Inaugural Symposium Hertz-Chair "Innovation for Planetary Health"

The Role of Nutrition in Planetary Health

Inaugural Symposium Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health”

Food systems play an important role in achieving healthy environments, human health, and the health of all living creatures on our planet. This scientific symposium launched the research concept of the Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health” and provided a platform for interdisciplinary discourse to strive technology and innovation for sustainable futures at the University of Bonn and beyond.

Organized by 

  • Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) „Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Futures”
  • Hertz-Chair Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah
     

When: Tuesday, 19th March 2024, 9 am – 7:30 pm
Where: Uniclub, Wolfgang-Paul-Saal, Konviktstraße 9, 53113 Bonn

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© Bialek/Uni Bonn

Program

Overview

Welcome by Prof. Dr. Jan Börner, Spokesperson TRA “Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Futures” (9:45 am)

Inaugural Lecture: The Role of Nutrition in Planetary Health (10 am till 11:00 am)
Session Chair: Prof. Dr. Jan Börner, Spokesperson TRA “Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Futures”

  • Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah, Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health” and Director at Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn

Session: The Role of Food Production in Planetary Health (11:20 am till 12:20 am)
Session Chair: Prof. Joachim von Braun, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn

  • Prof. Dr. Matin Qaim, Center for Development Research (ZEF)
  • Prof. Dr. Hermann Lotze-Campen, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam

Poster Pitches #1 (1:30 pm till 2:00 pm)
Session Chairs: Dr. Erick M.O. Muok, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu and Dr. Ali Sié (Centre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna)

Session: The Role of Dietary Behaviour in Planetary Health (2:15 pm till 3:45 pm)
Session Chair: Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah, TRA Sustainable Futures and Center for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn

  • Prof. Dr. Ute Nöthlings, Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Bonn
  • Prof. Dr. Abdulai Abubakari, Department of Global and International Health, University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana
  • Dr. Faith Agbozo,Family and Community Health, University of Allied Health Sciences (UHAS), Ho, Ghana

Poster Pitches #2 (4 pm till 4:30 pm)
Session Chairs: Prof. Dr. Patrik Wennberg and Prof. Dr. Olov Rolandsson, Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

Session: The Role of Host-Environment Interaction in Planetary Health (4:45 pm till 6:15 pm)
Session Chair: Prof. Dr. Frank P. Mockenhaupt, Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin

  • Prof. Dr. Marc P. Hübner, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn
  • Dr. Samuel Adjei, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
  • Prof. Dr. Joacim Rocklöv, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing and Heidelberg Institute for Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg

Note: Coffee breaks and a one-hour lunch break take place between the sessions. You can see the exact schedule in the extended program.

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© Barbara Frommann / Uni Bonn

Poster Pitches #1

Session chairs: Dr. Erick M.O. Muok, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu and Dr. Ali Sié (Centre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna)

1. "Measuring Environmental Sustainability in the DONALD Study" - Karen van de Locht, Institute of Nutritional and Food Sciences, Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Bonn. Location: Niebuhrstube

2. "Cross-Sectional Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Climate-Sensitive Nutrients Among Young Children Living in Siaya County, Kenya: The ALIMUS Study" - Grace Kihagi, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. Location: Niebuhrstube

3. "Operationalization and Distribution of the Planetary Health Diet Among Young Children in Eight Sub-Saharan African Countries: An Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data" - Mahir Bhatt, Center for Development Research, University of Bonn. Location: Niebuhrstube

4. "The Cohort on Plant-based Diets (COPLANT) Study" - Dr. Stefanie Koch, Institute for Nutritional and Food Science, Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Bonn. Location: Niebuhrstube

5. "Adherence to Optimized Diets and Socio-Demographic Factors of Adherence Among Ghanaian Adults under Transition: Findings from the RODAM-Pros Cohort Study" - Clara Bergmann, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. Location: Niebuhrstube

Poster Pitches #2

Session chairs: Prof. Dr. Patrik Wennberg and Prof. Dr. Olov Rolandsson, Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

6. "Mapping the Perceived Impact Pathways of a Sustainable Lifestyle Intervention Among
Overweight and Obese Adults in Ouagadougou: A Qualitative Study" - Anais Gonnet, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. Location: Niebuhrstube.

7. "Early-Life Exposure to Malaria and Cardiometabolic Health in Adulthood: Follow-Up
of Three Randomized-Controlled Trials on Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in
Infancy (IPTi) in Ghana" - Marian Abrafi Osei, Center for Development Research,
University of Bonn. Location: Foyer.

8. "Community-Based Engagement and Interventions to Stem the Tide of Antimicrobial
Resistance Spread in the Aquatic Environments Catalysed by Climate Change and Plastic Pollution Interactions" - Dr. Marina Treskova, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Computing. Location: Foyer.

9. "The Role Of Il-9-Nlrp3 Axis In Insulin Resistance And Adipose Tissue Inflammation During Diet-Induced Obesity" - Dr. Indulekha Karunakaran, Institute for Medical
Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology. Location: Foyer

10. "Improving Human, Animal and Environmental Health Through Optimized Diets in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolis, Germany" -  Juliana Minetto Gellert Paris, Center for Development Research, University of Bonn. Location: Foyer.


Press report

Balancing human and planetary health - that is the major research goal of Ina Danquah, Hertz Professor in the Transdisciplinary Research Unit "Innovation and Technology for a Sustainable Future" at the University of Bonn since October 2023. At the international symposium "The Role of Nutrition in Planetary Health" she and colleagues from around the world discussed the interaction between climate change, nutrition and health and kicked off the establishment of a global network.


Speakers 

(After the host, listed in alphabetical order)

Prof. Ina Danquah
© Gregor Hübl/Universität Bonn

Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah

The Role of Nutrition in Planetary Health: A Three-Pronged Research Agenda

Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health” and Director at Center for Development Re-search (ZEF), University of Bonn

About

Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah holds the position as Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health” and Director at Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn

She has an educational background in Nutrition Science and Epidemiology.

She obtained her PhD at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Her research interests are in Nutrition, Climate change and health. She employs the concept of Sustainable Nutrition, including the features of healthfulness, climate- and environmental friendliness, cultural acceptability, and affordability.

As Hertz Chair at the University of Bonn, she will establish a prospective, multi-center cohort study in sub-Saharan Africa to investigate the interactions between climate change, nutrition and health; she will also build a global network of intervention studies for the development, implementation, and evaluation of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

She has over 100 academic publications.


Prof. Dr. Abdulai Abubakari

Dietary Practices and Food Security Among Individuals in Northern Ghana

Department of Global and International Health, University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana

About

Prof. Dr. Abdulai Abubakari holds the position as an Associate Professor at Department of Global and International Health, University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana.

He has an educational background in nutrition, public health and food security.

He has obtained his PhD in from the Heidelberg University.

His main research interests are in maternal and child health and nutrition, diet related non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries, Health and nutrition policies and population dietary habits.

He is currently leading the implementation of a project dab leave ‘no new born child behind’ at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) in collaboration with TTH and the Institute of Global Health at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

He has over 80 academic publications.

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© UDS Tamale

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© UDS Tamale

Dr. Samuel Adjei

Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) and Antimicrobial Resistance

School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana

About

Dr. Samuel Adjei holds the position as the Physician Investigator and the coordinator of clinical trials and other studies at the Malaria Research Center. Additionally, he serves as a Clinician (Senior Medical Officer) at the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, Ghana.

He has an educational background in Medicine and Tropical Medicine.

He became a Certified Physician Investigator (ICH ACRP/APPI Certification, Nairobi, Kenya) in 2009.

His main research interests are in tropical medicine.

He has over 40 academic publications.


Dr. Faith Agbozo

Perceived Climate Change Impacts and Autonomous Adaptation Strategies in the Lake Volta Region, Ghana

Family and Community Health, University of Allied Health Sciences (UHAS), Ho, Ghana

About

Dr. Faith Agbozo holds the position as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Health at the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana

She has an educational background in Nursing, Nutrition and epidemiology.

She has obtained her PhD in Public Health at Heidelberg University.

Her research interests are in the fields of public health nutrition and nutritional epidemiology (climate change vulnerability and household food security; nutrition across the lifecycle, school health, and nutrition; diet-related non-communicable diseases) and reproductive and child health (safe motherhood, neonatal care, and survival).  

One of the ongoing projects she is working on focuses on climate change adaptations and coping strategies of rural fisherfolks, exploring the nexus with livelihoods, food security, and health at the Heidelberg University Institute of Global Health, Research Group on Climate Change, Nutrition, and Health, Germany

She has over 50 academic publications.

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© UHAS

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© Marc Hübner

Prof. Marc P. Hübner

Modulation of Immune Responses by Helminths and its Benefit Against NCDs – Eliminate Helminth Infections Nevertheless?

Diagnostic Parasitology at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn

About

Prof. Dr. Marc P Hübner holds the position as Head of Diagnostic Parasitology at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn.

He has an educational background in biology, medical parasitology and immunology.
He has obtained his PhD from University Tübingen.He completed his Habilitation in “Medical parasitology and immunology of infections.”

His main research interests are in tropical medicine and filariasis.

The focus of his lab is the identification and preclinical testing of new therapies against parasitc helminths. His lab studies protective immune responses against filariae, especially the protective role of eosinophils and the contribution of extracellular DNA traps (ETosis). Furthermore he is interested in the filarial immunomodulation and its beneficial impact on life-style diseases such as diet-induced insulin resistance.

He has over 130 publications.


Prof. Dr. Hermann Lotze-Campen

Synergies Between Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Agriculture and Food Sector

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam

About

Prof. Dr. Hermann Lotze-Campen (PIK, Potsdam) holds the position as the Head of the “Climate Resilience” research department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Professor of Sustainable Land Use and Climate Change at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

He has an educational background in Agricultural Sciences and Economics.

He has obtained his PhD in in Agricultural Economics from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany

His main research interests are in Global land use modelling, Climate impact assessments and Integration of biophysical and socio-economic processes.

One of the ongoing projects he is involved in is the modelling climate-change related international migration (ClimateMigration2050) [EU H2020: Marie Curie Mobility Fellowship, January 2021 – December 2023].

Since 2018 he belongs to the top one percent of most highly cited researchers in his field (Clarivate Web of Science, global ranking). He is also a Steering Group member of the German Chapter of SDSN, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

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© StK (PIK)

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© Uni Bonn/Gregor Hübl

Prof. Dr. Ute Nöthlings

Sustainable Diets Among Children in Germany: The DONALD Study

Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Bonn

About

Prof. Dr. Ute Nöthlings (Uni Bonn) holds the position as full professor for Nutritional Epidemiology and is the director of the DONALD Study at University of Bonn.

She has an educational background in Nutrition epidemiology.

She has obtained her PhD in Public Health at Technical University of Berlin and the German Institute of Human Nutrition. 

Her main research interests are in methods of nutritional assessment in epidemiological studies as well as the investigation of nutrition and lifestyle as risk factors for chronic diseases.

Since 2012 she is the director of the DONALD Study, an open cohort study in children followed-up to into adulthood. She furthermore led the competence cluster in nutrition Diet-Body-Brain and is a PI in the COPLANT Study.

She has over 300 academic publications.


Prof. Dr. Matin Qaim

Agricultural Development for the Reduction of Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition 

Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn

About

Prof. Dr. Prof. Dr. Matin Qaim holds the position as the Director, Center for Development Research (ZEF) and Schlegel-Professor of Economic and Technological Change at University of Bonn. 

He has an educational background in Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Economics. He has obtained his PhD in degree in agricultural economics from the University of Bonn (2000).

His main research interests are in Sustainable Food Systems, Malnutrition & Poverty, Agriculture-Nutrition Linkages, Agricultural Technology, Smallholder Farming & Rural Development; Land-Use Change.

He is member of the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), Fellow of the American Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), and President-Elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).

He has over 250 academic publications. He has been recognized as "Highly Cited Researcher" in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

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© ZEF

Joacim Rocklöv
© IWR/UKHD

Prof. Dr. Joacim Rocklöv

Climate Change Effects on Animal and Human Infectious Diseases

Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing and Heidelberg Institute for Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg

Abstract

Prof. Dr. Joacim Rocklöv holds the position the Group leader of Climate-Sensitive Infectious Diseases lab, Heidelberg University. He is also a Guest Professor at Umeå University in Sweden.

He has an educational background in Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics.

He has obtained his PhD in in Occupational and Environmental Medicine from Umeå University, Sweden.

His main research interests are in using and developing new innovative approaches to model and apply AI within the areas of One Health and climate change.

Prof. Rocklöv is engaged in many collaborative projects, among those he is the principal investigator of the Horizon Europe project IDAlert focusing on One Health and climate change, he is a member of the Lancet Countdown of Climate Change and Health, he is a coordinator of the health sector in the ISIMIP project focusing on climate change impact studies, and he is a Work Package leader in the European Horizon project BEPREP focusing on nature based solutions for preparedness to zoonotic disease outbreaks and pandemics.

He has over 250 publications.


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Establishing high profile professorships is a central measure following the success of the University of Bonn within the German Excellence Strategy in 2019, a funding program by the German Federal and State Governments to support cutting-edge research at universities.

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TRA Sustainable Futures 

The TRA Sustainable Futures explores institutional, research-based and technology-driven innovations for promoting sustainability.

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