Dr. Ariana Zeka

Dr Ariana Zeka is a Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health at the Institute. Her research interests are on the health effects of occupational and environmental exposures; advancing epidemiologic methods; exposure assessment and modelling; study of social and economic determinants of health; and policy implications of public health research. She is currently developing research on historical effects of complex political, social and economical systems on health indicators. She is particularly interested on the health determinants in societies in transition.

Qualifications

• 2003-2006 Postdoctoral Fellow in Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
• 2003 Doctor of Science in Epidemiology (ScD), University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA
• 2002 Postdoctoral Fellow in Epidemiology, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyons, France
• 1998 Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Policy (MSc), University of Manchester, United
Kingdom/Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
• 1994 Degree in Medicine (Medical Doctor), University of Tirana, Albania

Career

• 2006-date Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health Institute for the Environment, Centre for Public Health Research, Brunel University West London
• 2003-2006 Postdoctoral Fellow in Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
• 2002 Postdoctoral Fellow in Epidemiology, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyons, France
• 1998-2003 Research Assistant in Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA
• 1997-1998 Master Student, University of Manchester, UK/Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
• 1994.1997 Primary Care Physician, University Hospital Tirana, Albania
• Physician volunteer for the remote areas of Albania
• 1994-1995 Medical Internship, University Hospital Tirana, Albania
• 1989-1994 Medical Student, University of Tirana, Albania

Current Research Projects

SchoolAir: assessing the relationship between indoor/outdoor air quality and prevalence and incidence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in primary schools in London. Co-PI (with Dr Benjamin Jones, ETC).

Coordinating the collaboration between Albania, and the UK in public health research and policy. Coordinator.

The Aphekom Project. Improving knowledge and communication for decision making on air pollution and health in Europe (http://www.aphekom.org/). Partner.

Research Experience

Evaluation of aero-digestive cancer risk due to occupational exposures to metalworking fluids in a large cohort of autoworkers in the United States. The work consisted of two main goals: to estimate cancer risk in a working population; and, to address methodological issues in occupational and environmental research. Work was carried out at the University of Massachusetts, USA.

Study of risk of lung cancer in relation to occupational exposures in a multi-center case control study in Central and Eastern Europe. Work was carried out at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, France.

Evaluation of the health effects of environmental exposures. This work consisted of three studies. The first study looked at the short term effects of high concentrations of air pollutants on daily mortality in the USA using new methodology such as case-crossover design. The second project involved an ongoing study among the elderly in the greater Boston area, looking at the link between high concentrations of air pollution and inflammatory and vascular markers. The third project was the study of the association between air pollution/socio-economic indicators and birth outcomes (low birth weight, birth defects, pre-term births), and infant mortality in Eastern Massachusetts. Work was carried out at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

Evaluation of temporal effects of smoking and drinking in a case-control study of head and neck cancer risk. Work was carried out at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

Grants Awarded

• 2008 SchoolAir. Brief Award, Brunel University. £25,000. (Co-PI with Dr Benjamin Jones, ETC Brunel)
• 2008 Setting collaborative network with Albania. Brunel RSDO Travel Fund. £2,000

Awards

• 2003 Margaret R Becklake Award for outstanding doctoral dissertation in Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts, USA
• 1998 Open Society Institute scholarship for doctoral studies
• 1997 Open Society Institute full scholarship for master studies

Current Students First Supervisor

Ireneous Soyiri, DrPH candidate, 2007-2010
Placement project: “Predicting asthma exacerbation from air pollution and weather conditions”

Yulia Anopa, MPhil candidate, 2009-2010
Project: “Indoor air and respiratory health of children: a study of primary schools in London”

Emilie Vergawuve, MSc, 2009
Thesis: “Social and health implications of population displacement caused by natural events: the case of 2007 Gloucester floods”

Previous MSc thesis supervision

• “Socioeconomic indicators and birth outcomes in the UK: a systematic review”
• “Identifying risk factors for increased spread of malaria in African regions”
• “Chikungunya infection in Europe: predicting the risk of spread of the disease in Europe in face of the Climate Change”
• “Air pollution and health in Thailand”
• “Predicting exposure for air pollutants in a changing environment in Brunei”

Selected Publications

• Zeka A, Melly SJ, Schwartz J. The effect of socioeconomic status and indices of physical environment on reduced birth weight and preterm births in Eastern Massachusetts. Environ Health. 2008 Nov 25;7:60.
• Zeka A, Sullivan JR, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Schwartz J. Inflammatory markers and particulate air pollution: characterizing the pathway to disease. Int J Epidemiol. 2006 35:1347-54.
• Zeka A, ‘t Mannetje A, Zaridze D, et al.. Lung cancer and occupation among non-smokers: a multi-center case-control study in Europe. Epidemiology. 2006 17:615-23.
• Zeka A, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. Short-term effects of particulate matter on cause-specific mortality: effects of lags and modification by city characteristics. Occup Environ Med. 2005 62:718-25.
• Zeka A, Eisen EA, Kriebel D, Gore R, Wegman DH. Risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancers in a case-cohort study of autoworkers exposed to metalworking fluids. Occup Environ Med. 2004 61:426-431.
• Zeka A, Gore R, Kriebel D. Effects of alcohol and tobacco on aerodigestive cancer risks: a meta-regression analysis. Cancer, Causes & Control. 2003 14:897-906.

Teaching

Dr Zeka is currently the leader for the Climate and Health module (IE5512), part of the MSc course in Climate Change and Sustainability. She was in the previous years the leader for the Ecosystems Epidemiology module (2007, 2008) taught in the MSc programme at the Institute. She is the leader of the module Environmental Epidemiology for the past three years taught for the Doctor of Public Health programme, at the Graduate School. She is the academic supervisor of a number of postgraduate students from the Institute and the Doctor of Public Health Programme.

Climate and Health (IE5512)
The module is organized around reading and discussion of literature in different topics related to the impact of climate change on health. Module teaching is a combination of round table discussion, student presentations, and lectures.

Here is a list of the topics covered in this module:

• Historical/geological time view of climate change and infectious disease
• Basic Epidemiologic principles. Definition of determinants of population health.
• Global effects of Climate Change: how can we measure adverse health?
• Draught, nutrition, energy, food security and health
• Air quality, climate and health
• The changing patterns of vector-borne diseases, climate and health
• Occupational health and climate change
• Environmental health and climate change (student session)
• Climate, socioeconomic, race and health disparities

External Duties

Professional Societies
2003-present International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, Member
2003-present Society for Epidemiologic Research, Member

Committee Service
2009 Review Committee, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology annual meeting, Dublin August 2009