A Healthy Aging Population AND a Sustainable Future – Possible?

FREE Tickets available April 12 8:00 AM. DO NOT RSVP UNLESS YOU HAVE A TICKET

Modern medicine's key success is extending humans' lifespan but the pharma industry takes a toll on the environment. Is this sustainable?
The success of extending lifespan comes at an environmental cost. Come listen to this lecture by Professor Ian Mudway exploring the pollution from single-use plastics, pharmaceuticals and medical waste, questioning whether we can sustain this model. He will examine:

• The impact of drugs on ecosystems
• The carbon footprint of healthcare
• The ethical dilemma of balancing individual and planetary health

Potential solutions will be explored including green pharmacy (use of medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes), innovative materials and responsible waste management, asking whether a future with both healthy aging and a thriving planet is achievable.

About the speaker: Dr Ian Mudway is Visiting Professor of Environmental Health at Gresham College. He is a senior lecturer in the School of Public Health and Imperial College, a member of the MRC Centre for Environment and Health; MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma and the NIHR-PHE Health Protection Research Units in Environmental Exposures and Health and Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards.

He has over 25 years of experience researching the impacts of air pollution on human health and in the development of ways to quantify the toxicity of the chemicals that pollute the air we breathe. He has published over 100 research papers, reports and book chapters on these topics and has provided advice to local, national and international governments and NGOs.

Dr Mudway is passionate about the communication of science to lay audiences and has worked extensively with artists and educationalist to promote the public understanding of the risks associated with environmental pollutants.

He is currently focused on understanding early life impact of pollutants on the development of the lung and cognitive function in children living in urban areas and furthering the public's fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that drive these adverse effects and modify an individual’s susceptibility to air pollution.