UB conference to examine how climate change, emerging contaminants impact health in Asia

BUFFALO, N.Y. — University at Buffalo researchers will mark Global Health Day next month with an international conference examining the health impacts of climate change in Asia and around the world, as well as potential solutions to address them.

“Climate Change and Emerging Contaminants: Risks and Responses in Asia and Beyond” will take place April 9–10 on the North Campus and will feature talks, poster presentations, a networking reception and cultural performances. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are asked to register by March 27.

It is a collaboration between UB’s Asia Research Institute (ARI), RENEW Institute, Office of Global Health Initiatives, and the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity. It will serve as the signature event for both ARI’s annual conference series and the Office of Global Health Initiatives’ 15th annual Global Health Day Symposium series, as well as RENEW’s end-of-the-year poster session.

“The annual ARI conference series has raised the profile of UB as a hub for research collaboration in Asian studies. Now, this valuable partnership with three other UB research centers will advance important interdisciplinary research related to climate change, environmental and health impacts, and solutions for Asia,” says Nojin Kwak, PhD, vice provost for international education.

Emerging contaminants are unregulated pollutants that are frequently detected by scientists and may pose environmental risks. They include pharmaceuticals, microplastics, microorganisms, and some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” 

Climate change can exacerbate the spread of these contaminants. Rising temperatures can alter their persistence and toxicity while intensifying storms can transport them farther through flooding and runoff.

To address these challenges, the conference will bring together speakers from across the U.S. as well as Asia who are conducting pioneering work — from resilient urban homes and net‑zero water systems to cutting‑edge methods for assessing emerging contaminants and their health impacts.

The talks will be broken down into three sessions. The first, “Addressing the Impacts of Water Scarcity and Environmental Justice,” will include a plenary address by Shane Snyder, PhD, José Domingo Pérez Foundation Chair and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech University. 

Snyder has been an advisor on water sustainability for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization, and in 2021, was awarded the Clarke Prize, broadly considered as one of the most prestigious awards for outstanding achievements in water science and technology. 

“We are thrilled to spotlight an exceptional spectrum of research that highlights both the evolving climate-related risks and the innovative responses shaping environmental health across Asia and beyond,” says the session’s moderator, Diana Aga, director of RENEW and SUNY Distinguished Professor and Henry M. Woodburn Chair in the UB Department of Chemistry.

The second session, “Using Omics Approach to Understand Health Impacts of Climate-intensified Pollution,” will be moderated by Lina Mu, PhD, director of Office of Global Health Initiatives and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health.

It will include a plenary address by David Balshaw, PhD, director of extramural research and training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, who will address overall advancement on environmental exposome and strategic plans for future years.

“Omics — such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics — look at an organism’s complete set of biological molecules. We’ll discuss how cutting-edge, multi-omics approaches can integrate multiple omics datasets and help us better understand the complex biological mechanisms related to environmental toxins,” Mu says.

The third session, “Advancing Knowledge on Emerging Contaminants through Population-level Approaches,” will look at how patterns in climate-related environmental threats and associated health risks can be identified across populations and communities. It will be moderated by Kelly Baker, PhD, director of the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity (CCCHE) and associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health.

“This conference provides an excellent opportunity to learn from both our researchers at UB and visiting scholars, and explore new ideas and collaborations to address emerging climate threats to global health,” Baker says.

Other speakers include:

• Aimin Chen, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
• Yann Boucher, PhD, National University of Singapore
• Francis de los Reyes, PhD, North Carolina State University
• Haidong Kan, PhD, Fudan University
• Ann Kurth, PhD, New York Academy of Medicine
• Shelley Liu, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Randolph Reyes Singh, PhD, Columbia University

Speakers from UB will include Martha Bohm, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Architecture, as well as Joshua Miller, PhD, and Zhongzheng (Jason) Niu, PhD, both assistant professors of epidemiology and environmental health.

There will also be a video address by Leni Robredo, former vice president of the Philippines.