The 1st International and 19th National Conference on Environmental Health and Sustainable Development in Tehran, Iran

A 4-person team led by CCOUC Director Professor Emily Chan visited Iran from 18 to 23 October 2016 to participate in the 1st International and 19th National Conference on Environmental Health and Sustainable Development in Tehran, Iran.

The conference was hosted by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Institute for Environmental Research and Iranian Association of Environmental Health. As one of the four speakers of the Session “Climate Change and Health”, Professor Emily Chan delivered a presentation on “Disaster Risk Reduction in Urban Communities in Asia: The case of Climate Change and Health in Hong Kong”.

Apart from the conference, the delegation has given 4 presentations during the Iran-Hong Kong Expertise Exchange in Management of Climate Change Induced Extreme Events co-organised by CCOUC and Institute for Environmental Research on 19 October 2016. Fifteen academics and researchers on related disciplines have participated in the workshop. Professor Chan started the session by introducing the overall research direction and plan in climate-related events in urban setting, followed by the team’s presentations focusing on the extreme temperature warnings in Hong Kong, people’s perception towards the induced health impacts, and also the urban community disaster health risk perception and household-based preparedness in the Chinese urban city.

The second session of the workshop was conducted by academics and researchers in Iran, who gave an overview of the climate-related extreme events in Iran. Professor Chan and Professor Ali Ardalan, Associate Professor of TUMS, concluded the session by suggesting the collaboration areas for reducing risk of climate-change-induced extreme events in Hong Kong and Iran.

Lastly, CCOUC delegation had a meeting with Professor Alireza Mesdaghinia, the Dean of School of Public Health of TUMS, to discuss the potential collaboration on research, student and academic exchanges in the future.