Workshop on Air Pollution and Health in East Africa

The Health Effect Institute’s (HEI) East Africa initiative aims to deepen the capacity to assess and communicate the health effects of air pollution, closing a critical mismatch between the impacts of air pollution and current capacity in select countries in the region. Working with key local partners and an active network of experts, we pursue opportunities to provide compelling science to fill existing knowledge gaps, drive policy action and provide technical support to synthesize and communicate the best available science.

This workshop is a follow-up to the March 2023 Scoping Workshop.

Goals 
This workshop aims to:

• Take stock of progress on air quality and health in East Africa in the last couple of years available data, research approaches and technical capacity for conducting research on health effects of air pollution.
• Develop a shared understanding of the current challenges and opportunities in air pollution and health research across East Africa, while taking into account the diversity of local contexts, needs and approaches.
• Identify 3-5 short and medium-term goals for research and action 

Workshop Agenda

DAY 1       Health Effects of Air Pollution in East Africa: Context, Current Evidence and Ongoing Research 

08:30 AM Registration and Networking 
09:00 AM Welcome
Victor Nthusi, Health Effects Institute, USA 
09:10 AM Opening Remarks
TBD, Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda 
09:45 AM Keynote Address
Dr. Bruce Kirenga, Makerere University Lung Institute, Uganda 
10:30 AM The Air Pollution Disease Burden in East Africa
TBD, Health Effects Institute  
10:45 AM General Discussion
11:00 AM Tea/Coffee Break
Each of the following sessions will feature 3 talks of 10 minutes each and Q&A 
11:30 AM Session 1: Characterizing Air Pollution Levels and Exposures
Chair: Egide Kalisa, Western University of Ontario, Canada

• Overview – air quality monitoring across East Africa 

AirQo, Uganda

• Key findings from the scoping review

Egide Kalisa, Western University of Ontario, Canada

• Modelling 

12:15 PM Discussion
01:00 PM Lunch
02:00 PM Session 1I: Health Effects of Exposure to Air Pollution
Chair: Rebbeca Nantanda, Makerere University Lung Institute, Uganda

• Overview – Key findings from the scoping review

Rebbeca Nantanda, Makerere University Lung Institute, Uganda

• GEOHealth Hub 

Eastern Africa GEOHealth Hub, Uganda 

• Africa Data Science Efforts

02:45 PM Discussion
03:30 PM Tea/Coffee break
04:00 PM Regroup and summary of discussions
04:30 PM Meeting Adjourns