The Aphekom project is organised into WPs (work packages) designed to meet the information needs of its audiences. Their separate but related tasks are grouped as follows:
Health Impacts and Policy: Novel Approaches (WP4)
Coordinated by Nino Künzli, Centre for Research in Environ mental Health, CREAL, Barcelona, Spain, and Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Swiss TPH, Basel, Switzerland
Estimate how many people live next to traffic pollution in different European cities
Evaluate how many cases of chronic and acute cardio-pulmonary disease could be prevented among Europeans if fewer people were living near traffic pollution, and determine which factors would contribute to maximizing these benefits
Evaluate how recent findings on the health effects of air pollution allow us to express these benefits in a manner more relevant for policy makers and the general public
Apply these findings to case studies to understand how they vary across different cities in Europe
Sharing Knowledge and Uncertainties with Stakeholders (WP7)
Coordinated by Yorghos Remvikos, Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines University, Versailles, France
Identify and prioritise uncertainties in the assessment of health impacts of air pollution. Determine how these uncertainties interfere with the many steps in the decision-making process
Investigate with stakeholders ways to promote on-going dialogue between producers and users of the information provided
Coordinated by Sylvia Medina, InVS, the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, Saint-Maurice, France, and Bertil Forsberg, UMU, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
InVS and UMU , two European institutions that have proven their ability to manage large, international projects over the years, coordinate the Aphekom project.
The Aphekom management team includes professionals experienced in scientific and administrative issues, advised by a steering committee whose members are drawn from each WP team. An external scientific committee advises on the project’s different areas.
An interview with Sylvia Medina, Bertil Forsberg and Aymeric Ung
The Aphekom project comprises experienced participating institutions from 25 cities in 12 EU member states that have already demonstrated their skills in previous projects.
This firmly established, multi-disciplinary network of professionals will provide a wide range of exposure, health and social characteristics for the Aphekom case studies.