Mireia Gascon, PhD

Mireia Gascon, biologist, has gained wide and varied experience in research in the field of environmental epidemiology.

She started conducting epidemiological studies on both occupational (Costa Rica – MSc project) and population-based studies (Spain – PhD). During her PhD she focused on estimating the impact of pre-and postnatal exposures to chemicals on child health. As a key component of this work, Gascon coordinated the follow-up of a birth cohort in Ribera d’Ebre (Spain) among children aged 12-13 years, and during this period she also participated in several other epidemiological projects —both European and national level— also focused on child health (e.g. ENRIECO, CHICOS and HELIX).

She is currently focused on improving scientific understanding of the health impacts of the built environment and transport planning. Since January 2016 she is working on the EC-funded project BlueHealth, which is aimed at evaluating the potential for health promotion and disease prevention of ‘blue and green infrastructure’ in European countries. Since January 2019 she is also coordinating the postnatal follow-up of the Barcelona Life Study Cohort (BiSC), a birth cohort led by Jordi Sunyer, with the aim to study the impacts of prenatal exposure to air pollution on children’s neurodevelopment and other health outcomes.

Lines of Research

•  Child health
•  Urban health

Main Publications

•  Vert C, Carrasco-Turigas G, Zijlema W, Espinosa A, Cano-Riu L, Elliott LR, Litt J, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Gascon M. Impact of a riverside accessibility intervention on use, physical activity, and wellbeing: A mixed methods pre-post evaluation. Landscape and Urban Planning 2019 (In Press).
•  Gascon M, Sánchez-Benavides G, Dadvand P, Martínez D, Gramunt N, Gotsens X, Cirach M, Vert C, Molinuevo JL, Crous-Bou M, Nieuwenhuijsen M. Long-term exposure to residential green and blue spaces and anxiety and depression in adults: a cross-sectional study. Environ Res 2018; 162: 231-239.
•  Gascon M, Zijlema W, Vert C, White MP, Nieuwenhuijsen N. Outdoor blue spaces, human health and well-being: a systematic review of quantitative studies. Int J of Hyg and Environ Health 2017; 220(8):1207-1221.
•  Gascon M, Triguero-Mas M, Martinez D, Dadvand P, Rojas-Rueda D, Plasencia A, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. Residential green spaces and mortality: A systematic review. Environ Int 2016; 86: 60-67.
•  Gascon M, Casas M, Morales E, Valvi D, Ballesteros-Gomez A, Luque N, Rubio S, Monfort N, Ventura R, Martinez D, Sunyer J, Vrijheid M. Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates and childhood respiratory tract infections and allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2015; 135(2): 370-378.