wide range of adverse health outcomes in adults, including cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Children are particularly vulnerable because their organs and immune systems are still developing, they breathe more air relative to their body weight, and they tend to spend more time outdoors. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal blood sugar and dyslipidaemia, that can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life.

To investigate this, researchers analysed data from 1,147 children aged 6 to 11 years from France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom who were followed up with between 2013 and 2016 within the HELIX project. “We estimated exposure to PM_2.5 and NO₂ at home, school and during commuting, and examined its relationship with a metabolic syndrome risk score,” says Anne van Rooijen Korving, researcher at ISGlobal and first author of the study.

Using validated air pollution models based on residential, school and commuting environments, the team estimated annual exposure to both pollutants during the year prior to clinical assessment. Associations with metabolic syndrome risk were examined using multivariable regression models, and metabolic syndrome risk was calculated using a previously validated score based on waist circumference, blood pressure, blood lipids and insulin levels, following International Diabetes Federation criteria.

Stronger associations at school than at home

Air pollution was more strongly associated with metabolic syndrome risk at school than at home, suggesting that children may be particularly vulnerable in the school environment. Although pollution levels at home and at school were highly correlated (with annual PM_2.5 and NO₂ concentrations consistently exceeding World Health Organization guidelines), susceptibility appears to be greater at school. Previous research indicates that higher levels of physical activity at school increase breathing rates, which could amplify the adverse effects of pollution exposure. Conversely, no associations were found between exposure on commuting routes and metabolic syndrome risk. Similarly, no associations were observed for short-term exposure in the days or week before clinical assessment, supporting the idea that metabolic changes develop gradually over time rather than in response to acute exposure.

Potential biological mechanisms and public health implications 

Several biological mechanisms may explain these findings. Air pollution exposure has been linked to systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruptions in lipid metabolism, glucose regulation and blood pressure control — all processes involved in the development of metabolic syndrome.

“Given the widespread exposure to air pollution and the long-term health consequences of metabolic syndrome, these findings have important public health implications,” says Martine Vrijheid, Director of ISGlobal's Environment and Health over the Lifecourse programme. “Our results reinforce the need to continue reducing air pollution levels to protect children’s cardiometabolic health.”


Reference

Anne van Rooijen Korving, Parisa Montazeri, Léa Maitre, Sandra Marquez, Jose Urquiza, Nuria Güil-Oumrait, Antònia Valentín, Regina Grazuleviciene, Kristine Bjerve Gützkow, Johanna Lepeule, Rosemary R.C. McEachan, Bente Oftedal, Euripides G. Stephanou, John Wright, Wen Lun Yuan, Martine Vrijheid, Childhood outdoor air pollution exposure across multiple microenvironments and metabolic syndrome: A HELIX cohort analysis, Environmental Research, Volume 305, Part 1, 2026, 124892,ISSN 0013-9351, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2026.124892

Reading time: 5 min

Sometimes a UN resolution goes unnoticed. The one on July 7 should not. It changes the playing field for more than one billion people because, from now on, neglected diseases cease to be just a health issue and also become a human rights concern.

It is not the same to demand political, financial, and medical attention for a forgotten disease as it is to denounce the violation of a fundamental right. That is the difference after July 7.

The news should have reached the speakers of each of the more than one billion affected people in the world by one or more of the 21 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), according to the UN classification. It is a long list that includes diseases such as leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, Chagas, etc. Most of these ailments share features of exclusion, stigma, and discrimination, as well as a heavy impact on women and children.

Many of these diseases stopped being exclusively rural or tropical problems a long time ago. Chagas disease is a good example. Migratory movements and other global changes have turned it into a public health challenge also for countries like Spain, where an estimated 80,000 affected people live. In the United States, there are 300,000. Furthermore, it can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, although this transmission is preventable through timely diagnosis and treatment.

A Matter of Human Rights

Since July 7, neglected diseases have become something more: they are a matter of human rights. This means that failing to properly treat these diseases will no longer be just a problem of health or political negligence, but a violation of human rights.

Since July 7, neglected diseases have been a matter of human rights. This means that failing to properly treat these diseases will no longer be just a problem of health or political negligence, but a violation of human rights.

The resolution was promoted by a group of African countries led by Malawi and had the support of dozens of organizations, among which was ISGlobal together with the Global Chagas Coalition.

In the absence of a report detailing what the inclusion of neglected diseases in Human Rights will consist of, we can anticipate an impact on strengthening the advocacy work of groups and associations of affected people. But even before knowing the practical scope of this resolution, something has already changed.

21 Diseases, One Billion People

For those who research, those who train, and those who develop therapeutic and logistical tools against neglected diseases, we are in a new era. They are not only working towards a goal of justice and equity in health, but for an officially recognized human right.

But we should not get carried away by enthusiasm. Because, honestly, who believes that states are trembling at the news right now? Do you think they are calculating the resources and millions in compensation they would have to pay to every person who has not been properly treated for a neglected disease?

It is true that, in legal terms, a public health issue is not the same as a human rights issue. These types of rights are inalienable and belong to each and every person.

In part, the UN resolution changes the names of neglected diseases: They are no longer "helminthiasis, filariasis, yaws, or onchocerciasis". Now their names are Yusuf, Amelia, Ibrahim, Wole, or Chantal.

In part, the UN resolution changes the names of neglected diseases: They are no longer "helminthiasis, filariasis, yaws, or onchocerciasis". Now their names are Yusuf, Amelia, Ibrahim, Wole, or Chantal. Addressing them is not just a public health duty but a right of Yusuf, Amelia, Ibrahim, Wole, or Chantal. A right belonging to each and every one of us.

The Worst Time for Human Rights

This is no time for high hopes. The 1948 Declaration emerged right after a world at war. Once again, we find ourselves in a world at war, with growing funding for the military sector and a fundamental cut in global health aid.

And regarding human rights, one only needs to look at what is happening in Gaza, right before our eyes, as well as in other parts of the world—north, south, east, and west. And violations of these rights are no longer even masked or concealed. At least, not yet.

We are in one of the worst moments for human rights. So, approving the inclusion of neglected diseases as part of them seems more like a poisoned gift.

We are in the "yet" phase, in one of the worst moments for human rights. Thus, the approval of neglected diseases becoming part of them seems more like a poisoned gift from a bankrupt bank choosing an unsuspecting director without informing them of the account statement.

But time passes and the weight of the dead remains. We will see a return to sanity, in that relentless pendular cycle of human beings between violence and common sense. We will read every article of the Human Rights declaration again as if it were the only border in the world.

What matters is that when that day comes, neglected diseases will already be in the articles of the Declaration, where they always belonged, with the eyes and mouths of each of the affected people, but finally cared for. For one morning, for one afternoon, that of July 7, we were not forbidden to dream. "There was evening, and there was morning—the first day."

Founded in 1996 through a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health of Mozambique and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), CISM has contributed to generating scientific evidence to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and pneumonia, while also driving major advances in maternal and child health. AECID's sustained support has been instrumental in establishing the centre as a leading institution whose work has helped shape health policies both within and beyond Mozambique, positioning it as a key player in global health research.

A strategic partnership with ISGlobal

CISM's history has been closely intertwined with that of ISGlobal since its inception. Over the past three decades, the two institutions have built a strategic partnership based on strengthening scientific capacity, developing research infrastructure and jointly generating knowledge to address the health priorities of Mozambique and the African continent. Reflecting this long-term commitment, ISGlobal is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Manhiça Foundation, helping to advance the centre's mission and strategic development.

"CISM has demonstrated that research excellence can and should be led from Africa. Having accompanied its growth over the past thirty years has been a privilege and a testament to the value of scientific partnerships built on a shared vision and long-term commitment," said Quique Bassat, Director General and Scientific Director of ISGlobal.

An anniversary looking to the future

The ceremony brought together some of the key figures in this shared history. The programme included speeches by Pedro Alonso, founder of CISM and ISGlobal; Francisco Saúte, Director General of CISM; Pedro Aide, Head of CISM's Malaria Research Area; and Quique Bassat, who reflected on three decades of scientific cooperation between the two institutions. Representatives from Africa CDC, CAPRISA, AECID and the Mozambican authorities, including the President of the Republic, also took part.

Thirty years after its establishment, CISM remains a leading health research institution in Africa and an example of how long-term scientific collaboration can strengthen local capacity, consolidate research institutions and generate knowledge that improves population health.

 Read the series of posts published to mark CISM's 25th anniversary

[This text was co-written by Elsa Carbonell, field technician, and Albert Bach, postdoctoral researcher.]

Reading Time: 3 min

When you enter a park after a stressful day, what makes you feel better? The shade of the trees? The chirping of birds? The feeling of being surrounded by nature? Or the combination of freshness, nature, and calm that makes that park function as something more than just a place to pass through?

In a context of climate change, water scarcity, and urban growth, green spaces can no longer be understood merely as recreational areas or as elements with a single function. They are urban infrastructures that can simultaneously contribute to retaining water in the soil, hosting biodiversity, improving environmental comfort, and fostering the mental and emotional well-being of citizens.

The urban parks of the future will have to respond to many challenges at once. BioWater provides a baseline to think of them not as separate pieces of greenery, but as living spaces where soil, water, biodiversity, and well-being are interwoven.

With this vision in mind, the BioWater project emerged as a pilot test developed in ten urban green spaces in Barcelona. The goal has been to explore how vegetation characteristics relate to three key dimensions: soil water content, biodiversity, and the mental and emotional restoration of the people who use these spaces.

How Do Vegetation Characteristics and Soil Moisture Relate to Each Other?

The project has studied parks with different vegetation configurations: spaces dominated by herbaceous plants, shrubs, trees, and mixed combinations of vegetation. It has also incorporated various biodiversity indicators, such as birds, lichens, and hoverflies. Hoverflies are pollinating insects, often resembling small bees or wasps, which can provide information about habitat quality. Additionally, the project gathered the perception of users through surveys and participatory sessions.

The results of BioWater suggest that, in order to generate more resilient green spaces, it is necessary to better understand soil characteristics, restore it, and improve its water retention capacity.

One of the main results is that the relationship between vegetation and soil moisture is not as simple as it might seem. In the parks studied, soil moisture was primarily associated with soil characteristics (soil texture and temperature), environmental conditions such as relative humidity, and vegetation.

This is especially important in a city like Barcelona, where urban green management has been conditioned by drought. The results of BioWater suggest that, to generate more resilient green spaces, it is necessary to better understand soil characteristics, restore it, and improve its water retention capacity.

How Do Vegetation Characteristics Relate to Biodiversity?

In the case of biodiversity, the results also point to a nuanced interpretation. Spaces with a greater richness of shrubs and trees tend to feature a greater richness of birds. However, the biodiversity perceived by citizens does not depend solely on the total number of plant species. In the analyzed parks, the biodiversity perceived by citizens seems to be associated with spaces where vegetation is distributed across a greater diversity of layers and heights, and where these layers have a well-represented coverage (structural complexity of vegetation). Perceived biodiversity was also associated with a greater sense of naturalness.

How Do Vegetation Characteristics Relate to Our Well-Being?

This point is crucial: the way people perceive a green space is also part of its urban function. A park may have ecological value, but for it to be experienced as a restorative space, we must consider how people move through it, how they spend time there, and which elements foster a sense of nature.

The results on mental well-being point in this same direction:

• Mental restoration is associated with the structural complexity of vegetation, perceived naturalness, and connection to nature.
• Emotional regulation through nature—meaning the use of green spaces to calm down, reduce tension, or feel more energized—shows a more consistent relationship with total species richness.
• The length of time spent in the park seems particularly relevant to achieving calmness.

The main conclusion is that parks should not be planned by looking at a single variable. It is not just about increasing vegetation, nor just about maximizing biodiversity, nor just about creating pleasant spaces. The challenge is to integrate these dimensions.

How Should Parks Be Planned, Then?

The main conclusion is that parks should not be planned by looking at a single variable. It is not just about increasing vegetation, nor just about maximizing biodiversity, nor just about creating pleasant spaces. The challenge is to integrate these dimensions.

1. Vegetation, soil, and water must be considered together. This implies incorporating soil diagnosis into the design and maintenance of green spaces, reducing bare soil, encouraging protective organic covers, and exploring nature-based solutions for water catchment and storage.
2. More diverse, heterogeneous, and naturalized spaces must be promoted, avoiding overly homogeneous configurations and combining herbaceous, shrub, and tree layers according to the conditions and uses of each space.
3. Parks must be designed for daily use and well-being: providing shade, paths that are not just transit zones, resting spots, spaces for calm, meeting areas, and infrastructure for care and comfort, such as benches, public restrooms, lactation rooms, or spaces adapted for children, the elderly, and caregivers.

Finally, since BioWater is a pilot test, these guidelines should initially be applied in sentinel spaces or pilot actions, followed by monitoring. This would make it possible to verify which measures work best before expanding them to other areas of the city.

The urban parks of the future will have to respond to many challenges at once. BioWater provides a baseline to think of them not as separate pieces of greenery, but as living spaces where soil, water, biodiversity, and well-being are interwoven.

This study was carried out within the framework of project 24S05864-001, funded by the Barcelona City Council through the 2024 Young and Emerging Research Grant.

Climate change is increasing exposure to extreme temperatures worldwide, raising concerns about its impact on children's health. Pregnancy and the first years of life are particularly important for brain development, as the brain grows rapidly and is especially sensitive to environmental factors. Although previous studies have linked heat exposure to changes in cognition and mental health, there is not much literature about its effects on brain structure.

"We wanted to examine whether exposure to heat or cold from conception to 8.5 years of age was associated with changes in brain development during late childhood and adolescence, and to identify the periods when the brain is most vulnerable," explains Laura Granés, ISGlobal and IDIAPJGol researcher and first author of the study. 

The study included 3,251 children participating in the Generation R Study, a birth cohort in the Netherlands. “We used a high-resolution climate model that provided weekly outdoor temperature estimates during pregnancy and monthly estimates from birth to 8.5 years of age at each participant's place of residence. We then analysed brain MRI scans performed at around 10 and 14 years of age”says Granés. This allowed researchers to measure how the volume of 11 brain structures changed over time and to examine whether these changes were associated with earlier exposure to heat or cold.

Why the thalamus appears especially vulnerable

Among the brain regions studied, only the thalamus showed a consistent association with early-life heat exposure. The thalamus acts as the brain's main relay centre, processing and transmitting sensory and motor information to the cerebral cortex.

The researchers believe this region may be particularly sensitive because it develops very early in pregnancy and follows a tightly regulated developmental timeline. Its rich blood supply during foetal development may also make it more vulnerable to heat-related changes affecting the placenta or blood flow to the foetus.

A critical window: from conception to the fifth month of life

The study identified a clear period of vulnerability spanning pregnancy and the first months after birth. Compared with a reference average temperature of 12.5°C, exposure to monthly mean temperaturesof 20.5°C during this period (calculated across day and night) was associated with slower thalamic growth between 9 and 15 years of age. No similar associations were found for other brain structures or for exposure to cold temperatures.

How heat could affect brain development

Although the study was not designed to identify the biological mechanisms involved, previous research suggests several possible explanations. Heat exposure during pregnancy may alter maternal stress hormone levels, affect the placenta's ability to protect the developing foetus from these hormones, or disrupt serotonin signalling, which plays an important role in the formation of connections between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. Heat-related inflammation and oxidative stress may also contribute, although more research is needed to confirm these mechanisms.

The researchers also found that slower thalamic growth was associated with more externalising behavioural symptoms during adolescence, including aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour. However, they did not find an association with cognitive performance. "Future studies should investigate whether early-life heat exposure contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders and whether altered thalamic development could help explain these associations," says Esmée Essers, ISGlobal researcher and study co-author.

"The children who participated in our study were born between 2002 and 2006. Since global temperatures have continued to rise, it would be valuable to conduct a new study under current conditions. In any case, our findings suggest that taking measures to reduce heat exposure during pregnancy and early infancy could play an important role in protecting children's brain development," concludes Mònica Guxens, ICREA Research Professor in ISGlobal and coordinator of the study.

Reference

Granés, L., Essers, E., Kusters, M. S. W., Petricola, S., Tiemeier, P. H., Soriano-Mas, P. C., Schwartz, P. J., & Guxens, P. M. (2026). Early life ambient temperature and brain volumes change throughout childhood. Environment International, 214(110385), 110385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110385

A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, reveals that Plasmodium falciparum is unable to activate these heat-response mechanisms when it is in the gametocyte stage, the phase responsible for transmitting infection from humans to mosquitoes. The findings, published in PLOS Pathogens, suggest that patients with a high fever could become temporarily non-infectious: if a mosquito were to bite them during this period, it might not acquire the parasite and therefore would not transmit the disease to other people.

Malaria affects around 260 million people every year and causes roughly 600,000 deaths. P. falciparum is responsible for the most severe form of the disease and for the majority of fatal cases.

After the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito, the parasites travel to the liver, where they multiply. They then invade red blood cells and begin a replication cycle that repeats approximately every 48 hours. During each cycle, a small proportion of the parasites transform into gametocytes, the only stage capable of infecting a mosquito and therefore essential for malaria transmission.

How and when does P. falciparum activate the thermal stress response?

Fever episodes caused by malaria usually last several hours and can reach 41°C, temperatures high enough to cause the accumulation of misfolded proteins and threaten the parasite’s survival.

To cope with this damage, the Heat Shock Response (HSR) is activated, a mechanism that protects the cell’s proteins. This response triggers the production of chaperone proteins, which act as “molecular assistants”, helping damaged proteins repair themselves and regain their structure. As in other organisms, HSR is a fundamental survival mechanism in malaria parasites. Until now, however, it was unclear under which conditions it becomes activated.

The research team developed a new protocol to expose parasites to thermal stress using a water bath instead of an incubator, allowing for more precise temperature control and the study of very short heat exposures. Using this method, they observed that just ten minutes of exposure is enough to activate the HSR.

In P. falciparum, the HSR is controlled by AP2-HS, a transcription factor that regulates the activation of genes involved in the heat response. “We found that the AP2-HS-controlled response is activated very easily. Even moderate increases in temperature, which do not threaten the parasite’s survival, are enough to trigger this protective mechanism,” explains Neus Ràfols, researcher at ISGlobal and first author of the study. These findings suggest that parasites use the HSR in a “preventive” way, which is more efficient than activating it once damage has already occurred.

The HSR is also activated following treatment with the drug DHA

When the research team treated parasites with dihydroartemisinin, or DHA (the active compound in artemisinin and its derivatives, which are the main drugs used against malaria), they also observed activation of the HSR.

These findings point to the HSR as a protective mechanism against different forms of stress that damage parasite proteins, not just thermal stress. However, parasites with truncated forms (incomplete versions) of the AP2-HS protein are more sensitive to thermal stress, although not to DHA. This may be because DHA affects many different molecules within the parasite, not only proteins.

Gametocytes at intermediate or advanced developmental stages do not activate the HSR

Unlike other stages in the parasite’s life cycle, only stage I gametocytes are able to activate the AP2-HS-dependent HSR. More developed gametocytes lose this ability. “Our findings suggest that fever could temporarily reduce the ability of a person with malaria to transmit the infection. Although the parasite appears to enhance transmission under stress conditions, mature gametocytes are particularly sensitive to high temperatures,” explains Alfred Cortés, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal and coordinator of the study.

“Future studies will need to confirm whether this effect occurs during natural infections and determine whether there is a threshold temperature above which patients become temporarily non-infectious,” concludes Cortés.

Reference

Ràfols N, Nyarko PB, Chillarón-Adán M, Tintó-Font E, Cortés A (2026) Characterisation of the thermal and non-thermal stress conditions that activate the Plasmodium falciparum AP2-HS-dependent heat-shock response. PLoS Pathog 22(7): e1014346. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014346

Reading Time: 4 min

That summer in Mavrovouni refugee camp on Lesvos, Greece - one of the Aegean Sea’s fraught portals into Europe for people denied the possibility of travelling through regular routes - the temperature reached 40°C. Heat rose from the gravel, babies cried in stuffy tents, people were stuck for hours in food lines, Wi-Fi disappeared, and someone we had spent days trying to find for an interview had suddenly been transferred away.

We were trying to do something not yet done: carry out a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health analysis in a European refugee camp, not simply about the people living there, but with them leading the work. When I arrived in Lesvos, I had no idea I was entering a community of women whose faith, humour, discipline, care for one another, and refusal to give up would transform the way I saw the world.

I still remember my astonishment when, every time something went wrong, Kowthar, one of the women representing the Somali community - who would later become my sister – would serenely say, “No problem, we fix it.”

The Knowledge Was Already There

This can-do attitude carried the project. And a few years later, as our research article from the quantitative arm of the project was published last week - part of a larger participatory mixed-methods study led by Dr. Jamilah Sherally - I think about how impossible the work would have been without the 9 refugee co-researchers who represented the languages and communities living there.

I think about how impossible the work would have been without the 9 refugee co-researchers who represented the languages and communities living there. They were not there as translators or assistants, but co-producers of knowledge in a situation where they were the experts.

They were not there as translators or assistants, but co-producers of knowledge in a situation where they were the experts. After 3 weeks of discussion, training, disagreement, and 7 drafts, the household survey went from 232 questions to 119. It remained ambitious, covering maternity care, contraception, menstruation, abortion, female genital mutilation and much more.

The long discussions were not an unnecessary delay, but collective labour that made the study rigorous and honest enough to reflect women’s actual sexual and reproductive health needs in Mavrovouni. Without that process, we would have asked narrower questions and received narrower answers. For more on how the co-researchers shaped the study from design to dissemination, see How to practise what you preach: practical considerations for participatory global health research.

In a camp shaped by deprivation, uncertainty, and bureaucratic violence, our team ended up managing to interview 247 women of reproductive age, marking the first situation analysis in a European refugee camp.

When Health Is Treated as an Emergency, and Violence as Policy

The findings echoed what humanitarian sexual and reproductive health literature has long shown: emergency care is prioritised while preventive, long-term, rights-based needs disappear. Significantly, our study found that more than half of the women had experienced at least one pushback before reaching Lesbos, and 2 women reported losing a child during the sea journey. These findings cannot be separated from the European border system in which they occurred: human rights organisations have repeatedly documented violent pushbacks in Europe, while EU documents show billions of euros in support to Greece for migration and border management.

Justice Does Not Have to Wait

We could not have done this research without Kowthar and the other co-researchers; that is a methodological fact. But the project also mattered because it recognized their value in a system where asylum procedures create gaps in people’s CVs and force futures into waiting. Hiring refugee women said: your knowledge and skills count now, and your future does not begin after a government decides you can have one.

Audrey Benson and Kowthar Mohamed presenting the quantitative study at the ECTMIH congress in Hamburg, and accepting the award for best poster.

Like many others, Kowthar eventually moved on from Greece and applied for asylum in Germany. Later, Jamilah invited us to present two studies from the larger project at ECTMIH in Hamburg. Just days before we travelled, Kowthar received a rejection on her asylum application, but she came anyway. She stood in an academic space and presented evidence produced by women whose stories are so often doubted or minimised, while her own story had just been doubted by the asylum system.

Participatory Action Research taught me that while we fight for structural change, we are still responsible for smaller forms of justice already within reach: who is paid and credited, who speaks and is listened to, who gets to be believed, and who is given room to grow into a future beyond survival.

And when our poster presentation won an award, going to the stage to accept it felt complicated. We knew an award did not stop violent border policies. But if justice is only imagined at that scale, it can become so vast that people feel paralyzed by it. Participatory Action Research taught me that while we fight for structural change, we are still responsible for smaller forms of justice already within reach: who is paid and credited, who speaks and is listened to, who gets to be believed, and who is given room to grow into a future beyond survival.

The Wound Is The Place Where The Light Enters

A few weeks ago, Kowthar called me. After years of rejection, fighting and prayers, she had received asylum. We cried at the relief that there was another small piece of justice.

Kowthar should not have had to be brave in the ways she has been forced to be brave. But if she can live under the weight of rejection and still show up to study the system, name its violence, and demand better, then we can do the same. We can refuse to wait until results are published before pursuing justice, recognizing participation as an ethical and human commitment.

Even though everything may seem broken now, we can look at one another and say what Kowthar taught us to say: “We fix it.”

This event will explore all stages of the research talent journey: from attraction and selection to professional development. Participants will gain valuable insights into effective strategies and best practices for supporting research talent across its entire lifecycle.

Bringing together national and international experts, the workshop will combine keynote lectures with in-depth round-table discussions to address key challenges and opportunities and share best practices in research talent development. We expect the event to be directly relevant to our research ecosystem, and we highly encourage you to join the conversation.

The workshop is free and open to all, but registration is required. Please sign up using this form.

Agenda 

9h15 – 9h30: Welcome - Quique Bassat (General and Scientific Director at ISGlobal) & Teresa Sanchis (Director-General for Research at the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia)

9h30 – 10h15: Inspirational Keynote - Marta Agostinho (Executive Director, EU-LIFE)

10h15 – 11h30: Attracting Talent: What It Is and Program Opportunities

Keynote Lecture: Michele Rosa-Clot (Portfolio Owner, HR Excellence in Research, European Commission)

Round Table:

• Cristina Borrás (moderator): International Area Director at the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR)
• Michele Rosa-Clot: Portfolio Owner, HR Excellence in Research at the European Commission
• Gonzalo Arévalo: Senior Advisor to the Director of the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI)
• Paola Isetta: Director of Research, Innovation, and Fellowship Programmes at Fundació “la Caixa”
• Rachel Coulthard-Graf: Fellows' Skills & Career Development Lead/Scientific Ombudsperson at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)

11h30 – 12h00: Coffee break

12h00 – 13h15: Selecting Talent: Fair and Transparent Selection Practices

Keynote Lecture: Alexander Rushforth (Assistant Professor, Universiteit Leiden)

Round Table:

• Eva Casamitjana (moderator): Scientific Coordinator at ISGlobal
• Alexander Rushforth: Assistant Professor at Universiteit Leiden
• Michela Bertero: Strategy Director at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS)
• Emilià Pola: Executive Director at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA)
• Miguel Angel Benítez: Project Manager at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM)

13h15 – 14h15: Lunch catering

14h15 – 14h45: Inspirational Keynote - Vanessa Saint-Gelais (Mind-Body & Executive Coach)

14h45 – 15h45: Retaining Talent: Training Programs

Round Table:

• María José Merino (moderator): HR and Organisational Development coordinator at ISGlobal
• Vanessa Saint-Gelais: Mind-Body & Executive Coach
• Teresa Rosas: Academic Talent and Gender officer at the Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF)
• Damjana Kastelic: Head of Training and Academic Office at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
• Julio Gómez: Head of Human Resources at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)

15h45 – 16h00: Final remarks

Keynote sessions

Marta Agostinho

From Talent to Thriving: The next frontier for research careers in Europe

The future of European research depends not only on scientific excellence, but on our ability to create career paths that allow researchers to grow, contribute and flourish. This keynote will reflect on the evolution of research careers in Europe and offer a forward-looking vision for the conditions needed to support talent across the entire research lifecycle—from attraction and selection to development, leadership and long-term impact.

About the speaker

Marta Agostinho is the Executive Director of EU-LIFE, an alliance of leading European research institutes in the life sciences. Her work spans science policy, research governance and culture, strategic science management, communication and public engagement. She co-designs and oversees EU-LIFE’s overall strategy, leads its science policy activities and represents the alliance externally.

She holds a PhD in Cell Biology and a post-graduation in Science Communication, and has over 15 years of experience in knowledge mediation, following a decade in life sciences research. Her previous roles include Director of the Communication & Training Unit at Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon and Project Manager at NOVA Medical School, where she coordinated a European Joint Action in Mental Health policy. She also has experience as a trainer, lecturer and EU expert evaluator.

Michele Rosa-Clot

The European Charter for Researchers and its implementation process: a framework for institutional change

The European Charter for Researchers and its implementation through the HR Excellence in Research Award provide a framework for attractive and sustainable research careers through institutional change. The Award translates principles into a practical toolkit for stakeholder engagement, organisational development and continuous improvement, supporting institutions across the research talent lifecycle and moving implementation beyond compliance towards meaningful institutional transformation.

About the speaker

Michele Rosa-Clot has been the HR Excellence in Research Award Portfolio Owner at the European Commission, DG RTD, in the Unit “ERA, Spreading Excellence and Research Careers” since 2019. In this role, he contributes to the development of the European Charter for Researchers and coordinates its implementation through the HR Excellence in Research process. Previously, he worked in the European Commission’s Directorate for the Galileo satellite system at DG GROW.

A former international researcher, he holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pisa and an MA in History from the City University of New York. As a Fulbright scholar, he spent several years studying, researching and teaching in New York. His professional career has also included research on migration, renewable energy policy and work in the arts.

Alexander Rushforth

Reforming talent selection: Organising system and culture change in research assessment

Research assessment reform has gained momentum through initiatives such as DORA and CoARA, but translating formal commitments into everyday evaluation practice remains a challenge. Drawing on experiences from the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, this talk will explore how system and culture change can be organised and offer recommendations for bridging the gap between institutional commitments and actual selection and evaluation practices.

About the speaker

Alexander Rushforth is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University and Senior Research Fellow at the Research on Research Institute (RoRI). His work sits at the intersection of research evaluation, sociology of science and science policy, with a particular focus on how reforms in research assessment, open science and research culture are implemented in practice.

Combining critical social science with active engagement in science reform, he has collaborated with organisations including DORA, the Global Research Council and Science Europe. He also serves on the advisory board of the Dutch Recognition and Rewards programme.

Vanessa Saint-Gelais

Research Yourself: Navigating Career Crossroads and What Comes Next

Career crossroads are a natural part of a research career, not a sign that something went wrong. This keynote speaks to both, those navigating their own next step and those supporting researchers to do the same. Drawing on her journey from PhD neuroscientist to corporate leadership in pharma and running her own business, Vanessa Saint-Gelais explores how to figure out your options and what to actually do next.

About the speaker

Vanessa Saint-Gelais, a PhD-trained neuroscientist, built her career across research, corporate leadership in the pharmaceutical industry, and now her own coaching and consulting practice. She coaches professionals and executives through career transitions, leadership development, and complex decisions. Her approach draws on neuroscience, somatic coaching, and over a decade of corporate experience to help people move forward with clarity.

REGISTER NOW

This workshop is supported with funding from our Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa Programme, grant CEX2023-001290-S and also the grant GPE2024-001424-T, both funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033.

To date, numerous studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish and olive oil—is an effective shield against physical decline and the development of disorders such as depression. However, this new study goes a step further by focusing on positive psychological well-being, which encompasses dimensions such as control, autonomy, pleasure and self-realisation, and includes questions relating to independence, enjoyment of life, sense of purpose, energy levels and future outlook. The study suggests that the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet for well-being are independent of the presence of depressive symptoms or the participants’ socioeconomic status.

The study analysed data from 3,296 individuals aged between 50 and 90 years who were participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Dietary habits were assessed between 2018 and 2019 using an online platform, where participants reported everything they had eaten and drunk on two non-consecutive days. Psychological well-being was evaluated through questionnaires administered on up to two occasions between 2018 and 2020.

Protection against the mental health effects of COVID-19

Data collected through the ELSA cohort show that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures that followed had a negative emotional impact on study participants. However, the decline in emotional well-being was less pronounced among individuals with greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, suggesting a protective effect.

“Our study is observational and, therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution, since we cannot draw causal conclusions,” says Camille Lassale, ISGlobal researcher and senior author of the study. “Nevertheless, the questionnaires administered during the pandemic allowed us to follow participants over time, which is a major strength of the study. Although the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and better mental health are still being investigated, the evidence suggests that its foundational foods and components help regulate key processes such as stress responses, inflammation, gut health and brain function”, she adds.

“This study provides further evidence of the relationship between what we eat and our mental health, an emerging field of research that we hope will generate substantial new evidence in the years to come,” says Alanna Shand, research psychologist and co-author of the study.

“Although many questions remain open, there is no doubt about the need to promote healthy lifestyles, prioritising a balanced diet rich in plant-based foods and low in foods such as processed meats and sweets, particularly among older adults,” says Andrew Steptoe, researcher at University College London and first author of the study.

Reference

Steptoe A, Shand AJ, Lassale C. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and psychological wellbeing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. BMJ Open. 2026; 16(6): e109599. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109599

This free, in-person event will bring together leading experts in chrononutrition for a full day of presentations, methodology sessions, and thought-provoking discussions, spanning epidemiology, human interventions, biological mechanisms, multi-omics, exposome science, digital health, and policy translation.

Early Career Researchers (MSc students, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers) are especially encouraged to attend and submit an abstract. Abstracts should include the title, author(s), presenting author (name and email address), affiliations and preferred presentation format (oral or poster), be no more than 350 words, and may include one optional table or figure. Abstracts must be submitted by September 1, with results announced on September 10. 

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Agenda

Introductions (9.00-9.15h)
Opening Keynote (9.15-10.15h) — Overview of the State of Chrononutrition Science and Its Implications for Health
Keynote Speaker: Marta Garaulet, Universidad de Murcia

Session 1: Epidemiological Evidence (10.15-11.30h) —Insights from large population studies on meal timing, fasting, and health outcomes
Chair: Kyriaki Papantoniou, Medical University of Vienna
Speakers:

• Bernard Srour, INRAE: Research for Agriculture, Food and Environment
• Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, olumbia University Irving Medical Center 
• Camille Lassale, ISGlobal

Short coffee break (11.30-11.45h)

Session 2: Mechanistic Pathways (11.45-13.00h) — Circadian regulation of metabolism, hormonal rhythms, microbiome dynamics, and insights from multi-omics and exposome research
Chair: Emily Manoogian
Speakers:

• Daan Vanderveen, University of Surrey
• Frank Scheer, Harvard Medical School
• Selected talk from submitted abstracts

Lunch break (13.00-14.00h)

Session 3: Human Trials & Interventions (14.00-15.15h) — Insights from human clinical trials and chrononutritional interventions
Chair: Camille Lassale
Speakers:

• Emily Manoogian, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
• Jonas Salling, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
• Selected talk from abstracts (open slot)

Posters / Rapid fire presentations (15.15-16.15h) – Early-career researchers present their work and network with senior scientists

Round-table Discussion and Consensus Building (16.15-17.30h) — Addressing methodological challenges assessing chrononutrition and harmonizing chrono-behavioural data using digital tools. Co-developing a “Research & Policy Priorities" statement to guide future directions
Chairs: Kyriaki Papantoniou & Camille Lassale
Participants: All speakers

Closing Remarks 

The nearly 100-page report translates the latest medical and climate evidence into the reality of Spain's streets and hospitals. It provides an accurate overview of the current situation, equipping healthcare professionals with practical information to address a risk that is already shaping the future of the country's healthcare system.

Created by DKV in 2008, the Observatory has established itself as a rigorous platform for reflection, connecting scientific evidence with social realities. Its aim is to raise public awareness of the links between the environment and health while providing knowledge to support decision-making by policymakers and healthcare professionals.

The report shows that heat stress has already become the leading climate-related health risk in Spain, revealing that each additional degree of temperature increases heat-related mortality by 35%. Far from being a temporary phenomenon, climate projections indicate that Spain could face up to eight heatwaves per year by 2050, accompanied by a critical increase in "tropical nights", during which temperatures remain too high for the body to recover physiologically.

This new climate reality is placing Spanish hospitals under increasing strain, with emergency medical admissions rising by as much as 42.8%. The report also highlights a profound inequality gap: postcode and income level have become major determinants of the risk of illness or death due to heat, with older people, women living alone and residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods being the most affected.

Opening the event, Fernando Campos, CEO of DKV, placed the report within the insurer's broader corporate purpose: "At DKV, we are convinced that understanding the context in which we operate is essential to building a healthier future for people by providing the best solutions for our customers—both individuals and businesses—as well as for the healthcare system as a whole."

Campos was unequivocal about the consequences of inaction: "Episodes of extreme heat are no longer exceptional. They now shape healthcare planning, resource management and the quality of care. Ignoring them is not a responsible option, either from a social perspective or from the standpoint of efficient healthcare system management."

Dr Elizabeth Diago Navarro, ISGlobal researcher and presenter of the report's findings, emphasised that: "We already have robust scientific evidence on the impacts of extreme heat, we know which population groups are most vulnerable, and we have strategies to mitigate its consequences. What is needed now is to implement these measures comprehensively so that we can respond more effectively to the extreme heat events we are already experiencing and will continue to experience."

Following the presentation, the event featured a panel discussion moderated by Silvia Agulló, DKV's Director of Sustainability and Reputational Risk, who stressed that "we need to put in place mechanisms that enable us to anticipate the serious health problems arising from this adverse phenomenon."

The panel also included Dr Martín Reyes, Head of Cardiology at Quirónsalud, who noted that: "We are seeing an increasing number of vulnerable patients, particularly older adults, whose medication needs to be adjusted during heatwaves because their health becomes destabilised by the growing risks that extreme heat poses."

Víctor Segura, from the Spanish Red Cross Emergency Unit, also took part in the discussion. He stated: "We are gradually moving towards a culture of preparedness, although we are doing so in response to negative events such as the recent floods. We are currently focusing on community-based assistance so that, in cases of extreme need, neighbours and people close to those at risk are able to provide support. We are also promoting training and household and community emergency plans."

Download the full report using the following link.

6 minutes read

On 25 June I woke up to dozens of WhatsApp messages. I thought they were friends wishing me a happy birthday. That was not the case. The messages came from people wondering if my family and loved ones were OK. As I quickly learned, the night before, at 18:04 local time, and 38 seconds apart, two of the most powerful earthquakes recorded in Venezuela’s last hundred years had hit the country.

My family was fine. Mérida, the city where I come from, was spared the damage. Much of the country's northwestern coast was affected, though, with most of the destruction concentrated in the capital, Caracas, and the nearby port city of La Guaira.

At the time of writing, at least 1,450 people have died, including 17 Spanish nationals, while more than 3,000 have been injured. More than 46,000 people remain missing, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue. International assistance and donations are proving essential to support the response on the ground.

Tragically Unprepared

After more than two decades of political, social and economic crisis, Venezuela was tragically unprepared to respond to a disaster of this magnitude. The reasons behind this are complex and extend far beyond the scope of this article. Nevertheless, the country's limited preparedness has been laid bare by the slow and insufficient response of the Venezuelan authorities. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, survivors relied largely on volunteer groups, local fire brigades and neighbours, many of them searching through the rubble with their bare hands and little or no specialist equipment.

Large-scale rescue operations did not begin until international teams arrived around 48 hours after the earthquakes. That support has since been substantial, with more than 2,200 rescuers from 27 countries deployed to the affected areas. Their work is proving indispensable in locating survivors and will almost certainly need to continue over the coming days and weeks if further progress is to be made.

How to Help

Collection centres have been established around the world, including several in Barcelona. However, financial contributions remain the most direct and effective way to help, as shipments of supplies often face logistical bottlenecks and significant distribution challenges.

Campus Clínic Solidari, a joint initiative involving several institutions, including Hospital Clínic Barcelona and ISGlobal, is coordinating one such campaign and is in direct contact with teams deployed in Venezuela to identify priority needs and ensure that resources are allocated effectively. In addition, a list of other verified fundraising campaigns can be found on Caracas Chronicles, an independent media outlet that has specialised in covering Venezuela since 2002.

Support Venezuela. Campus Clínic Solidari campaign

Beyond Emergency Relief

Beyond emergency donations, the international scientific community also has an important role to play in supporting Venezuela's recovery. Even before the earthquakes, the country faced profound challenges in the provision of essential public services, including electricity, access to clean water, healthcare and the control of communicable diseases.

Since at least 2016, the United Nations has classified Venezuela as facing a Complex Humanitarian Emergency (CHE): a protracted crisis that has overwhelmed the state's capacity to perform its core functions. At the same time, years of economic collapse, political repression and persecution have driven a sustained exodus of scientific, technical and healthcare professionals, severely weakening the country's institutional capacity.

These structural challenges will make reconstruction considerably more difficult in the years ahead. They will also test the willingness and capacity of funding agencies, multilateral organisations and the international scientific community to support long-term solutions to the many problems that Venezuela already faced before the disaster, and which the earthquakes have now dramatically intensified.

At a time when global aid budgets face unprecedented financial pressures and uncertainty, Venezuela demonstrates just how much is at stake

Meeting that challenge will require sustained investment in both infrastructure and scientific research within Venezuela. This should include training local medical and scientific professionals, modernising epidemiological surveillance systems, and strengthening primary healthcare networks. Equally important is maintaining support for programmes already operating in the country, including those led by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Médecins Sans Frontières. Continued funding will be essential to preserve recent progress in controlling infectious diseases such as malaria while minimising the disruption that the earthquakes are likely to cause to local NGOs and public institutions.

Ultimately, however, long-term recovery will also depend on the consolidation of transparent, accountable and effective public institutions capable of implementing these reforms. For that reason, supporting the conditions for a peaceful and orderly democratic transition is inseparable from supporting the country's long-term health and development. Global health institutions cannot remain indifferent to this broader context.

A stark reminder

The earthquakes are a stark reminder not only of the devastating consequences of institutional fragility and years of underinvestment, but also of the indispensable value of international solidarity. At a time when global aid budgets face unprecedented financial pressures and uncertainty, Venezuela demonstrates just how much is at stake.

International cooperation is saving lives in Venezuela today. As members of the global health and scientific community, we have a responsibility to help ensure that it continues to do so, both in the immediate response and throughout the long process of recovery that will follow.

Juan Carlos Gabaldon is a Venezuelan medical doctor and parasitologist based in Barcelona. His work mostly focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. He has previously studied the epidemiology of malaria in southern Venezuela.

Tamara Iungman received the award for her thesis entitled “Urban heat islands and nature-based solutions: insights into health impacts and urban planning determinants”, supervised by Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen, Director of the Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health Programme at ISGlobal. Her research examines the health impacts of urban heat islands (UHIs) and evaluates the effectiveness of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in mitigating these effects across European cities.

The thesis highlights how rising temperatures intensified by the urban heat island effect represent a major health threat in urban areas, particularly in Europe, where they have been associated with increased mortality. Through the analysis of urban environments and planning strategies, Iungman demonstrated that increasing urban tree cover density can help reduce temperatures and mitigate some of the adverse health impacts associated with extreme heat. It also analysed how different urban planning models influence environmental exposures, CO₂ emissions and health outcomes.

As part of her research, Iungman evaluated Barcelona’s “Green Corridors” plan as a case study, identifying significant health benefits linked to increased exposure to green spaces. Her findings contribute to the ongoing debate on optimal urban heat mitigation strategies and underline the multiple benefits of Nature-based Solutions for healthier and more sustainable cities.

Marcos Quijal received the award for his thesis entitled “Temperature impacts on mortality at different spatial and temporal scales”, supervised by Joan Ballester Claramunt, Research Professor and coordinator of The Adaptation Group at ISGlobal, and Marc Marí-Dell'Olmo, Senior Public Health Officer at the Barcelona Public Health Agency. Quijal’s research investigated the relationship between temperature and mortality across different spatial and temporal scales, addressing the health impacts of rising temperatures in the context of climate change.

The thesis introduced new methods to account for the spatial dependence in exposure-response associations, making it possible to estimate risks in small areas more accurately. It also used temperature projections to estimate future temperature-related mortality under different climate change scenarios. 

In addition, Quijal’s research combined health data with weather forecasts to show how predicted temperatures in the coming days could translate into health impacts. His findings support the development of more effective heat–cold–health early warning systems and climate adaptation strategies (see the tool Forecaster Health).

With these recognitions, the UPF highlights the scientific excellence and societal relevance of both doctoral theses, which contribute to advancing knowledge on climate, urban planning and health, and to supporting the transition towards healthier and more resilient cities.

[This article was co-authored by Marta Pinto da Costa and Augusto Anguita-Ruiz, Junior Research Leader at ISGlobal.]

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Over the past decades, a worldwide declining tendency in the age at menarche and the onset of puberty has been observed. Although genetic factors have been described as the main determinants of pubertal timing, a growing body of evidence suggest that children’s early-life environmental exposures and lifestyle may also influence this biological process. Understanding these potentially modifiable risk factors is important, as earlier pubertal timing has been linked to several adverse health outcomes, including an increased risk of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and breast and other reproductive cancers. Earlier pubertal timing therefore represents an important public health concern.

Researchers at ISGlobal and at the Insitute of Public Health of the University of Porto (Portugal) are currently exploring how children’s early-life living environments and early life nutrition may influence pubertal timing, using data from to European birth cohorts: the Portuguese population-based birth cohort Generation XXI and the Spanish INMA Project. Both cohorts have followed thousands of children from pregnancy into adolescence, collecting detailed data on health status, sociodemographic characteristics, living environments and lifestyle factors.

How Was the Study Conducted?

In the present study, the researchers focused on early-life urban environmental exposures, including air pollution, traffic, built environment and natural spaces, measured from pregnancy through early childhood. Rather than focus on a single exposure in isolation, an exposome approach was adopted, allowing the researchers to consider how multiple exposures coexist and their potential combined influence on pubertal timing. Exclusive breastfeeding duration and childhood diet quality were also considered. Pubertal timing was assessed at 9-10 years of age through clinical Tanner staging and/or parental report of the child’s pubertal status based on the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS). Girls also reported their age at menarche during later follow-ups.

Breastfeeding and Pubertal Development

Early-life nutrition seems to play a role on pubertal timing. A longer exclusive breastfeeding duration was associated with less advanced pubertal development among girls. This finding aligns with previous evidence suggesting that breastfeeding may have a potential protective role against earlier pubertal onset. In contrast, childhood diet quality was not associated with pubertal development in this study.

Traffic and Air Pollution: The Strongest Associations

Preliminary results also suggest that early-life urban environmental exposures may play a role in shaping pubertal timing. Children living in less favourable urban environments, mainly characterised by higher building and population density, heavier traffic and higher levels of air pollution, together with lower access to natural spaces, tended to show signs of more advanced pubertal development and age at menarche.

Exposure patterns related to traffic and air pollution emerged as the most consistently associated with earlier puberty-related outcomes

In particular, exposure patterns related to traffic and air pollution emerged as the most consistently associated with earlier puberty-related outcomes. Urban air pollution is a complex mixture of particles and chemicals, some of which are known to interfere with endocrine pathways involved in growth and reproductive development.

For instance, epidemiological studies suggest that Particulate Matter (PM) may influence estrogen-related signalling pathways, which may play a key role on the release of kisspeptin and subsequently trigger gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion, a central regulator of pubertal onset.

The Potential Protective Role of Green and Blue Spaces

In addition, access to natural spaces also appeared to be relevant. Children growing up in areas with less surrounding green and blue spaces tended to show more advanced pubertal development in some analyses. Natural environments may help reduce stress and promote physical activity, both of which have been linked to hormonal regulation and child development.

Access to natural spaces also appeared to be relevant. Children growing up in areas with less surrounding green and blue spaces tended to show more advanced pubertal development in some analyses

Early childhood appears to be a sensitive period for pubertal development, since exposures occurring during pregnancy and early childhood may have later consequences for biological development. From a public health perspective, these findings represent an important step towards understanding how combinations of environmental and lifestyle factors in early life may shape pubertal timing, and suggest that improving air quality, reducing traffic-related pollution, increasing access to natural spaces, and promoting longer durations of exclusive breastfeeding may contribute to more favourable developmental outcomes for future generations.

La jornada abordará cómo las olas de calor afectan a la salud de la población, con especial atención a los colectivos más vulnerables, desde una perspectiva basada en la evidencia científica y en la respuesta del sistema sanitario y los servicios de emergencias.

Presentación del estudio “Observatorio DKV de Salud y Medioambiente. Calor extremo, salud en riesgo”
A cargo de la Dra. Elizabet Diago (ISGlobal)

Mesa redonda "Olas de calor: impacto cardiovascular y respuesta desde las emergencias"

• Dra. Silvia Agulló, directora de Sostenibilidad y Riesgos de Reputación de DKV Seguros (moderación)
• Dr. Martín Reyes, jefe del Departamento de Cardiología de Quirónsalud
• Víctor Segura, Unidad de Emergencias de Cruz Roja Española

El debate abordará el impacto del calor extremo en la salud cardiovascular y la respuesta operativa ante emergencias relacionadas con olas de calor, desde una perspectiva sanitaria y de protección civil.

Al finalizar la sesión, se ofrecerá un refrigerio.

Accede aquí a la noticia sobre el evento y al informe Calor extremo, salud en riesgo. 

A new study conducted in the Manhiça district, in southern Mozambique, has identified how social, family, and environmental conditions during the first years of life influence the utilization of child healthcare services. The research was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), which has operated a unique, long-standing child morbidity surveillance system. 

The work, published in Environment International, is part of the study of the exposome, a conceptual framework that integrates all environmental and social exposures to which a person is subjected from the earliest stages of life. The team analysed data from 17,145 children under five years of age from the Manhiça demographic and health surveillance system and evaluated 47 factors related to the physical environment, housing conditions, socioeconomic status, and family structure. 

Hospital visits were used as a proxy indicator of morbidity, recognizing that they also reflect healthcare-seeking behaviors and differential access to care. Three complementary statistical methodologies were combined, allowing the identification of the most relevant exposures of the child exposome and the construction of multi-exposure models capable of describing their association with morbidity. Of the 47 exposures evaluated, 23 showed a significant relationship with hospital visits. 

More resources, family support, and connectivity associated with higher use of health services 

The results of the study show that children living in households with better socioeconomic conditions, higher maternal educational levels, access to electricity, and paternal presence presented higher rates of hospital visits than those from less favored backgrounds. Likewise, those residing in more urbanised areas and closer to roads attended health services more frequently, which could reflect better access to healthcare, though also exposure to risks associated with urbanisation processes. 

On the other hand, mobile phone ownership, an indicator previously linked to better prenatal care and more favorable perinatal outcomes, was also associated with a higher frequency of hospital visits across all conducted analyses. This suggests that connectivity can play an important role in access to and utilisation of health services. 

First external exposome study in a low-income country 

Until now, exposome research has been developed primarily in high-income countries, especially in Europe and the United States. Consequently, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa remains scarce, despite the high burden of social and environmental vulnerabilities that characterises the region. 

This is the first exposome study conducted in a low-income setting that examines how multiple social and environmental exposures during the first years of life jointly affect child health. “By applying a conceptual framework based on the exposome, instead of focusing on isolated risk factors, the study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the determinants of childhood morbidity in a population sparsely represented in research,” suggests Stefan Sieber, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study. 

The authors note that, as the conceptual framework of the exposome continues to evolve, it will be necessary to conduct research in diverse geographical contexts, including currently underrepresented regions, to better understand the heterogeneity in the exposome's influence on child health. 

“Our findings are especially relevant in a global context marked by urban growth, climate change, and persistent health inequalities, particularly in access to health services,” highlights Cathryn Tonne, ISGlobal researcher and senior author of the study. 

Reference

Sieber, S., Coloma,F., Curto, A., Nunes, J, Milà, C, Cirach, M., Anguita-Ruiz, A., Cossa, H, Matsena, T., Hunguana, A., Sacoor, C., Jamisse, E., Sitoe, A., Vrijheid, M., Bassat, Q., Saute, F., Tonne, C. Early life social and environmental exposures and all-cause hospital visits among children under five in southern Mozambique. Environment International, 2026. Doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2026.110331

La Nit Europea de la Recerca a Catalunya és coordinada per un consorci format per ISGlobal, la Universitat de Girona (UdG), la Universitat de Barcelona (UB), la Universitat Autònoma de Catalunya (UAB) la Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVIc-UCC), la Universitat de Lleida (UdL), la Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Equitat.org i l’Associació Catalana de Comunicació Científica (ACCC). Totes elles s’han unit per organitzar la Nit de la Recerca en els seus respectius territoris i de manera col·laborativa. L’edició de l’any passat va aplegar més de 150 activitats, tant presencials com microxerrades en diferit, que es van recollir al canal de Youtube de l’esdeveniment.

El projecte de NitRecerCat2627 és un esdeveniment associat a l’MSCA i Citizens initiative de la Unió Europea finançat en el marc de les accions Marie Skłodowska Curie.