Stakeholder Advisory Board

The UPRISE Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) brings together external experts and representatives from key sectors relevant to environmental health, pregnancy, air pollution, and public health protection.

The SAB is composed of selected key stakeholders from public health authorities, healthcare, regional and local authorities, national and EU-level authorities, the scientific community, researchers, citizens, and affected groups. Its members provide independent advice, feedback, and expertise to support the development, implementation, and impact of UPRISE.

Why the Stakeholder Advisory Board matters

UPRISE investigates how tiny airborne pollutants, including ultrafine particles and micro- and nanoplastics, may affect pregnancy, fetal development, and early-life health. Addressing such complex questions requires input from a broad range of perspectives.

The SAB helps ensure that UPRISE remains connected to real-world needs, policy priorities, public health challenges, and the experiences of affected communities. By engaging stakeholders throughout the project, UPRISE aims to strengthen the relevance, accessibility, and long-term impact of its research.

Role and responsibilities

The SAB is consulted across the different phases of the project. Members are invited to provide input, review, and feedback on selected project activities and outputs.

Key responsibilities include:

  • advising on the relevance and potential impact of UPRISE activities

  • providing feedback on project results, communication, and dissemination materials

  • supporting the development of public health recommendations

  • contributing perspectives from policy, healthcare, research, public authorities, civil society, and affected communities

  • helping strengthen the link between scientific evidence, regulation, prevention, and public health action

  • supporting dialogue around future regulatory frameworks based on project findings

The SAB complements the UPRISE Parent Advisory Board (PAB), which brings in the perspectives of parents with lived experience of preterm birth and supports co-creation activities, communication, and dissemination from a parent and patient perspective.

First Stakeholder Advisory Board meeting

The first UPRISE Stakeholder Advisory Board meeting took place at the end of June 2026. The meeting brought together SAB members and project representatives for an initial exchange on the project’s aims, progress, and stakeholder engagement approach.

The discussion was lively, with members raising many relevant questions and contributing valuable perspectives from their respective fields. Topics included the translation of research findings into public health recommendations, the importance of clear and accessible communication, the role of policy and regulation, and the need to consider the perspectives of affected groups and communities.

This first meeting marked an important step in strengthening dialogue between UPRISE and its external stakeholders, ensuring that the project continues to develop in a way that is scientifically robust, socially relevant, and policy-oriented.

Stakeholder Advisory Board members

  • Director of the National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain

    Ana has a background in environmental sciences and extensive expertise in human biomonitoring, environmental health, chemical exposure assessment, and science-policy integration. Her work focuses on understanding population exposure to environmental factors and supporting evidence-based approaches to protect public health and the environment.

  • Henry Rutgers Chair and Professor of Nanoscience and Environmental Bioengineering, Rutgers School of Public Health, USA

    Philip’s research focuses on nanosafety, particle exposure, engineered nanomaterials, and interactions between particles and biological systems. He has extensive experience in particle characterisation, risk assessment, and environmental and occupational health research.

  • Head of the Service of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, Valencia, Spain

    Sergio’s work focuses on public health, hospital preparedness, infection prevention and control, surveillance innovation, and environmental biosafety in healthcare settings. He also contributes to national training programmes and strategic initiatives to strengthen public health system resilience.

  • Senior Epidemiologist and Head of the Environment and Health Department, FISABIO, Spain

    Sabrina is Principal Investigator of the INMA birth cohort in Valencia and has more than 20 years of experience studying the health effects of environmental exposures in children. Her research focuses on prenatal and postnatal determinants of fetal development, birth outcomes, child growth, neurodevelopment, respiratory health, and other health outcomes from childhood to early adulthood.

  • Team Leader Integrated Projects and Air Quality Modelling, Flanders Environment Agency, Belgium

    Christophe leads work on air quality innovation and is involved in initiatives that combine measurement data, modelling, policy support, and citizen science. His work focuses on translating complex air quality data into actionable insights for policymakers, local authorities, and the public.

  • Secretary of Asociación de Padres de Niños Prematuros (APREM), Spain

    María de Viarce Torres is Secretary of APREM, the Spanish Association of Parents of Premature Children. APREM is a public utility organisation working nationally to support families affected by preterm birth. María brings an important lived-experience perspective as the mother of a child born extremely preterm, as well as professional experience as a doctor.

Together, the Stakeholder Advisory Board strengthens UPRISE by bringing external expertise, practical insight, and societal perspectives into the project. By engaging advisors from public health, policy, research, healthcare, environmental management, and affected communities, UPRISE aims to ensure that its findings are not only scientifically robust, but also relevant, accessible, and useful beyond the research community. Through this ongoing exchange, the SAB supports the project’s ambition to turn knowledge about invisible environmental risks into meaningful action for healthier pregnancies, healthier babies, and healthier future generations.