The Impact of the Environment and Pollution on Cognitive Health (EPOCH 2.0) Workshop
June 5, 2025
The Behaviour, Environment and Health (BEH) research team from the Australian Catholic University (ACU) organised the second Impact of the Environment and Pollution on Cognitive Health (EPOCH 2.0) workshop and roundtable on 5th of June 2025.
We cannot believe but it has been 3 years since the first EPOCH workshop was hosted at the Catholic Leadership Centre by the BEH research team. As in the first EPOCH workshop, EPOCH 2.0 aimed to bring together academic and non-academic stakeholders to help advance our understanding of how neighbourhood environmental features and air pollution influence cognitive health (e.g., memory and thinking skills) in later life and how this knowledge can be translated into practice and policies that shape and create age-friendly communities.
Notably, over 30 attendees took part in the workshop. To facilitate a two-way process of knowledge generation and exchange that is meaningful to all parties, Prof Ester Cerin chaired a roundtable discussion that focused on four main topics:
- relevance and importance of older adults’ cognitive health to policymakers’ and academic researchers’ agendas and the type of work that is currently done in this space;
- how the results from EPOCH and similar research projects can be translated into action and policy;
- evidence that is yet required to inform policymakers’ agendas and activities; and
- the environmental features that are most important for cognitive health and which should be investigated in future projects and activities.
Furthermore, the EPOCH 2.0 workshop provided updates about BEH’s research activities and shared novel EPOCH findings with respect to neighbourhood environments and cognitive health in ageing cohorts via poster presentations. For example, socioeconomic indicators (e.g., education, area-level socioeconomic status) and sex may determine the direction and/or strength of the effects of neighbourhoods on cognitive health in older adults.
Also, attendees had an opportunity to learn about BEH’s ongoing and future research projects that address other important research questions, some of which were identified by policymakers and the public during the first EPOCH workshop in 2022:
the international Mind and Activities in urban Places study (iMAP study)
the Healthy Ageing and Urban Spaces (HAUS)
Overall, the day was successful in fostering knowledge translation and collaboration amongst researchers and policymakers who are committed to the creation of healthy and age-friendly neighbourhoods. We are deeply grateful to our attendees who could join us and share their fruitful and constructive insights as well as a big thank you to a fantastic team at Catholic Leadership Centre for providing us with a comfortable space and delicious food (especially scones).
Let’s stay in touch and tuned in for more exciting findings from EPOCH and other research projects. If you’re interested in finding out more about the day, including the input we received from the attendees, please email us at becresearchgroup@gmail.com
Previous News Items
Three of the BEC team are amongst the worlds most influential researchers
November 16, 2022
This year two ICHEN founders and an additional member of the Behaviour, Environment, and Cogntition research team made it onto clarivates list of the most Highly Cited Researchers 2022
Planning Institute of Australia (Victoria) Award Winners!
November 14, 2022
Professor Ester Cerin, a founder of ICHEN was part of an elite team of researchers that won the Planning Institute of Australia (Victoria) Award for Planning Excellence – Planning Research (2022)
The Impact of the Environment and Pollution on Cognitive Health (EPOCH) Workshop/ Roundtable
May 14th, 2022
In May 2022 the BECRP research team hosted a successful first roundtable event, bringing together representatives from research, policy, and end users to advance their understanding of how features of the urban environment impact on cognition in later life.