Leeds City Council waives ticket costs for accredited national air quality conference designed for health professionals, medics, and researchers.

An accredited online medical conference bringing together some of the country’s top air pollution experts will now be free to attend on October 4, after event organisers announced they were waiving ticket costs so that more health professionals can benefit from cutting-edge insights to help improve patient outcomes. 

‘Every Breath You Treat’ is believed to be the first professionally accredited conference focused on air quality for UK health professionals. It will explore the health effects of air pollution over the life course, from preconception to the later years of life, with a packed agenda of presentations and plenary sessions featuring consultants, researchers, and other medical professionals. 

The local authority’s Health Protection team and Sustainable Energy and Air Quality team planned and coordinated the digital conference as part of the authority’s Leeds Air Quality Strategy 2021-2030. The council has identified tackling air pollution and protecting those most vulnerable as a priority. 

Air pollution is one of the major environmental determinants of health according to the UKHSA.  In 2013, Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah became the first person to have air pollution listed on her death certificate after suffering a fatal asthma attack aged nine. However, evidence shows that air pollution contributes to between 28,000 and 36,000 early deaths a year in the U.K.   

Key areas the renowned line-up of expert speakers will examine include the effects of air pollutants on conception and fertility, pregnancy, young people, long term conditions, the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, diabetes, and cognitive decline. 

The event is specifically designed for those working in, studying, or researching medicine or public health. It has been formally recognised as contributing towards accredited continuous professional development (CPD) by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), in accordance with their respective CPD guidelines. 

Individuals must book their free place online by registering their details at the Every Breath You Treat event page. Registered attendees will receive a custom link to join the event on the day.  

Councillor Salma Arif, executive member for public health and active lifestyles said:  

“As part of our ambitious Leeds Air Quality Strategy, we committed not only to continuing to reduce pollution across the city but also to work with health professionals to protect those who are most vulnerable.  

“By hosting this national conference, I’m proud that our city is playing a leading role in encouraging and empowering health professionals—not only in Leeds, but right across the UK—to routinely consider air pollution and ultimately save more lives.” 

The council has now published a full list of confirmed speakers for the event. These are: 

• Cllr Salma Arif, Executive Member for Public Health at Leeds City Council 
• Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, PRC clinical Professor, UKRI Clean Air Champion and Special Advisor to the RP on Air Quality, Faculty of Medicine at University of Southampton 
• Dr Jonathan Grigg, Professor of Paediatric Respiratory and Environmental Medicine at Queen Mary University of London 
• Dr Jim McQuaid, Deputy Head of School (Research Funding and Infrastructure) at the School of Earth and Environment at University of Leeds 
• Dr Adam Balen MBBS, MD, DSc, FRCOG, Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust 
• Grace Dugdale, FRSB, Reproductive Biologist and Nutrition Scientist 
• Dr Shiva Sivavubramaniam, Head of Biomedical and Forensic Science at University of Derby
• Dr Mark R Miller, Reader in Air Pollution and Health at University of Edinburgh.
• Professor Barbara A Maher, Lancaster Environment Centre at University of Lancaster 
• Dr Ian Mudway, member of the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College London 
• Dr Ian Clifton, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at School of Medicine, University of Leeds 
• Dr Vadivel Pathsarathy, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at University of Derby
• Amanda Craswell, Environmental Public Health Scientist at UK Health and Security Agency 
• Dr Malcolm White, Clean Air Specialist at Global Action Plan