Air Pollution and Climate Change Expert Group

Dr Miller is a Senior Research Fellow within the University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh. He graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences: Pharmacology (BSc, Hons) in 1998, before being awarded a PhD on the vascular effects of nitric oxide donor drugs in 2002, both at the University of Edinburgh.

He specializes in the study of vascular function, endothelial pathways, nitric oxide, oxidative stress and atherosclerosis, using a multidisciplinary approach with both in vitro and in vivo models of vascular function in health and disease, including electron paramagnetic resonance, myography (organ bath pharmacology), characterization of atherosclerotic plaques (immunohistochemical analysis of ApolipoproteinE knockout mouse arteries), and various ex vivo measures of nitric oxide bioavailability, oxidative stress and inflammation.

He is an Editor for the peer-reviewed journals Particle & Fibre Toxicology (Impact Factor: 8.65) and Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. He is a co-opted member of COMEAP; the UK government advisory committee on the health effects of air pollution.

Dr Miller’s main area of research is the cardiovascular effects of air pollution, which is believed to be responsible for up to 7 million deaths worldwide per year. The research aims to determine the biological pathways through which inhaled particles are able to cause their detrimental actions on the cardiovascular system. The work centres on the action of combustion-derived nanoparticles, e.g. those in diesel exhaust, addressing which features of these particles drive their harmful actions. This research also extends to manufactured nanomaterials, which are being developed for an ever-increasing number of applications. These materials share many of the same characteristics as environmental nanoparticles, yet their ability to cause harm remains to be established, especially within a cardiovascular setting.

“My research investigates the cardiovascular effects of air pollution, which are believed to be responsible for killing millions of people worldwide every year. I specialise in the biological mechanisms by which inhaled nanoparticles lead to detrimental effects on multiple aspects of the cardiovascular system. This work also encompasses engineered nanoparticles, the manufacture of which is increasing on an exponential scale for a diverse range of applications. These nanoparticles share many of the physicochemical properties with environmental particles, yet their potential to cause cardiovascular harm has received very little attention. I also have an interest in atherosclerosis, the vascular endothelium, nitric oxide and oxidative stress. Our group specialises in in vitro and in vivo models of vascular function, with immediate translational links to clinical research and public health.”

I am passionate about my career goal of working towards the improvement of global cardiovascular health with particular focus on low-resource settings. I am working towards this goal through a combination of clinical service, academic research, training, and advocacy. I am a clinician and cardiologist dedicated to building capacity to improve delivery of cardiovascular care in low-resource settings.

I am also actively building an implementation research portfolio to help optimize cardiovascular care delivery in low-resource settings, with lessons that are both locally and globally applicable.  I am actively working on several global cardiology implementation research projects in low-resource settings worldwide.

In addition to my research and clinical activities, I am deeply committed to capacity building in both the clinical and research arenas. Over the past decade, I have mentored several dozen trainees, leading to several abstracts, publications, and research awards. 

I have been recognized for this work by several domestic and international organizations, including the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases. I am an editorial board member of several cardiovascular and global health journals.

Martina works with Policy Advocacy at the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation primarily focusing on issues related to prevention. As such she is responsible for the organizations advancement in the area of air pollution.

Martina holds international experience from various countries and settings, including the EU and the UN. Her experience covers various stems both from the public and non-governmental filed, where she has worked with international development cooperation, diplomacy, and policy development.

Prior her role in the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, Martina worked as an Expert Advisor for several years. This e.g. at the Presidential Counsellor on Human Rights in Colombia, where she as foreign expert assisted the national implementation of the UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights.

She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Malmö University. Her academic background also includes studies at the National Defense College in Stockholm and American University in Washington DC.

I am a Cardiologist, Hypertensiologist, and Epidemiologist at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan/ University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria and also a member of Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, University of Ibadan. Currently, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee and Director of Training, Research, and Clinical Services. I have a wide-ranging background in cardiology and hypertensiology with experience on relationship between circadian blood pressure variation and air pollution. Over the years my research activities have been on environmental and genomic determinants of hypertension associated target organ damage such as stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. I am a member of the 2018 WHF Emerging Leader Program (Prevention group) that successfully wrote an application for the inclusion of Dabigatran and other NOACs in 2019 WHO Emergency Medicine List to prevent stroke in people with atrial fibrillation. I have contributed to research on the effect of air pollution on cardiovascular diseases. I currently lead the execution of the “Cardiovascular and Environmental Risk Indicators of Cognitive Function (CLARION)” project to identify the effect of air pollution on cognition decline and blood pressure variation. I participate in several local and international collaborations on preventive cardiovascular medicine. I lead cardiologists in NIH funded Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) and currently a collaborator on several other research grants; H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network, Global Registry of Rheumatic Heart Disease (REMEDY I), A Randomized Controlled Trial of Influenza Vaccine to Prevent Adverse Vascular Events ( IVVETrial), INVestIgation of rheumatiC AFTreatment Using vitamin K antagonists, rivaroxaban or aspirin Studies(INVITUS trial). A summiteer at the NHGRI-1st International National Institute of Health Summit on Human Genetics and Genomics in 2016 and recipient of several scholarly awards.

César is a cardiologist in El Bolsón, a small town in the Patagonian Andes in Argentina. He served as 2nd vice president of the Argentine Society of Cardiology (ASC) in 2019 and currently coordinates the cardiovascular prevention and cardio ecology group of the ASC. Creator of the awareness day on the cardiovascular effects of air pollution called “A Healthy Heart in a Healthy Environment” held every year on April 26, coinciding with the date of the Chernobyl disaster. He works disseminating prevention through “preventive musical tours” in cities and small towns of Patagonia, including communities of Mapuche aboriginal people in which he mixes health information with music and his own songs to reach the audience in a more relaxed way, following the motto of the World Heart Federation “cardiovascular health for everyone”. The fourth tour “More than 2000 km of Health and Joy” was distinguished with the WHF World Heart Day Grant in 2022. Another way to promote healthy habits is by a radio program called “The Doctor is coming” that airs on fifteen radios all over the country and was awarded with the “Martín Fierro” for the best radio program on health in Argentina in 2018, the most respected award for Argentine television and radio programs. He is currently developing a project to promote not only an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, but also families growing vegetables for their own consumption, both in the countryside and in urban areas to ensure healthy food to vulnerable populations reducing inequities in low-to moderate-income countries. A way to reduce the use of agrochemicals and composting the biological waste.

Mr. Elvis Ndikum is Coordinator of the Global Youth 4 Clean Air and Climate Health Action (Working Group). He is an air health trainer with the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) training health care professionals on the need to advise their patients related to mitigation actions needed to protect their health from air pollution. Elvis is a civic leader and President at the Association for the Promotion of Youth Leadership, Advocacy and Volunteerism Cameroon (APYLAV).

Elvis recently organized two 2020 Lancet Countdown Launch Events on tracking progress in actions related to health and climate change in Cameroon, hosted by the Ministry of Public Health through the Centre Regional Delegation of Public Health and the Mbankomo Health District. Elvis’s career has focused on global clean air campaigns to reduce NCD’s, with lung disease prevention a priority.

Elvis worked as Advocacy Officer for the WHO African Region with the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) for tobacco control. Elvis served as Campaign Officer with the Cameroon Coalition against Tobacco (C3T) raising awareness both on national media as well as promoting local and national legislation on tobacco control. Elvis is an Emerging Leader with the World Heart Federation (WHF) for the 2016 cohort with focus on tobacco control. Elvis is a Co-author of KOMPLY project in Kampala, Uganda. The KOMPLY project is a research initiative aimed at evaluating countries’ compliance with the 100% smoke-free laws.

Elvis is a founding member of the INSPIRE campaign a Vital Strategies initiative by communities and clinicians-partners in clean air advocacy. Elvis is Faculty within The Union Air Pollution and Lung Health Working Group, presenting session on Introduction to advocacy and communication during the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS) and South African Thoracic Society(SATS) joint congress in Durban, South Africa from 12-15 April 2018. Elvis is a collaborative representative of the Global Asthma Network in Yaounde, Cameroon. Selected as Principal Investigator for the Global Asthma Network in Yaounde, Elvis has completed collecting first global data through research with focus on Asthma, Allergies and Eczema related to health and environmental risk factors. With 2652 respondents (724 children 6/7 years, 1067 adolescents 13/14 years, and 861 parents). Evidence from this global research is used to provide solutions towards policy change aiming at reducing asthma by 50% by 2025.

Sumi Mehta has over 20 years of experience at the intersection of health, environment, and development, with a focus on air pollution and household energy. She has expertise in epidemiology, exposure assessment, comparative risk assessment, and cost-effectiveness analysis, extensive field experience in South, and Southeast Asia, and has also worked in Africa, East Asia, and Latin America. Previously, she served as the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, lead scientist for the Health Effects Institute’s international program, and a health policy analyst in the Evidence and Information for Policy group of the World Health Organization.