Biomarker Conference to showcase links between health and social and economic factors

The Understanding Society Biomarkers Conference will take place on 15th March 2017 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London.

Presentations on new research include non-standard work-hours, unemployment and financial insecurity, caregiving, volunteering, and neighbourhood differences in morbidity.

There will be ample time for discussion of analytical issues raised by the presentations and more generally.

The Biomarker Team from Understanding Society will also be on hand to answer any additional questions that users may have about the data.

The programme

09.00 – 09.30 Registration and refreshments

09.30 – 09.40 Welcome and introduction by Professor Michaela Benzeval, Director, Understanding Society

09.40 – 10.35 Biomeasures

09.40 – 09.50 Introduction

09.50 – 10.05 Estimating population prevalence of potential airflow obstruction using different spirometric criteria: a pooled cross-sectional analysis of persons aged 40-95 years in England and Wales Shaun Scholes – University College London

10.05 – 10.20 Exploring the role of household and area in social patterning in lung function Caroline Carney – University of Essex

10.20 – 10.35 Discussion

10.35 – 12.20 Part I – Biomarkers

10.35 – 10.50 Introduction

Inflammation

10.50 – 11.05 Unravelling the relationships between unemployment, stress and inflammation in the UK after the financial crisis: A propensity score matching analysis Rachel Sumner – University of Gloucestershire

11.05 – 11.20 Associations between Atypical Work and Symptoms of Depression: A role for inflammation? Gill Weston – University College London

11.20 – 11.35 Discussion

Metabolic Risks

11.35 – 11.50 Informal caregiving and inflammatory and metabolic markers in the UK Household Longitudinal Study Rebecca Lacey – University College London

11.50 – 12.05 Income trajectories and biomarkers of inflammation and metabolic risk Jennifer Dowd – King’s College London

12.05 – 12.20 Discussion

12.20 – 13.00 Lunch

13.00 – 14.05 Part II – Biomarkers

Other Biomarkers

13.00 – 13.05 Introduction

13.05 – 13.20 The impact of economic insecurity on stress-related biomarkers among the working-age population during the Great Recession Claire Niedzwiedz – University of Oxford

13.20 – 13.35 The biological correlates of volunteering and giving: A cross-sectional analysis of inflammatory markers and hormones. Matthew Bennett – University of Birmingham

13.35 – 13.50 Diabetes and person-environment misfit Gopalakrishnan Netuveli – University College London

13.50 – 14.05 Discussion

14.05 – 15.00 Allostatic Load

14.05 – 14.15 Introduction

14.15 – 14.30 Neighbourhood socioeconomic inequality and allostatic load Natasha Crawford – University of Essex

14.30 – 14.45 Does allostatic load mediate the relationship of area deprivation and health? An investigation of the stress pathway Lucy Prior – University of Bristol

14.45 – 15.00 Discussion

15.00 – 15.30 Genetics

15.00 – 15.05 Introduction

15.05 – 15.20 Genome-wide association analysis of 20 health-related blood biomarkers in the UK Household Longitudinal Study reveals novel associations Karoline Kuchenbaecker – Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

15.20 – 15.30 Discussion

15.30 – 15.55 Methodological Issues

15.30 – 15.35 Introduction

15.35 – 15.50 Nurse effects on participation in two longitudinal studies Alexandru Cernat – University of Manchester

15.50 – 15.55 Discussion

15.55 – 16.45 Discussion of issues raised for the use of biomarkers and genetics in research

16.45 – 17.15 Refreshments

If you have any questions regarding any Understanding Society events, please contact Jay James: events@understandingsociety.ac.uk

Register for the Biomarker Conference here

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