Understanding the impact of biodiversity on population health inequalities
Supervisors:
Dr Davide Dominoni, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Dr Jan Lindstrom, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Dr David Walsh, School of Health & Wellbeing
Dr Lorena Fernández-Martínez, School of Infection & Immunity
Summary:
This PhD project aims to explore how biodiversity in urban greenspaces influences population health in Glasgow, a city known for its stark health inequalities. While social and economic factors such as income, housing, and education have long been recognised as key drivers of health disparities, recent studies suggest that environmental factors may also play a critical role. However, our understanding of whether it is simply access to greenspaces or the actual biodiversity of these spaces that affect human health is very limited.
This project will first use data on biodiversity (trees, insects, birds and mammals) from 40 urban sites in Glasgow paired with general health data (eg GP prescriptions, hospitalisation rates), to assess the role of biodiversity in explaining spatial variation in population health. Then, we will use metagenomics of soil samples collected at the same site to investigate putative mechanistic pathways linking the incidence of specific diseases (respiratory and autoimmune diseases) to the presence of antimicrobial resistant genes and to total microbial diversity.
This innovative research will deepen our understanding of how both socioeconomic and environmental factors shape population health, with the goal of improving public health policies and urban planning in Glasgow and beyond.