MRC Epidemiology Unit

Seminar - Diabetes No More: lessons from the DiRECT trial and beyond
2023-02-20 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Diabetes No More: lessons from the DiRECT trial and beyond
Professor Mike Lean, University of Glasgow
This hybrid seminar was held in the meeting rooms, Level 4, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Watch a recording of this seminar on YouTube.
About this talk
Three RCT trials, conducted entirely in primary care using low-calorie formula diets for 8-12 weeks, have reported remissions for 40-60% of participants including South Asians, and 70-80% with weight loss >10kg, well maintained at 2 years. Hypertension and NAFLD, commonly accompanying T2D, normalized for ~30%. Remission was accompanied by normalization of ectopic fat in liver and pancreas, and insulin production capacity. With fewer serious adverse events, total medical care costs fell and cost-effectiveness analysis projected people to live longer, feel better and cost less. Remissions are strongly driven by weight loss, but new methods are needed to support longer maintenance.
About Professor Lean

Visiting professor at University of Otago, and University of Sydney.
Established the first Department of Human Nutrition in a Scottish Medical School, 1990- initially funded 10 years by Rank Prize Funds.
‘Broad-focus’ strategy: translational, integrative, research and teaching, across all scientific disciplines within Human Nutrition.
Main focusses are on obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and health promotion.
Awards include Diabetes UK-Rank Prize Lecture (2014), Banting Memorial Lecture (2020-21), Tenovus Medal for Research (2017)
Elected FRSE (National Academy of Scotland) (2018).

Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - Obesity Prevention: The role of evidence in the policy cycle
2023-03-13 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Obesity Prevention: The role of evidence in the policy cycle
Dr Tazeem Bhatia, Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, Department of Health and Social Care
This hybrid seminar was held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Watch a recording of this seminar on YouTube.
About this talk
Obesity, metabolic disorders and the resulting non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, are a huge, global public health challenge. In the UK, the estimated annual cost of obesity to the NHS is £6.5 billion and wider society £58 billion. How do we use evidence in primary prevention policy? What are the opportunities for enhancing the relationship between evidence and policy?
About Dr Bhatia
Tazeem Bhatia is a Public Health Consultant and Primary Care physician with 20 years’ experience of medical and public health practice in England and other health systems across the world. Currently, she is responsible for the Nutrition Science and Evidence Function in the Diet, Obesity and Healthy Behaviours Directorate, in the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, part of the Department of Health and Social Care. Previously, she has represented the UK/England dietary landscape, obesity policies and programmes internationally for Public Health England.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Cambridge Festival: Can we tell your health fortune? Can you outrun it?
2023-03-18 11:00 - 16:00 UTC | Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, CB2 0SZ, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
How much exercise you need to do to burn off the energy in one sugar cube? Did you know that molecules in blood can tell us what people eat and drink, their health, and even their future risk of developing heart disease or diabetes? How can our neighbourhoods influence what we eat?
Join scientists from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at this free drop-in Cambridge Festival event to explore how our genes, behaviour and environment influence the risk of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
When: Saturday 18 March 2023, 11 AM – 4 PM
Where: Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ
About this Cambridge Festival event
Have you ever wondered how much exercise you need to do to burn off the energy in just one sugar cube? Take our Sugar Cube Challenge and find out!
Tiny molecules called biomarkers that are found in blood can tell us a lot about what people eat and drink, their health, and even their future risk of developing heart disease or diabetes. In ‘Fortune Telling Molecules’, you can pick a card, spin the wheel and see what fortune may have in store.
In our ‘Welcome to the Snackingtons’ game, you can explore how the places where we live, work and play shape what we eat.
At the MRC Epidemiology Unit, we investigate the interplay between our genes, behaviour and environment that contributes to the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and related health conditions. Our scientists use a wide range of technologies and approaches in studies involving anything from a few dozen to half a million participants to discover how different factors influence our risk of developing disease. This better understanding of the individual and combined effects of these risk factors helps us to develop and evaluate strategies to prevent obesity, and type 2 diabetes, and to improve the health of individuals and communities.

Seminar - Physical Activity research: strengthening ties between Brazil and the United Kingdom
2023-03-20 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Physical Activity research: strengthening ties between Brazil and the United Kingdom
Dr Samuel Dumith, Federal University of Rio Grande, Brazil
This hybrid seminar was held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Watch a recording of this seminar on youtube.
About Dr Dumith
Dr Samuel Dumith has a degree in physical education, with post graduate degree in epidemiology. He is a professor of biostatistics at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Rio Grande. His main research area is on physical activity epidemiology, with a special interest in interventions with scholars. Recently, he worked on the construction of the physical activity guidelines for the Brazilian population.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Cambridge Festival: Growing up in a changing environment - What really influences what young people eat?
2023-03-29 19:30 - 20:30 UTC | Lecture theatre A, Lecture theatre A, University of Cambridge Admissions Office, New Museums site, Bene't Street, cambridge, CB2 3PT
This in person Cambridge Festival talk will investigate the food choices of adolescents and young adults, and the wide range of factors that may influence the food eaten across this period of life.
Dr Eleanor Winpenny, Dr Tiago Canelas and Mr Struan Tait from the MRC Epidemiology Unit will share their research from the UK and abroad, focusing on young people’s diets and the influence of changing home, institutional and built environments.
When: Wednesday 29 March 2023, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Where: Lecture theatre A, University of Cambridge Admissions Office, New Museums site, Bene’t Street, Cambridge CB2 3PT
Watch a recording of this Cambridge Festival event
About this Cambridge Festival talk
The period of life from adolescence to early adulthood is emerging as a key time for development of future health, including sharp increases in overweight and obesity during this period, and the development of health habits which then persist through adult life. However, young people’s diets may change a lot during this period, driven by changes in living arrangements, the move from education to employment, and moves to different neighbourhoods.
In this interactive lecture we will present evidence from recent research, investigating how people’s diet changes as they go through adolescence and early adulthood, and the different lifestyle changes that appear to drive changes in diet. We will discuss the influence of different food environments, inviting contributions from the audience to consider their own food environments and how these influence their food choices. We will then discuss the food environments experienced in other contexts both within the UK and in other countries (e.g. Cameroon, South Africa and Nigeria) to explore how these different food environments may be linked to healthy or less healthy diets.
Audience Participation: before the event we would like to invite you to send us photos of features in your environment that you think influence what you eat. Please send any photos to CambridgeFestival@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk Please make sure that photos do not include recognizable people, unless you have their consent.

Seminar - Prioritising Adolescent Health in the Digital Age: Minimising Harm and Maximising Benefits of Technology
2023-04-05 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Prioritising Adolescent Health in the Digital Age: Minimising Harm and Maximising Benefits of Technology
Dr Stephanie Partridge, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
This hybrid seminar will be held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/prioritising-adolescent-health-in-the-digital-age-stephanie-partridge-tickets-598407331437
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIoc-yqqDMoE9Xy_E4gqmIv_gCZLcsp0gDL
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
Today there are more young people alive than at any other point in history – 1.8 billion. We must prioritize their right to good health and optimal nutrition, but current research approaches have fallen short of meeting their needs. In Australia, 9 out of 10 young people fail to consume a healthy, well-balanced diet or engage in sufficient physical activity. This places them at a heightened risk of developing serious health issues like obesity and mental health problems.
Digital technology influences adolescent health decisions and potentially damages and enhances their lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes. This presentation will discuss the double-edged sword of technology and strategies to prevent chronic diseases among adolescents.
About Dr Partridge
Dr Stephanie Partridge is a Senior Research Fellow and National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow at the University of Sydney. Her research is focused on harnessing digital technology to improve the lifestyle behaviours of adolescents to keep them healthy and productive throughout their life. Her research is centred on digital health and strongly focuses on research translation. She applies an adolescent rights approach to her research by incorporating direct adolescent participation and research co-production.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - Agent based Modelling for Urban Health Impact Assessment
2023-05-12 09:00 - 10:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Agent based Modelling for Urban Health Impact Assessment
Tabea Sonnenschein, University of Utrecht
This hybrid seminar will be held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tabea-sonnenschein-agent-based-modelling-for-urban-health-impact-assessmen-tickets-604874916157
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwuce2hqTMoHdI1mSwPdmepMS_e1NukY_Ml#/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
Implementing interventions that tackle the Exposome in complex urban systems can be costly and have long-term, sometimes unforeseen, impacts. Hence, it is crucial to assess the health and social impacts of possible urban exposome interventions before implementing them. Spatial agent-based modelling can capture complex behaviour-environment interactions, exposure dynamics, and social outcomes in a spatial context. We present our work on agent-based modeling of transport interventions in Amsterdam.
Our agent-based modeling approach entails the integration of behavioural models of people’s mobility choices and dynamic physical models of environmental stressors (NO2, Noise). The interaction of these sub-models approximates personal behavioural and environmental exposure. Consequently, the accumulated health impacts for various interventions and population groups are assessed using exposure-response functions. We present our model architecture and methodology, the strength and limitations of ABM for health impact assessment, and our findings on the effects of transport interventions in Amsterdam.
About Tabea Sonnenschein
Tabea Sonnenschein is a PhD Candidate focused on developing spatial agent-based models that simulate the health and social impacts of urban interventions as part of the EU-funded EXPANSE and EXPOSOME-NL projects. She is affiliated to the Institute of Risk Assessment Sciences and the Geoscience Faculty at Utrecht University, as well as the Planetary Health Group of the University Medical Center Utrecht. She is moreover a junior researcher at the Center for Complex System Sciences and an expert for the Urban AI think tank. From 2019-2020, Tabea was a visiting student at the MIT Sustainable Urbanization Lab. In 2020 she earned her Msc Research in Urban and Economic Geography from Utrecht University (summa cum laude).
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - UPF: a need for clarification to enhance public health policies
2023-05-15 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Ultra-processed foods: a need for clarification to enhance public health policies
Dr Zoé Colombet, University of Liverpool
This hybrid seminar was held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Watch a recording of this webinar.
About this talk
While the literature about ultra-processed foods (UPF) intakes and health impact is exponentially growing, its also appears that the definition and the classifications used may be clarified. Indeed, to be efficient public health policies needs a clear target. This presentation will depict the current works on UPF conducted in collaborations between the University of Liverpool and the MRC Epidemiology Cambridge. This presentation will also show how simulation models can be used to evaluate future health impacts of food policies targeting UPF.
About Zoé Colombet
Zoé Colombet is a post-doc from the Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems at the University of Liverpool. Her background training is in Public Health and Epidemiology. Since then, she has specialized in nutritional epidemiology, with a PhD characterising the nutrition transition in the French West Indies through the identification of dietary patterns, the evolution of dietary consumption, and the analysis of the underlying social determinants.
In her current projects, as a member of Modelling Group in the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Prevention and Food Policy Research Team, she models the potential impacts of the implementation of policies and related changes in diet and their impact on inequalities.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - Diet-gut microbiome interaction for type 2 diabetes
2023-07-06 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Diet-gut microbiome interaction for type 2 diabetes
Dr Ju-Sheng Zheng, Westlake University, China
This hybrid seminar will be held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mrc-seminar-series-dr-ju-sheng-zheng-westlake-university-tickets-666827518057
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMode6vrzwrHtJeUEXJHAAx7l7DsKFJV7kp#/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
Both diet and gut microbiome are important modifiable factors to modulate the risk of type 2 diabetes. There is emerging interest to examine the role of gut microbiota in mediating the diet-diabetes relationship. Here in this talk, I will present our work in several Chinese cohorts showing how dietary and nutritional factors interact with the gut microbiota to modulate risk of diabetes and its risk factors. Apart from the above nutri-microbiome epidemiology approach, I will also present some unpublished results about the diet-gut microbiome interaction on glycaemic traits by using novel n-of-1 clinical trials.
About Dr Zheng
Dr Ju-Sheng Zheng is a principal investigator and assistant professor at Westlake University, China. He got his PhD in nutrition at Zhejiang University and postdoc training at MRC Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge University (2015-2018). The major interest of Ju-Sheng’s group at Westlake is to investigate the interplay among diet, gut microbiome and host genetics for cardiometabolic health by using longitudinal cohort studies and novel clinical trials. Majority of these works have been published in leading journals in the field, such as Gut, Diabetes Care, Nat Commun, Diabetologia and Am J Clin Nutr.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - Learning from Covid-19: Why elimination should be the default strategy for future pandemics
2023-07-20 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Learning from Covid-19: Why elimination should be the default strategy for future pandemics
Professor Michael Baker, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
This hybrid seminar will be held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mrc-seminar-series-professor-michael-baker-university-of-otago-nz-tickets-662295803577
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYlce2qqj8iG9UqLDmDX3K-OFr2Kd2aLTdE#/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
The conclusion of this presentation is that ‘elimination’ should be the default response for emerging pandemics of sufficient severity where this goal is considered feasible.
This discussion will draw on the experience of New Zealand (NZ) and other jurisdiction in the Asia-Pacific region which took an elimination, rather than a suppression or mitigation response, to the Covid-19 pandemic. It will discuss the benefits and costs of this strategy versus the alternatives.
The World Health Organisation could implement this approach by assigning a response strategy when it declares a new Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
About Professor Baker
Dr Michael Baker is a public health physician and Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, NZ. He is a member of the NZ Government’s Covid-19 Technical Advisory Group.
Michael was a leading advocate for the elimination strategy in NZ. He is an active researcher on the pandemic and principal investigator for the Covid-19 Research Collaborative (Co-Search).
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar – Do boutique cohort studies have a role in diabetes epidemiology?
2023-09-12 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Do boutique cohort studies have a role in diabetes epidemiology?
Professor Timothy Davis, University of Western Australia
This hybrid seminar will be held in the MRC Epidemiology Unit meeting rooms 1 and 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mrc-seminar-series-prof-timothy-davis-university-of-western-australia-tickets-699000909537
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqd-mgrDsqHNzc3ecg-i5KuDXigKLrHQjV#/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
In the age of big administrative datasets, including those from intervention trials, there is still an argument for more detailed patient-level data from community-based cohorts. One such cohort is that from the Fremantle Diabetes Study which was started 30 years ago and which has generated a wealth of data relating to diabetes management, complications and cost in a representative urban Australian setting.
About Professor Davis
Timothy Davis is Professor of Medicine and a Consultant Endocrinologist and General Physician in Perth, Western Australia (WA). He graduated in medicine from the University of WA, obtained a DPhil from Oxford University, and completed his physician training in the UK before taking up a postdoctoral position in Oxford University’s Tropical Research Unit in Bangkok. From there he took up his current academic and clinical appointments in Perth. He is an International Advisor to the Royal College of Physicians in London and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - Independent and Joint Effects of Multiple Pollutants and their Interactions with Meteorological Variables on Stroke Hospitalization
2023-09-27 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Independent and Joint Effects of Multiple Pollutants and their Interactions with Meteorological Variables on Stroke Hospitalization
Lei Li, Huazhong University of Science, China, and visiting PhD student at the MRC Epidemiology Unit
This hybrid seminar will be held in MRC Epidemiology Unit seminar rooms 1 & 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at: www.eventbrite.com/e/mrc-seminar-series-ms-lei-li-visiting-phd-student-at-the-mrc-tickets-719114399527
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIof-yurjItHdzjDzXS_UOZW5kYz86KuxnV#/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
While studies have emphasized the significant influence of air pollution on stroke development and progression, limited research has explored the joint effects of pollutant mixtures and their interactive effects with meteorological variables. Our study reveals diverse associations between air pollutants and hospital admissions for various stroke subtypes across different seasons. We have systematically examined interactive effects between pollutants and meteorological variables, assessing them from both multiplicative and additive perspectives.
By examining combinations of multiple pollutants, we provide a comprehensive understanding of the overall impact of air pollution on stroke, which can inform policy-making decisions aimed at reducing air pollution levels and preventing stroke.
About Lei Li
Lei Li is a visiting PhD student from Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science. She is now based at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, working closely with Dr Haneen Khreis in the Public Health Modelling team led by Professor James Woodcock.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar - Precision approaches to improving obesity prevention in Queensland, Australia
2023-10-04 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Precision approaches to improving obesity prevention in Queensland, Australia
Dr Oliver Canfell, University of Queensland, Australia
This hybrid seminar will be held in the seminar room, Level 4, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend in-person at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mrc-seminar-series-dr-oliver-canfell-university-of-queensland-australia-tickets-713134914727
Register to join this seminar online at: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuduqspjMpHtOSKTJHs_QRXSU-c0Av91pW#/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About this talk
Public health innovation is needed to improve population healthy weight. Emerging data and digital technologies (e.g., electronic medical records, artificial intelligence) can unlock new intelligence to inform precise interventions and policies for people at risk for obesity – the right preventive intervention for the right community at the right time.
This seminar will showcase a multidisciplinary research program to use digital health as an enabler for obesity prevention at scale in Queensland, Australia (our “small” state of >5 million people!). This program will highlight the strength of partnerships between academia, healthcare, and industry to drive data-driven innovation for obesity prevention.
About Dr Canfell
Dr Oliver Canfell is a Research Fellow at The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) and Accredited Practising Dietitian interested in the prevention and management of obesity. He trained as a paediatric dietitian and have broad healthcare experience, including one-on-one clinical care with children and families, co-designing and implementing community prevention programs in multidisciplinary teams, and delivering and evaluating statewide health promotion initiatives.
His current research focuses on using data and digital technology to improve obesity prevention at population scale. He aims to use nutrition and digital health to add health to life and equity to health for people across the life course.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Virtual Postgraduate Open day session
2023-10-27 13:00 - 13:40 UTC | Online, United Kingdom
As part of the University’s Postgraduate Open Days 2023, we are running an online session on Friday 27 October, to give you the opportunity to find out more about postgraduate study at the MRC Epidemiology Unit.
Representatives from the Unit, including current PhD students, will be available at the session to answer any questions you have about applying to join the Unit as a postgraduate student.
Scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Unit study a broad variety of research areas, and our website lists several potential topics for PhD projects. Prospective students at the MRC Epidemiology Unit are very welcome to formulate a PhD topic of their own choice, as long as it is coherent with the overall goal of the Unit, and with the interests of at least one Unit programme.
Register to attend this virtual postgraduate open day session using the online form on the University of Cambridge Open day website.

Seminar - Air pollution and health in the 21st Century
2023-12-06 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | MRC Epidemiology meeting rooms 1&2, Level 3 IMS, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Air pollution and health in the 21st Century
Dr Gary Fuller, UKRI Clean Air Champion, Imperial College London
This hybrid seminar will be held in MRC Epidemiology Unit seminar rooms 1 & 2, Level 3, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Watch a recording of this seminar.
About this talk
Over 70 years after London’s great smog we are still wrestling the impacts of air pollution on our health. More than 60,000 scientific papers have been published on air pollution and health. Over half of these have been published in the last decade, but air pollution policy and action lags behind and remains largely framed in the science of the 20th century and not the 21st.
As researchers it is tempting to focus on what we don’t know, including gaps in our epidemiological evidence. However, there is ample evidence that actions to improve air pollution also improve health.
About Dr Fuller
Gary Fuller is a three UKRI Clean Air Champions working to provide leadership and coordination across the Clean Air Programme and within the wider research and stakeholder community.
His research interests focus on urban air pollution, how it is changing and how it affects our health.
Gary is passionate about communicating air pollution science to policymakers and the public. He is a member of Defra’s Air Quality Expert Group and a regular contributor to the Guardian newspaper.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Bradford Hill Seminar – Social justice and health equity – Professor Sir Michael Marmot
2024-02-28 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Online, United Kingdom
All are invited to the Bradford Hill Seminar:
Social justice and health equity
Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Institute of Health Equity and UCL Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
Register to attend
Please note this will be online webinar. Professor Sir Michael Marmot will present online via Teams.

Register on Teams to attend seminar online

Abstract
Taking action to reduce health inequalities is a matter of social justice. In developing strategies for tackling health inequalities we need to confront the social gradient in health not just the difference between the worst off and everybody else. There is clear evidence when we look across countries that national policies make a difference and that much can be done in cities, towns and local areas. But policies and interventions must not be confined to the health care system; they need to address the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. The evidence shows that economic circumstances are important but are not the only drivers of health inequalities. Tackling the health gap will take action, based on sound evidence, across the whole of society.
About Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Sir Michael Marmot MBBS, MPH, PhD, FRCP, FFPHM, FMedSci, FBA has been Professor of Epidemiology at University College London since 1985. He is the author of The Health Gap: the challenge of an unequal world (Bloomsbury: 2015), and Status Syndrome: how your place on the social gradient directly affects your health (Bloomsbury: 2004). Professor Marmot is the Advisor to the WHO Director-General, on social determinants of health, in the new WHO Division of Healthier Populations; Distinguished Visiting Professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong (2019-), and co-Director of the of the CUHK Institute of Health Equity. He is the recipient of the WHO Global Hero Award; the Harvard Lown Professorship (2014-2017); the Prince Mahidol Award for Public Health (2015), and 19 honorary doctorates.
Marmot has led research groups on health inequalities for nearly 50 years. He chaired the Commission on Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas, set up in 2015 by the World Health Organization’s Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) and chaired the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), which was set up by the World Health Organization in 2005, and produced the report entitled: ‘Closing the Gap in a Generation’ in August 2008. At the request of the British Government, he conducted the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post 2010, which published its report ‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives’ in February 2010. This was followed by the European Review of Social Determinants of Health and the Health Divide, for WHO EURO in 2014; Health Equity in England: Marmot Review 10 Years On, in 2020; Build Back Fairer: the COVID-19 Marmot Review in 2021; and the Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, for WHO EMRO, also in 2021.
Professor Marmot also chaired the Expert Panel for the WCRF/AICR 2007 Second Expert Report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective; the Breast Screening Review for the NHS National Cancer Action Team, and was a member of The Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health. Early in his career, he set up and led a number of longitudinal cohort studies on the social gradient in health in the UCL Department of Epidemiology & Public Health (where he was head of department for 25 years): the Whitehall II Studies of British Civil Servants, investigating explanations for the striking inverse social gradient in morbidity and mortality; the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and several international research efforts on the social determinants of health. He served as President of the British Medical Association (BMA) in 2010-2011, and as President of the World Medical Association in 2015. He is President of the British Lung Foundation. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology; a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences; an Honorary Fellow of the British Academy, and an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution for six years and in 2000 he was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen, for services to epidemiology and the understanding of health inequalities. Professor Marmot is a Member of the National Academy of Medicine.
About the Bradford Hill seminars
The Bradford Hill seminar series is the principal series of The Cambridge Population Health Sciences Partnership, in collaboration with the PHG Foundation. This comprises the Departments of Public Health & Primary Care, MRC Biostatistics Unit and MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, bringing together a multi-disciplinary partnership of academics and public health professionals. The Bradford Hill seminar programme of internationally recognised speakers covers topics of broad interest to our public health research community. It aims to transcend as well as connect the activities of our individual partners.
All are welcome at our Bradford Hill seminars.

Cambridge Festival - Ultraprocessed foods: what do we really know?
2024-03-25 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Old Divinity School, St. Johns Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TP, United Kingdom
Ultra-processed foods are a hot topic, with growing calls for tighter regulation. But what do we really know about them? Are they all bad for us, and if so what can we do about it?

Book your tickets for this hybrid Cambridge Festival panel discussion chaired by Dr Jean Adams of the MRC Epidemiology Unit.
Our panel of experts, including Cathy Cliff (Soil Association), Dr Samual Dicken (UCL), Tom Foster-Carter (Cherrypick) and Dr Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde (MRC Epidemiology Unit), will examine what ultra-processed foods are and their potential health implications, and also discuss what policies and regulations could be implemented for ultra-processed foods, and whether they should be.
After the discussion the panel will answer questions from the audience.

Seminar – The role of wearables and reproducible science in personalised medicine
2024-04-17 13:15 - 14:15 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
The role of wearables and reproducible science in personalised medicine
Dr Dan Jackson, Newcastle University
This hybrid seminar will be held in the IMS meeeting rooms 1 & 2, Level 4, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend online.
About this talk
Dan co-founded the Open Movement platform (openmovement.dev), whose AX3 and AX6 devices have been widely used in movement research and population studies, including the UK Biobank. This has underpinned his recent work focused on movement sensing with wearable computing, including projects supporting people with conditions such as Parkinson’s and stroke. His other work involved systems to support exergaming and safe walking for people with degenerative conditions, sensor-instrumented environments that assist their users, video coaching, reflection within counselling, population weight-loss, and nutrition.
About Dr Jackson
Dan Jackson is a Senior Research Associate within the School of Computing at Newcastle University. After graduating Dan worked at Lexicle Ltd. to produce a state-of-the-art web-based 3D embodied conversational agent.
Now based in Open Lab at Newcastle, a cross-disciplinary research environment, he works on the development of research systems and prototypes, engineering solutions for projects that use a diverse range of technologies.
His primary research interests include human-computer interaction with a focus on the areas of ubiquitous/pervasive computing and technologies that support health and wellbeing.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Seminar – Population nutrition: upstream/downstream - Prof. Pablo Monsivais
2024-05-15 13:15 - 14:15 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Population nutrition: upstream/downstream
Professor Pablo Monsivais, Washington State University
This hybrid seminar will be held in Institute of Metabolic Science seminar rooms 1 & 2, Level 4, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
If attending online, please register at https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqf-moqD4iEtOSgtPiXJanoInqfmdkhdG2#/registration
About this talk
In this presentation, Professor Monsivais will review two interdisciplinary projects aimed at identifying population-level determinants of diet and one project developing heart-healthy ready meals for use in research studies and interventions.
About Professor Monsivais
After doctoral and post-doctoral training in neuroscience and physiology at the University of Washington and University College London, Professor Monsivais returned to the University of Washington to retrain in nutrition and public health in 2004.
Between 2007 and 2011, he conducted behavioral and epidemiologic research on food choices, diet and health at the UW’s Centre for Public Health Nutrition in the School of Public Health, first as a postdoctoral fellow in behavioral sciences and then as an acting assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology. From 2011 to 2017 he was Senior University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge Centre for Diet and Activity Research where he led a research group focused social and behavioral epidemiology.
He is currently an Associate Professor at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine based at Washington State University.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Cambridge Diabetes Seminar 2024
2024-08-18 - 2024-08-24 | Clare College, Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TL, United Kingdom
Cambridge Diabetes Seminar 2024
When: Sunday 18 August to Saturday 24 August 2024
Where: Clare College, University of Cambridge
Cost: No registration fee, no attendance fee; no accommodation fee
Closing date for applications: Friday 15 March 2024

Click here for full information about CDS 2024 and how to apply

About Cambridge Diabetes Seminar 2024
The Cambridge Diabetes Seminar (CDS) provides a unique opportunity for participants from a range of backgrounds including clinical, research and public health, to engage in discussion, debate and collaboration on prominent issues in diabetes epidemiology. It aims to provide all those attending with a common goal to become better equipped in the epidemiological and public health aspects of diabetes and helps to foster international networks.
A resident Faculty of international experts provide most of the lectures and take the tutorials. A visiting, non-resident, Faculty will give additional lectures. The lectures cover a broad range of subjects including the diagnosis, classification and descriptive epidemiology of type 1 and 2 diabetes (and pre-diabetes), an introduction to field techniques and methodological problems of exposure measurement in diabetes surveys and the scope for prevention (primary, secondary and tertiary prevention) of diabetes as well as the planning of intervention programmes. Other topics that are covered include the epidemiology of the complications of diabetes, the principles and practice of screening and the evaluation of interventions.
Debates are also held on hot topics within the diabetes field. Participants will give a short presentation of their ongoing research interests or about research they wish to plan. The Faculty are happy to provide informal feedback and friendly critique on the research proposals, which can help to improve the work.
The numbers of places available for this training Seminar are limited. A selection committee will consider all applications and places offered will take into account candidates who are likely to benefit most from attending the Seminar, also factoring in a fair distribution by country/world region.
Please note that places will not be based on a first come, first serve principle, so all applications submitted by the closing date (15 March) will be given equal consideration.
Accommodation and Travel
Full board single accommodation (with en-suite facilities) during the Cambridge Diabetes Seminar will be provided free of charge at Clare College, which is where all the Seminar sessions will also take place.
Those chosen for the course will be expected to fund their own travel to and from Cambridge. We recommend that you begin the process of securing funding for this as soon as you know if you have been accepted.
There are a limited number of travel bursaries available upon application for those eligible who cannot identify other funding. To qualify for a travel bursary please include a supporting letter from your supervisor, Head of Department or equivalent, indicating the amount requested with justification. Please note that for any travel support, only economy class travel and maximal use of public transport for domestic travel is expected. The travel bursary, if approved, will be given after the seminar, not in advance.

Seminar - 20-minute neighbourhoods as an urban design concept to improve health and reduce health inequalities - Dr Jon Olsen
2024-11-20 13:15 - 14:15 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
20-minute neighbourhoods as an urban design concept to improve health and reduce health inequalities: reflections from Scottish and international context
Dr Jon Olsen, Senior Research Fellow, MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow
This hybrid seminar will be held in Institute of Metabolic Science seminar rooms 1 & 2, Level 4, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
If attending online, please register at https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsd-qurDIvG9IQKfrxyJL8fwsv1qHGzCD5
About this talk
The seminar will explore the potential of 20-minute neighbourhoods in promoting health equity through urban planning. This concept emphasises the creation of local living, and amenity diverse and walkable communities where essential services are accessible within a 10-minute walk from home (and 10-minute return, equating to 20 minutes). By prioritising active travel and reducing dependence on motorised transport, 20-minute neighbourhoods and local living strategies have a range of co-benefits that encourage healthier lifestyles and more sustainable behaviours.
The seminar will draw on Scottish and international examples, including a baseline assessment of the policy in Scotland, a UK analysis of urban design, density and travel behaviours, and an international policy evaluation, illustrating how the concept is being implemented and its potential to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
About Dr Olsen
Dr Jon Olsen is a health geographer who leads the Mobility in the Urban Environment workstream within the Places and Health Programme at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit. His research focuses on the application of novel geospatial approaches to exploring the impact of planning policy for health and urban mobility.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Cambridge Festival - Fibre - what gets you going?
2025-03-22 11:00 - 16:30 UTC | Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, CB2 0SZ, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
How much fibre is in the food you eat?
In this drop-in interactive Cambridge Festival activity, part of the open day at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, we’ll invite you to guess the fibre content of a variety of foods.
We will explain why dietary fibre is important for health, and how scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Unit measure how much fibre people in the UK are eating, as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
We’ll also bring our Fortune Telling Molecules activity, where you can pick five cards, spin the wheel, and find out how analysing the fat molecules circulating in the bloodstream can help predict the risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

Cambridge Festival - Promoting Play in Preschoolers, why it matters for health and wellbeing
2025-03-25 20:00 - 21:00 UTC | Online, United Kingdom
This talk has been cancelled by Dr Hesketh due to unforseen circumstances.

Play is protected as a fundamental right for children by the United Nations (Convention on the Rights of the Child), but children in recent years are spending less time playing and more times with screens.
The types of play children engage in changes as they grow, and in this online talk Dr Kathryn Hesketh will focus on play during the preschool period (0-5 years) including recent findings from her research. She will explore the different types of play children engage in, and how play is linked to young children’s health, development and wellbeing.
She will also discuss how we can support play for our preschoolers, through fun and games for families.
Unfortunately Dr Hesketh has had to cancel this talk due to unforseen circumstances.

Cambridge Festival - What does research tell us about maintaining a healthy weight?
2025-04-03 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Online, United Kingdom
Live NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) webinar for the Cambridge Festival: What does research tell us about maintaining a healthy weight?
Have you ever wondered why some people have a large appetite and never gain weight, while others try to eat healthily but find it difficult to lose the pounds? Can health research unlock the secrets on to how to maintain a healthy weight?
Being overweight is a major health problem in the UK, it is estimated 1 in every 4 adults and around 1 in every 5 children aged 10 to 11 are living with obesity. It can lead to health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, problems with bone health and can increase the risk of some cancers.
Cambridge researchers are working to understanding how overweight affects our health and how we can maintain a healthy balance.
Hear from Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, Co-Director of the Institute of Metabolic Science, Honorary Consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and Dr Amy Ahern, Programme leader & Principal research associate for the prevention of diabetes and related metabolic disorders in high-risk groups. The speakers will discuss their latest research, and you will have a chance to put your questions to the team.
Professor Miles Parkes, Director of the NIHR Cambridge BRC will open the event and will give an overview of how research takes shape on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
This talk is aged for 16+ and all are welcome.
Registration is required, book a free ticket online.

Webinar: Customising Intake24 for your dietary intake research
2025-10-08 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Paris) | Online, United Kingdom
All are invited to the webinar:
Customising Intake24 for your dietary intake research
Wednesday 8 October, 1 PM – 2 PM (UK)
Watch a recording of the webinar (YouTube)
About this webinar
Intake24 is an online, automated dietary recall tool, currently used in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Intake24 has been through a programme of updates to enable easier customisation for research projects and surveys.
In this webinar Polly Page and Toni Steer, along with other members of the Cambridge Intake24 team, will showcase features of the updated version of Intake24 and, using some recent real life projects as case studies, demonstrate what kinds of customisation are possible.
This seminar is aimed at those who are interested in adapting and using Intake24 in their research or survey programmes.
Registration (free) is required: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/S8ZEmHkdRZC8uBXjce9-jw
Intake24 was originally developed by Newcastle University, initially with funding from Food Standards Scotland and is licenced under the Open Government Licence. Intake24 is developed and maintained by Cambridge and Monash Universities.
