Report on the 15th UK & Ireland Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Society annual meeting, 4 April 2022
For the 15th UK & Ireland Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Society annual meeting we returned to face to face meeting and it was hosted at the UKHSA training centre, in Chilton near Reading. The meeting was hybrid, with a mix of invited keynotes, short talks, lightning talks and posters (for the in-person attendees). Of the 200 people who registered, approximately 60 people attended in person with others tuning in remotely. Two excellent keynotes prompted lively discussion.
Vahe Nafilyan, from the Office of National Statistics, spoke on occupational epidemiology research using on large scale linkage of UK national datasets. Manolis Kogevinas, from ISGlobal Barcelona, provided an overview of new results on air pollution affecting the risk of COVID-19.
New research from studies in the UK and Ireland was presented, including two short talks on COVID-19 risks in the workplace, one talk on Health impacts of home energy efficiency upgrades. Environmental talks, spanned temperature-related mortality studies and health impacts of NO2 exposures and traffic noise.
Feedback from participants suggested that while most welcomed a return to face-to-face meeting, there was still demand to have the opportunity for remote input.
Tony Fletcher (UKHSA and LSHTM), Conference Chair