The 6th Joint Cultural Session between the University of Aveiro and the Portuguese Navy Academy took place on April 23, 2026, at the ISCA-UA Auditorium, under the theme “Ocean and Human Health.” The initiative, organized in partnership with the National Committee for the Ocean Decade, brought together researchers and experts to examine the relationship between the ocean and human health, with a focus on emerging challenges and scientific opportunities in this field.
CESAM was represented by Susana Loureiro, CESAM researcher and professor at the Department of Biology of the University of Aveiro, who delivered the presentation “From Seafood to Family Health: Reproductive Risks Associated with Mercury Contamination,” and by Luís Menezes Pinheiro, CESAM researcher and professor at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Aveiro, who contributed with an intervention on the Declaration of the International Conference “Ocean and Human Health” and the urgency for action in this domain. Their participation highlights CESAM’s role in advancing interdisciplinary research at the interface of environment, ocean, and human health.
The programme included several contributions addressing topics such as the development of novel marine-derived pharmaceuticals, the impact of microplastics on cardiovascular health, risks associated with mercury contamination and cardiovascular mortality, as well as projects demonstrating the role of the ocean in clinical and social contexts.
Luís Menezes Pinheiro emphasizes that “initiatives of this nature are essential to bridge the gap between scientific research and society, and to reinforce the need for evidence-based decision-making, particularly in such a critical area as the relationship between the ocean and human health.”
Further information: https://cndo.ipma.pt/noticias/vi-sessao-cultural-conjunta-u-de-aveiro-academia-de-marinha