18 September 2026, 13:00-17:00 CEST
This online workshop organised by the EU-funded UBDpolicy project aims to discuss how to select exposure–response functions (ERFs) at global, regional, and local scales in health impact assessment (HIA), integrating methodological evidence with policy needs.
ERFs are a core component of HIAs, yet their application across different spatial scales remains inconsistent and insufficiently discussed. This workshop will bring together experts to discuss methodological approaches, empirical evidence, and policy considerations for selecting ERFs for environmental exposures such as air pollution and temperature. The goal is to move toward practical guidance for choosing appropriate ERFs in different decision-making contexts.
Organisers: Xuan Chen, Gerard Hoek, Ulrike Gehring (Utrecht University) on behalf of the UBDpolicy project team
Key questions
- How should ERFs be selected for different policy contexts, such as city-level interventions, national regulations, or global burden assessments? What approaches can be used when local or regional evidence is limited?
- Under which conditions are global ERFs sufficient, and when are regional or local estimates more appropriate? How should differences in population characteristics, exposure composition, and local conditions be accounted for in ERF selection?
Programme
Section 1: Background and Framing the Core Question
- 13:00-13:10 Opening and Introduction (5-10 mins) Speaker: Ulrike Gehring
- 13:10–13:35 Introduction to Global vs Regional ERFs (15 mins presentation followed by 10 mins discussion) Speaker: Francesco Forastiere
Section 2: ERFs for Short-Term Exposure
- 13:35–14:00 Temperature and Methodological Advances (15 mins presentation followed by 10 mins discussion) Speaker: Pierre Masselot
Section 3: ERFs for Long-Term Exposure
- 14:00–14:25 Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure – Current Evidence (15 mins presentation followed by 10 mins discussion) Speaker: Evi Samoli
Section 4: Source-Specific Exposure, Local Perspectives, Heterogeneity and Policy Application
- 14:25–14:50 Traffic-Related Air Pollution (15 mins presentation followed by 10 mins discussion) Speaker: Hanna Boogaard
14:50-15:00 Coffee Break
- 15:00–15:25 Heterogeneity in Exposure–Response Functions (15 mins presentation followed by 10 mins discussion) Speaker: Duncan Lee
- 15:25–15:50 Policy Perspective – European HIA (15 mins presentation followed by 10 mins discussion) Speaker: Barbara Hoffmann
15:50–16:20 General Discussion All speakers and participants
16:20–16:30 Closing remarks Speaker: Gerard Hoek
