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About IVHHN

 

The International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN) is an umbrella organization for all research and information on the health hazards and impacts of volcanic eruptions. IVHHN represents academics and practitioners working across diverse scientific disciplines such as volcanology, epidemiology, environmental science, toxicology, public health and exposure science with a common aim of trying to determine the health impacts of volcanic emissions and to protect exposed communities.

IVHHN is directed by:

Director: Prof Claire Horwell (Durham University, UK)

Co-Director: Dr Carol Stewart (Massey University, NZ)

Co-Director: Dr David Damby (USGS, Menlo Park, USA)

Co-Director: Dr Evgenia Ilyinskaya (University of Leeds, UK)

ECR representative: Dr Ines Tomašek (Université Clermont Auvergne, France)

The Japanese version of the IVHHN website was created and is maintained by Dr Yasuhiro Ishimine (Mt. Fuji Research Institute, Japan).

IVHHN is on Facebook and Twitter (via @claire_horwell). 

Aims

Improve Communication

  • Provide a forum for discussion and networking in relation to volcanic health issues, through hosting workshops, maintaining an up-to-date website and through social media.
  • Produce and widely disseminate evidence-based i) public health and protection information; ii) scientific protocols on volcanic ash collection and analysis.

Promote Research

  • Promote the expansion of research and encourage the systematic, robust collection and analysis of geologic and medical data to evaluate the health hazards of volcanic eruptions.
  • Collate scientific literature on the health hazards of eruptions from volcanoes world-wide.

Instigate Collaboration

  • Develop new collaborative, multidisciplinary links between academics and medical practitioners, emergency managers, civil protection and other non-academic entities.
  • Work directly with governmental and non-governmental organizations to help prepare for future eruptions and to advise on evaluation of potential health impacts during eruptions

In 2023, to celebrate 20 years of IVHHN, we published an article summarising our achievements and progress. The article can be read and downloaded at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1213363/full

Join IVHHN

The network maintains a mailing list to: i) inform members of professional meetings and breaking news; and ii) ask members to provide updates on relevant research publications. To join the mailing list, please send an email to [email protected] and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: join IVHHN FIRSTNAME LASTNAME (replacing 'FIRSTNAME LASTNAME' with your first name and last name).

IVHHN also has a public Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ivhhn/) which we hope you will join!

The Network

IVHHN was launched in 2003 and is an IAVCEI Commission. We have received funding from the Leverhulme Trust (Research Interchange Grant), the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (Special Award) and the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, Durham University where it is hosted. IVHHN began life as a network of academics, across multiple disciplines, who were interested in collaborating to determine the health hazards and impacts of volcanic eruptions. If you would like to be put in touch with an expert on the impacts of eruptions on health, please use the Contact page to make a request.

IVHHN's launch was covered by Science in the article: New Network Aims to Explore Hidden Perils (Vol 299, Issue 5615, p. 2023, DOI: 10.1126/science.299.5615.2023).

IVHHN is a partner of: