Workshop on advanced methods for climate-health research
This two-day workshop offers an in-depth exploration of how climate extremes and climatic factors influence population health. Participants will gain hands-on experience with epidemiological and biostatistical methods relevant to climate-health research, building strong methodological foundations to apply in their own work.
Application
- The workshop is free to attend and covers all sessions.
- Intermediate knowledge of R is required.
- Applications from outside Sweden are welcome.
- Application deadline: 20 May 2026
- Workshop dates: 17–18 November 2026 (9:00-16:00, tentative)
Description
This is a follow-up workshop to the one held in 2025, introducing new topics and methods. Participants who attended the 2025 edition are welcome to apply again.
Over two days, participants will:
- Review the latest evidence on the health impacts of climate extremes.
- Understand why studying these impacts is critical for public health.
- Learn to identify, measure, and model the health effects of environmental stressors, gaining robust methodological skills for their own research.
The workshop is organized and funded by the Swedish Centre for Impacts of Climate Extremes (climes) in collaboration with the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet and Human Technopole (Zuccolo Group – Human Technopole).
Schedule
Lectures: Daily thematic sessions on the impacts of climate extremes and their effects on population health including methods to study sensitive periods and to analyse multiple environmental exposures simultaneously.
Exercises: Hands-on, application-oriented sessions focusing on methodological practice, including the use of Distributed Lag Non-linear Models (DLNMs) to investigate sensitive periods and multiple exposures.
Day 1
09:00–09:05 — Start off: Introduction and organisational information — Elena Raffetti, Markus Simon
09:05–09:45 — Lecture: Climate Extremes and Health: From Hazards to Health Impacts — Gabriele Messori, Elena Raffetti
09:45–10:15 — Break: Provision of small snacks
10:15–11:15 — Lecture: Epidemiological study designs to estimate effects of climate and temperature extremes on maternal and child health — Luisa Zuccolo
11:15–12:00 — Lecture: Population-Weighted Assessment of Climate Exposure for Population Health Research — Shivang Pandey, Ricardo Berenguer Navarro
12:00–13:00 — Lunch / break
13:00–14:30 — Workshop: Introduction to interrupted time series for epidemiology — Albert Navarro Gallinad
14:30–16:00 — Workshop: Introduction to interrupted time series for epidemiology — Albert Navarro Gallinad
14:30 — Break: Provision of pastries
Day 2
09:00–10:00 — Lecture and workshop: Modelling short-term associations between climatic factors and health outcomes using a case time series study design — Isabel Johanna Walter
10:00–12:00 — Lecture and workshop: Modelling short-term associations between climatic factors and health outcomes using a case time series study design — Isabel Johanna Walter
10:00 — Break: Provision of small snacks
12:00–13:00 — Lunch / break
13:00–14:30 — Workshop and journal club: Cohort and sibling-discordant study design for climate-health research — Manuel Martellini O. Nocentini, Valeria Nazzari
14:30–16:00 — Workshop and journal club: Cohort and sibling-discordant study design for climate-health research — Manuel Martellini O. Nocentini, Valeria Nazzari
14:30 — Break: Provision of pastries
Practical Information
General Information
Date and Time:
The workshop will run from 09:00 until 16:00 on November 17th and 18th, 2026. Participants will be received in the entrance lobby of Wargentinhuset starting from 08:30 on the morning of November 17th.
Location:
Atrium Lecture Hall, entrance in Wargentinhuset, Nobels väg 12B, 171 65 Solna.
Location on Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/84cjwa7jUPPD62AJ6
Event Information
Event page:
https://www.climes.se/event/climatehealthworkshop/
Contact:
For questions or further information, please contact Markus Simon: markus.simon@ki.se
Transportation
Metro (from Centralen):
Take the green line to St Eriksplan. From St Eriksgatan, take bus 53 to Karolinska Institutet västra.
Pendeltåg:
Get off at Stockholm Odenplan. From Odenplan, take bus 53 to Karolinska Institutet västra.
Public transport information:
We recommend downloading the SL app for purchasing tickets online and navigating the public transport system in Stockholm.
More information: https://sl.se/
You can also purchase a ticket by holding a credit card up to the scanners at metro station entrances or on the bus.
Meals and Breaks
There will be two session breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. A lunch break will be around 12:00 on both days.
Session breaks are complimentary, for example, during workshops. There are no supermarkets within 10 minutes’ walking distance; therefore, we recommend you purchase something beforehand for lunch.
Alternatively, here are some recommendations for lunch places in the area:
Restaurang Nanna Svartz
Restaurant inside Karolinska Institutet.
Solnavägen 7A, 171 65 Solna.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/m89XAz42Nj1XPLuGA
Livet Restaurant
Restaurant inside the Karolinska hospital.
Eugeniavägen 3, 171 64 Solna.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VPRQeMruGumXZ19H7
Haga kiosk och gatukök
Fast food restaurant.
Granits väg 2c, 171 65 Solna.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gaGdcThHCMmU17dWA
Mae Thai
Thai restaurant.
Prostvägen 1, 171 64 Solna.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y2huFZJDEvpaj6BR9
Application Details
Requirements
- Complete the application form.
- Submit a short motivation letter (max 1 page) describing your current position, research interests, and reasons for attending.
- Provide a brief letter of support from your doctoral supervisor, postdoctoral advisor, or another senior scientist confirming their support for your participation.
Selection Criteria
Relevance of motivation to the workshop’s scope.
Potential benefit to the applicant’s research.
Timeliness for the applicant’s career stage.
Required Applicant Details
Full name and affiliation
Contact details
Career stage (Master’s student, doctoral student, postdoctoral researcher, research assistant)
Motivation letter (max 1 page)
Letter of support
Target Group
PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and research assistants (particularly those based in Sweden).
Applicants from diverse academic backgrounds including medical, social, climate, and data sciences are encouraged to apply.
Master’s students with relevant backgrounds may also apply.
Intermediate R skills are essential for the hands-on sessions.
Organizing Team
Workshop Co-Leader: Dr Elena Raffetti, Assistant Professor, Karolinska Institutet; Deputy Director, Swedish Centre for Impacts of Climate Extremes (CLIMES). Medical doctor with expertise in health data science and socio-environmental extreme events, specialising in large-scale population health data.
Workshop Co-Leader: Dr Luisa Zuccolo, Research Group Leader, Health Data Science Centre, Human Technopole (Milan, Italy). Epidemiologist researching maternal, child, and women’s health using large-scale population data and causal inference approaches.
Dr Albert Navarro Gallinad, Health Data Science Centre, Human Technopole (Milan, Italy). Data scientist studying how environmental exposures affect vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, by integrating electronic health records, environmental data, omics, and policy information.
Valeria Nazzari, PhD Student, Human Technopole (Milan, Italy). Background in epidemiology and biostatistics; researching the impacts of environmental exposures on maternal and child health.
Manuel Martellini O. Nocentini, PhD Student, Karolinska Institutet. Background in statistics; researching the impacts of climate extremes during early life.
Ricardo Berenguer Navarro, PhD Student, Karolinska Institutet. Background in biostatistics; researching future risks of climate extremes for population health.
Markus Simon, Project Coordinator, Karolinska Institutet/Uppsala Universitet. Organisational and logistical support.
Sakıp Murat Yalçın, Project Coordinator, Swedish Centre for Impacts of Climate Extremes (climes), Uppsala University. Organisational and logistical support.