Children's Health and Environment Program

The Children's Health and Environment Program (CHEP) is part of the Child Health Research Centre at The University of Queensland.

Founded by Professor Peter Sly, and now led by Professor Paul Robinson, the Children’s Health and Environment Program (CHEP) aims to address the impact of environmental exposures on child health through a holistic approach to environmental health research and policy reform. Our research focuses on understanding early life mechanisms of disease, and on improving risk assessment for environmental exposures - the process of estimating or measuring the magnitude, frequency and duration of environmental exposures in children.

We study how early life factors increase disease risk, using clinical studies, longitudinal birth cohorts, environmental epidemiology, and laboratory-based science. By identifying who is at risk, understanding why and how that risk develops, and detecting health impacts early, we design targeted strategies to improve outcomes for communities across Queensland and beyond.

We conduct bench to bedside research that aims to understand environmental contributions to chronic disease, with an emphasis on chronic childhood lung diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. With research that spans a continuum from basic science, longitudinal cohort studies, clinical trials, and translation of findings into clinical practice, we work to delay or prevent lung disease, improve its clinical management and halt its progression as children transition to adulthood.