Environmental changes and health is one of the most urgent challenges for the international society. With the rapid urbanisation process, the changes in the living environment, social organisation, family relations, housing conditions, transportation choices, dietary patterns, access to education and healthcare services, and the transmission of infectious disease agents affect people’s everyday life. These changes are going to further exacerbate and add new environmental and health impacts on population, especially the vulnerable groups, which brings challenges but also opportunities for people’s quality of life.

The purpose of the pre-conference is to bring together both international and Chinese researchers from the natural, social and health sciences to exchange ideas on the theme of “Shaping Geographies of Health, Health Care and Environment”.

This conference would identify and discuss the state of knowledge on environmental health, development and vulnerability and on sustainable health care systems from a broad public health perspective but also include the medical performance, the environmental stresses, the demographic changes including population ageing, the socio-economic conditions and economic capability of health care systems.