Health, Environment, Research & Action (HERA) Collaborative
HERA operates under the umbrella of Melbourne Climate Futures. Given the great urgency with which we need to act on climate and environmental health issues, we are a group of researchers committed to accelerating health-focused action by co-designing, generating, synthesizing, and applying evidence on health and wellbeing in relation to environmental change and disasters. The group acts as a platform for research and policy recommendations, and as a portal for external stakeholders to engage with evidence. In particular:
- Our work includes research and action on the health effects of climate change, such as wellbeing, eco-anxiety and eco-grief, that result from climate-related events and their consequences, including disasters, migration, political and socio-economic inequities, as well as the health impacts of broader environmental and climate justice issues. Our work also focuses on the therapeutic benefits to mental health and wellbeing from nature connection, including for health promotion and recovery.
- We work with a variety of stakeholders to support policy and planning processes that reduce the physical and mental health impacts of climate change.
- We seek to identify opportunities for positive action, the potential role of disasters in amplifying pre-existing social inequities but also as catalysts for change, and the ways that active participation in response to climate challenges may connect to health and wellbeing.
- We work in a collaborative way with communities (including children and young people), climate scientists (interdisciplinary), industry, and government actors.
HERA is co-led by Prof Kathryn Bowen and Prof Lisa Gibbs.
Web Resources:
- A Webinar organised by United for Global Mental Health.
- The Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities
- Urban Resilience and Innovation programme at Melbourne Centre for Cities
Publications
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2023
- Murphy, N., Azzopardi, P., & Bohren, M. A. (2023). Safeguarding youth sexual and reproductive health and rights in the context of increasing climate-related disasters in the Pacific: A scoping review of policies and responses. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 103561.
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2022
- Borda, A., Molnar, A., Neesham, C., & Kostkova, P. (2022). AI could help us spot viruses like monkeypox before they cross over – and help conserve nature. The Conversation, May 27, 2022.
- Borda, A., Molnar, A., Neesham, C., & Kostkova, P. (2022). Ethical Issues in AI-Enabled Disease Surveillance: Perspectives from Global Health. Applied Sciences, 12(8), 3890.
- Kariotis, T., Borda, A., Winkel, K. and Gray, K., 2022. Citizen Science for One Digital Health: A Rapid Qualitative Review of Studies in Air Quality with Reflections on a Conceptual Model. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 7(1), p.39.
- Burch H, Beaton LJ, Simpson G, Watson B, Maxwell J, Winkel KD. A planetary health-organ system map to integrate climate change and health content into medical curricula. Med J Aust. 2022 Nov 7;217(9):469-473. doi: 10.5694/mja2.51737
- Villanueva-Cabezas JP, Winkel KD, Campbell PT, Wiethoelter A, Pfeiffer C. One Health education should be early, inclusive, and holistic. Lancet Planet Health. 2022 Mar;6(3):e188-e189 doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00018-3
- Remedios, L, & Winkel, KD. (2022). Editorial, Vol 23.1: Education for sustainable healthcare: Setting the educational agenda for our future. Focus on Health Professional Education: A Multi-Professional Journal, 23(1), i-v. 10.11157/fohpe.v23i1.641
- R. Mohideen; A. Aberg; I. Mareels, "DIITA-Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workstream White Paper - Gender and Technology: The Case of the Energy Sector," in DIITA-Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workstream White Paper - Gender and Technology: The Case of the Energy Sector , vol., no., pp.1-40, 4 Nov. 2022.
- Mohideen, Reihana, Demazy, Antonin, and others, 2022. Inclusive Community Energy Resilience in Bangladesh. ADB Working paper series No. 89. 2022. 10.22617/WPS210522-2.
- Abdolkhani, R., Choo, D., Gilbert, C., Borda, A (2022). Advancing Women’s Participation in Climate Action through Digital Health Literacy: Gaps and Opportunities, JAMIA (In review).
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2021
- Williams, J.L., Langley, S., Borda. A. (2021). Virtual nature, inner forest: Prospects for immersive virtual nature art and well-being. Virtual Creativity 11(1): 125-146.
- Mohideen, Reihana, 2021. "Technology for social well-being: Strengthening urban resilience in developing countries integrating infrastructure, energy, health and social inclusion". 2021 IEEE Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century: Being Human in a Global Village, 21CW 2021, (2021). doi:10.1109/21CW48944.2021.9532527
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2020
- Mohideen, Reihana, Batra, Pankaj, and Khan, Prabhjot. "Low-Carbon Energy Transition in India: Implications for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion". IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 39, no. 1 (2020). doi: 10.1109/MTS.2020.2967516
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2019
- Borda, A., Gray, K., Downie, L. (2019) Citizen Science Models in Health Research: an Australian Commentary. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics. 11(3):e22, 2019.
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2017
- Patrick, R., Armstrong, F., Borda, A., Hanna, L. and Taylor, T. (2017). National Consultation regarding a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being for Australia. Final Consultation Report. Climate and Health Alliance, May 2017.
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2016
- Patrick, R., Armstrong, F., Ryan, I., Borda, A. and Taylor, T. (2016). Survey of Health Professionals’ Opinions around a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Wellbeing for Australia. Preliminary Report. Climate and Health Alliance, September 2016.
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2013
- Pettit, C.J., Williams, S., Bishop, I.D., Aurambout, J-P., ... Borda, A., Abramson, D. (2013). Building an ecoinformatics platform to support climate change adaptation in Victoria. Future Generation Computer Systems 29(2): 624-40.