Celebrating 80 Years of Excellence in Occupational Health research
16 Sep 2025
The Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health marks its 80th anniversary with an afternoon of talks, panels and the 2025 Lane Lecture.
On 1 October the University’s Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) will mark its 80th anniversary with a celebratory afternoon of talks and discussion that will incorporate this year’s Lane Lecture.
Established in 1945, COEH is the UK’s oldest and one of the world's earliest centres for occupational health research and education. Its foundation lies in Manchester's industrial history, particularly the cotton industry, with early studies addressing respiratory diseases and lead exposure.
The annual Lane Lecture honours Professor Ronald Lane, the first Professor of Occupational Medicine (1945–1964). The Centre’s subsequent leaders have each contributed to its growth and enduring reputation: Tommy Scott focussed on research on bladder cancer and hearing loss; Tim Lee broadened the scope to areas such as occupational asthma and lead poisoning, and introduced distance learning; Nicola Cherry expanded the department further with research into neurotoxicity and Gulf War Syndrome, launching the Occupational Disease Ascertainment Network (ODIN) network; and Raymond Agius strengthened environmental health research and online education, securing long term funding for the Health and Occupation Reporting (THOR) network.
Current lead, Professor Martie van Tongeren, has transformed the Centre into an interdisciplinary centre offering innovative undergraduate and postgraduate training, attracting students from around the world. Working in collaboration with Thomas Ashton Institute and the Manchester Environmental Research Institute, COEH’s research spans global occupational and environmental health, health inequalities, climate change and health, digitalization and AI, as well as traditional occupational hazards. The Centre is also actively engaged with regulatory bodies, and its balance of basic and translational research supports policy makers.
Professor van Tongeren commented: “I am proud and honoured to be part of the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, continuing the legacy begun by Prof Ronald Lane 80 years ago. As new challenges like AI emerge and longstanding ones like silicosis persist, our mission to protect worker health through research and teaching remains vital. I’m confident COEH will continue to lead the way.”
80th anniversary event
COEH invites colleagues and guests to commemorate 80 years of pioneering research and education at The University of Manchester on the afternoon of 1 October.
This year’s Lane Lecture will be given by Professor Malcolm Sim, who has played a lead role in research and advisory activities to address the silicosis epidemic in Australia among stonemasons working with artificial stone.
You can register and get a detailed programme for the event at: