Emerging Climatic & Environmental Health Risks
The 4th International Scientific Symposium entitled “Emerging Climatic & Environmental Health Risks” was successfully completed. The symposium was organised by the Laboratory of Evidence-Based Health Care, Education and Clinical Protocols (EDUCATE) of the Department of Nursing of the Hellenic Mediterranean University, in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Time and venue
The symposium was held in two phases: on 16 January 2026 at the Academy of Athens, and on 19 & 20 January 2026 at the Auditorium of the School of Health Sciences of Hellenic Mediterranean University in Heraklion, Crete.
Thematic focus of the symposium
More than 15 scientific presentations highlighted contemporary and emerging threats to public health, with a particular focus on the impacts of extreme weather events, air pollution, exposure to toxic and environmental agents, as well as the social inequalities that are exacerbated within the context of the environmental and climate crisis.
Overall, the presentations offered a multidisciplinary perspective on the health risks associated with climate change, ranging from respiratory conditions to broader environmental and societal impacts.
Scientific approaches and data
Multidisciplinary risk analysis
The symposium approached climate-related health risks through a multidisciplinary lens, integrating perspectives from public health, environmental science, epidemiology and social sciences.
Methodological tools and comparisons
Special emphasis was placed on:
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the analysis of epidemiological data,
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environmental risk monitoring systems,
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links between meteorological data and health outcomes,
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and cross-national and regional comparisons, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean region.
International participation and speakers
The symposium attracted strong interest from the international scientific community, bringing together researchers, public health professionals and policy-makers from Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia.
Among the speakers were Professor Petros Koutrakis and Dr Barrak Alahmad from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Professor Kiyoung Lee from Seoul National University, and Dr Ali Al-Hemoud from the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.
Scientific coordination and responsibility
Scientific responsibility and coordination of the symposium were undertaken by Professor Evridiki Patelarou of the Department of Nursing at Hellenic Mediterranean University and Professor Petros Koutrakis of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
