Vision, Themes and Goals

The Hebrew University Center of Excellence in Agriculture and Environmental Health (HUCEAEH) primary goal is to evaluate associations between exposures to agriculturally-derived pollutants and human health. These associations have not been extensively investigated especially in the context of Israel's unique and fragile environment. Thus, the HUCEAEH will address this gap. The Center is poised to take a greater role in contributing to interface between environmental quality and public health by bringing together researchers from The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Faculty of Medicine (School of Public Health and Community Medicine) and colleagues from the Ministry of Health. The newly established consortium aims to encourage multidisciplinary research activities, enhance public awareness, minimize the effects of agricultural activities on the environment, and better understand the consequences of agro-activities on human health.

The Center’s research has three main research themes:

• (i) Xenobiotics in the agro-ecosystem
• (ii) Human exposure to xenobiotics
• (iii) Effects of xenobiotics on human health

Around the research activity, the HUCEAEH aims to invest in training and capacity building to enhance human and analytical capabilities in this area, to interact with policy makers to enforce new regulation (if needed), and to enhance public awareness about agricultural practices and human health. Similarly, overtime, we expect our geographic scope to extend beyond Israel, to neighboring countries and regions with similar contexts.

Collaborating Institutions

Israeli Ministry of Health http://www.health.gov.il