Health Effects Institute 2019 Annual Conference

May 5, to May 7, 2019

The 2019 HEI Annual Conference will be held in Seattle, Washington, from May 5-7, 2019.
A preliminary program, registration information, and brochure can be found below. A final program will be posted soon.

Meeting rates ($750 for the full conference and $300 for a single day) do not include hotel. For U.S. Government rates, please contact Robert Shavers at HEI.

Student and Postdoc rates are $300 for the full conference and $100 for a single day. You must be full-time and currently enrolled. Bring your student ID to the conference to collect your registration package.

Apply for the Student and Postdoc Travel Award. The submission deadline is February 5, 2019.

Sessions

New Mobility: Changing Health?

May 5 2019 - 1:00pm

Chairs: David Foster, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Frank Kelly, King’s College London, United Kingdom

Mobility systems are undergoing a paradigm shift and have the potential to significantly change the way people travel. Rideshare businesses are expanding, and innovations and investments in electric and autonomous vehicles are increasing. In response, the relationship between transportation and air quality is also expected to change, but the actual path that change will take is not yet known. This session will explore the likely impact of emerging mobility trends on current and future air quality and health.

Poster Session 1

May 5 2019 - 4:15pm

Opening Reception, Dinner, and Keynote Speaker

May 5 2019 - 6:00pm

Health Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Air Pollution

May 6 2019 - 8:00am

Chairs: Barbara Hoffman, University of Düsseldorf, Germany, and David Savitz, Brown University

Evidence for potential impacts of prenatal and early-life air pollution exposure on health is rapidly increasing, and some birth outcomes are currently being considered for inclusion in Global Burden of Disease estimates. This session will provide an overview of the state of knowledge on various birth and other childhood health outcomes, consider methodological issues unique to this topic, and discuss longer-term consequences of early-life exposures for adult health.

Poster Session 2

May 6 2019 - 10:30am

Global Health: Building Science for Informed Action

May 6 2019 - 1:15pm

Chairs: Kiros Berhane, University of Southern California, and TBD

In regions where air pollution levels are high, local data on exposures, sources, and related health effects are often limited. While current health burden estimates draw primarily from studies conducted in North America and Europe, efforts are underway to generate locally relevant air quality and health data in developing countries. This session will explore data, methods, and technology developments to characterize air pollution and its sources and health effects in these countries.

Where There’s Wildfire, There’s Smoke

May 6 2019 - 3:30pm

Chairs: Jennifer Peel, Colorado State University, and Allen Robinson, Carnegie Mellon University

Wildfire smoke is increasingly recognized as an important source of air pollution, and frequency and intensity of wildfires are likely to increase with climate change. Wildfires and wildfire smoke composition are complex and dynamic, making exposure characterization difficult. Increasing evidence links air pollution from wildfire smoke to adverse health effects, in particular respiratory morbidity. This session will explore perceptions and realities about wildfires and their global impacts.

Free Evening

May 6 2019 - 5:30pm

How Low? Testing Health Effects at the Lowest Levels of Air Pollution

May 7 2019 - 8:30am

Chairs: Amy Herring, Duke University, and Sverre Vedal, University of Washington, Seattle

Although ambient air pollution levels are declining in high-income regions, epidemiological studies report associations with health effects at levels below current standards, raising questions about even lower standards. HEI is in the midst of funding three studies investigating the health effects of low-level exposure in very large populations in the United States, Canada, and Europe. This session will present the results currently available from those studies and their strengths and weaknesses identified by an independent HEI Review Panel, and discuss implications for future risk assessment and regulation.

The HEI Strategic Plan 2020–2025

May 7 2019 - 12:00pm

Chairs: Dan Greenbaum, HEI, Robert O’Keefe, HEI, and Rashid Shaikh, HEI

The Institute's draft blueprint for the future, the HEI Strategic Plan 2020–2025, will be presented and discussed. Conference participants are encouraged to suggest and comment on upcoming policy decisions for which enhanced science will be needed and on priorities for HEI’s research programs and other activities during the next five years.

Conference Adjourns

May 7 2019 - 1:30pm