Our Team

The Lancet Countdown’s work is led by its technical experts and 35 leading academic centres and UN agencies across the world. This is supported by its Executive team and Research Fellows based at University College London and its partner institutions. To get in touch contact us at info@www.lancetcountdown.org or find us on social media.

Professor Anthony Costello

Co-Chair of the Lancet Countdown

Anthony is professor of global health and sustainable development at UCL, co-chair of the Lancet Countdown for climate and health action, and a former director of maternal, child and adolescent health at the World Health Organisation. He is senior adviser to ‘Children in All Policies (CAP-2030), an initiative involving WHO, UNICEF, the Lancet and nine countries, to place children at the centre of national policies to address climate change and the SDG goals.

Dr Marina Romanello

Executive Director

Marina is the Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown, and climate change and health researcher at UCL. She trained as a clinical biochemist in the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, and holds a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK. Her research background spans from toxicology through to environmental health and climate change, and she has previously carried out her research in the Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires, the University of Cambridge, and the Francis Crick Institute. Working as a consultant for the NHS, she led a team of researchers in developing its Net Zero commitments, and is a member of the working group on health co-benefits in climate change mitigation policies of Italy's Superior Health Council.

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Dr Frances MacGuire

Policy Manager

Frances’s career spans climate change research, policy, advocacy and education at local, national and international levels working in academia, NGOs and the NHS. Trained in the life sciences and public health, Frances works across the interface between science and policy making in climate change, air pollution and biodiversity protection in a context of health and social justice. Frances has a PhD in the environmental and health risk assessment and communication of high temperature incineration of PCBs and dioxins.

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Dr Megan O’Hare

Programme Manager

Megan is a Neuroscientist with a PhD from King’s College London and has previously carried out research on a rare, inherited childhood disease, epilepsy, and dementia. Prior to working at the Lancet Countdown, she worked on dementia-related projects both nationally and internationally with a particular focus on engaging and supporting Early Career Researchers.

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Dr Vesna Milanovic

Project Administrator

Vesna studied molecular biology and genetics at the University of Belgrade, followed by an MA in Dance Studies at the University of Surrey, and a PhD at University of East London. She has managed various European projects and is a member of The International Dance Council CID, UNESCO.

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Louis Jamart

Director of Strategic Operations

Louis is the Director of Strategic Operations of the Lancet Countdown. In this role, he supports our Board and partners to ensure that our activities translate into systemic change, including through overseeing the strategic alignment between our global and regional programmes. Louis holds a MSc Public Health (Environment and Health) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a first-class BA Human Science from the University of Oxford. His prior experience includes public sector management consulting, global health research contributing towards Tanzania’s national sanitation campaign, and most recently founding a climate change and health team within a leading European government-focused technology company.

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Hannah Whitcombe

Communications Manager

Hannah is a communications professional with an academic background in political and social sciences. Prior to working at the Lancet Countdown, she worked in communications in the third sector, working for an international, medical, humanitarian organisation.

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Maria Walawender

Climate Change and Health Research Fellow

Maria is a climate change and health researcher. She has studied the impacts of climate change on respiratory and vector-borne diseases and explored the relationships between climate vulnerability, humanitarian aid, and adaptation funding. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Environmental Health and Epidemiology from Emory University.

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Camile Oliveira

Policy Analyst

Camile is a policy professional with a background in research and advocacy in a range of subject areas - from Women, Peace and Security to Indigenous education. She holds an MPhil in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge, where she explored feminist and decolonial approaches to tackling climate change.

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Arthur Wyns

Senior Policy Advisor

Arthur is a researcher and policy specialist with significant experience working at the intersection of climate change, health, and equity. He holds an MSc in tropical biology from Université libre de Bruxelles and an MA in political philosophy from the Free University of Brussels. He regularly advises the World Health Organisation (WHO) on climate change and health, as well as other national and international organisations, including the Climate and Health Alliance of Australia (CAHA) and the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA). Arthur was WHO's science editor and speech writer on climate change from 2019 to 2022. He's an editor of the Journal of Climate Change and Health.

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Dr Claudia Di Napoli

Health Impacts Research Fellow

Claudia is a scientist with a deep interest in the past and future trends of meteorological extremes that pose a threat to human health. Prior to joining the Lancet Countdown Claudia worked at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) where she focused on the climate and forecast of weather-related health hazards, namely heatwaves. Claudia holds a PhD in Applied Physics from Cardiff University.

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Carole Green

Adaptation, Planning and Resilience Research Fellow

Carole is a climate change and health researcher, focusing on adaptation at the individual and government levels. She is currently obtaining her MPH in Global Health from University of Washington. Prior to joining, Carole worked in international forecasting, providing comprehensive literature reviews. She continues to pursue research around climate and societal forecasting, with a current literature database project.

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Dr Harry Kennard

Mitigation and Health Co-benefits Research Fellow

Harry is a climate change and health researcher, with a PhD in energy demand from University College London. He holds degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics, as well as a Master’s degree in Linguistics. Prior to his PhD Harry worked in energy and climate journalism and occasionally still writes popular science pieces.

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Dr Daniel Scamman

Economics and Finance Reserach Fellow

Daniel is a Senior Research Associate in energy systems modelling at UCL’s Energy Institute. Daniel is a chartered mechanical engineer with an EngD in techno-economic modelling of energy storage. He previously worked for Corus R,D&T, fuel cell developer CMR Fuel Cells and electrolyser manufacturer ITM Power before joining UCL.

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Dr Pete Lampard

Public and Political Engagement Research Fellow

Pete is a sociologist with interests in the diffusion of ideas across socio-material boundaries. He is particularly interested in the cultural preconditions of engagement with climate change. Prior to joining the Lancet Countdown and the University of York, Pete taught sociology at St Mary’s University, London, and the University of Manchester. He has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Manchester.

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Lancet Countdown South America

Dr Stella Hartinger

Director, Lancet Countdown South America

Stella is an environmental health specialist with a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from the University of Basel. Her research areas include household air pollution and water, sanitation and hygiene. She has vast experience in randomized health interventions addressing environmental health problems, and studies generating knowledge about climate change and health in Peru.

Dr Armando Valdés-Velasquez

Climate Change and Ecosystem Health Specialist, LANCET COUNTDOWN SOUTH AMERICA

Armando is a biodiversity conservation specialist with a PhD in Zoology and Geography from the University of Bonn. His research interests span different aspects of human-nature interactions, including natural resource management, human attitudes and perceptions towards nature, and ecosystem health in the context of climate change. He has experience working with a range of organisations in South America including local communities, NGOs, government agencies and donor organisations.

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Luciana Blanco

Communications Coordinator, LANCET COUNTDOWN SOUTH AMERICA

Luciana is a biologist with a master's degree in epidemiology from the University Cayetano Heredia in Peru. She is currently communications coordinator at the Lancet Countdown South America and has a great interest in the dissemination of scientific information on climate change and health. Before joining the team, Luciana worked as a researcher at the University Cayetano Heredia.

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Rodrigo Velarde

Policy Manager, Lancet Countdown South America

Rodrigo is an environmental impact assessment specialist with a specialisation in sustainable development and communications. His areas of expertise are crisis management, external communications, sustainable development, environment, and social issues. Prior to joining the Lancet Countdown South America, Rodrigo worked for private corporations, NGOs and consultancy companies.

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Dr Valerie Paz-Soldan

Vector-borne diseases and One Health expert, Lancet Countdown South America

Valerie is a scientist, with a PhD in public health, whose research for ~20 years has focused on vector-borne diseases (dengue, Chagas), examining the human behavioral side of the vector-ecology-human triad (One Health). She uses implementation science approaches to develop and implement sustainable context-specific strategies for infectious disease prevention and control.

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Marisol Yglesias

Climate Change and Health Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown South America

Marisol is an Environmental Health specialist with a master's degree in International Health from Charité –University Medicine Berlin. She is interested in greening health systems, planetary health issues and the climate change and health nexus. Before joining our team, Marisol worked with international organizations, government sector and as independent consultant.

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Lancet Countdown Asia

Professor Wenjia Cai

Director, Lancet Countdown Asia

Wenjia Cai is now an associate professor of Global Change Economics in Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University. Her main research interests is the evaluation of climate mitigation’s impacts to environment and health. She has published papers in The Lancet Planetary Health, The Lancet, Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Research Letters, Applied Energy and etc. She is the principal investigator of Lancet Countdown Regional Centre for Asia.

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Professor Chi Zhang

VICE-DIRECTOR, LANCET COUNTDOWN ASIA

Chi Zhang is now a Professor in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment at the School of Management and Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology. Her research areas include climate change and healthy economics, energy economics and sustainable development, environmental economics and management. She has published papers in The Lancet Public Health, Applied Energy, Energy Conversion and Management, among others.

Yibo Ke

Communications and Engagement Manager, Lancet Countdown Asia

Yibo Ke has a master's degree from the Beijing University of Agriculture and is responsible for communication and administration for the Lancet Countdown Regional Centre for Asia. She has previously worked with the National Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr Xueqin Cui

Mitigation and Health Co-Benefits Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown Asia

Xueqin is an energy and climate change modeler with a PhD in environmental economics from Renmin University of China. He has been working on sustainable development impacts assessment of energy system transition, with a special interest in human health co-benefits of carbon mitigation. Xueqin is now working as a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua University.

Dr Zhao Liu

Health Impacts Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown Asia

Zhao is a climate change and health impact assessment specialist with a PhD in natural disaster from the Beijing Normal University. Her research areas include heat-related health impact assessment in the background of climate change, the impact of population aging on heat-related mortality in the future, and risk assessment of natural disasters. She is now also working as a postdoctoral associate in Tsinghua University.

Dr Shihui Zhang

Energy, Health and Economics Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown Asia

Shihui is an energy-economics-health modeler with a Ph.D in environmental science and engineering from Tsinghua University. Her research focuses on the economic, air quality and health impacts of low carbon transitions, as well as incorporating health impacts into policymaking. She is now working as a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua University.

Lancet Countdown Australia

Dr Paul Beggs

Co-Chair, MJA-Lancet Countdown Australia

Paul is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He is an environmental health scientist with expertise in health and climate change, and his main research focus is the impacts of climate change on allergens such as pollen and allergic diseases such as asthma.

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Dr Ying Zhang

Co-Chair, MJA-Lancet Countdown Australia

Associate Professor Ying Zhang is a senior epidemiologist at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. Her work has been dedicated to research, education and engagement on climate change and health in Australia and internationally for many years.

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Lancet Countdown Europe

Professor Rachel Lowe

Director, Lancet Countdown Europe

Rachel Lowe is an ICREA Research Professor, Global Health Resilience Team Leader at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), and Director of the Lancet Countdown in Europe. She also holds a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She coordinates two Wellcome Trust digital technology, climate, and health projects, HARMONIZE and IDExtremes, which aim to provide robust data and modelling tools to build local resilience against emerging infectious disease threats in climate change hotspots. She is the co-coordinator of the Horizon Europe project IDAlert, which aims to tackle the emergence and transmission of zoonotic pathogens by developing novel indicators and innovative early warning systems to strengthen Europe’s resilience to emerging health threats.

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Dr Kim van Daalen

Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown Europe

Kim van Daalen is a post-doctoral researcher at the BSC Global Health Resilience team focusing on climate change, infectious disease and gender inequities, and a Lancet Countdown Research Fellow coordinating the Lancet Countdown in Europe with Prof. Lowe. Kim is also an honorary fellow at UCL. She recently finished her PhD as Gates Cambridge Scholar at the University of Cambridge. In 2022 she won the Bill Gates Sr. Prize for outstanding research and leadership, and in 2017 she won a Public Health award for her MPhil in Public Health & Epidemiology. Kim has co-authored multiple publications reflecting her broad research interests at the intersections of environmental epidemiology with climate change, planetary health, and (gender) inequities.

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Dr Cathryn Tonne

Co-Director, Lancet Countdown Europe

Cathryn Tonne is an Associate Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), and an environmental epidemiologist focusing on the health effects of air pollution from traffic and household sources. She is also the Co-Director of the Lancet Countdown in Europe and leads the working group focused on mitigation actions and health co-benefits in the Europe collaboration. She is a member of the Expert Working Group on climate change, air pollution, and health within the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Air Pollution and Health. She led the European Research Council funded Cardiovascular Health effects of Air pollution in Telangana, India and is coordinator of CATALYSE, a Horizon Europe project focused on climate change and health.

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Professor Maria Nilsson

Chair, Lancet Countdown Europe

Prof. Maria Nilsson is a professor in public health with the orientation climate change and health at the department of Epidemiology and Global Health at Umeå University in Sweden; a social scientist who holds a PhD in epidemiology and public health sciences. She is also the Chair of the Lancet Countdown in Europe. She was the integrating editor in the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and climate change, and co-leads the global working group on adaptation, planning, and resilience for health in the Lancet Countdown. She was awarded a fellowship from the Swedish Institute for Global Health Transformation (SIGHT), under the auspices of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, for global health leadership.

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Professor Josep M. Antó

Co-chair, Lancet Countdown Europe

Josep M. Antó is a Senior Research Professor at ISGlobal, a Professor of Medicine at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain, and the Co-Chair of the Lancet Countdown in Europe. He is a respiratory physician and epidemiologist whose research has focused on the epidemiology of asthma and COPD with special interest on the environmental determinants and prevention of these diseases. Among other leading positions, he has been the Founding Director of Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) (2005-2016) and Founding Scientific Director of ISGlobal (2016-2019). In the past years, he has been increasingly devoted to adapt environmental health strategies to the fight against climate change and to promote the concept of planetary health locally and internationally.

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