WELCOME TO BIRLEY HIA

Dr Martin Birley is an independent international consultant in Health Impact Assessment, former Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, UK, and former Senior Health Advisor on HIA at Shell. He has been at the forefront of global health impact assessment for over 30 years.

Martin H Birley, MSc, DIC, PhD, HonMFPH

Dr Martin Birley is an independent international consultant in Health Impact Assessment, former Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, UK, and former Senior Health Advisor on HIA at Shell. He has been at the forefront of global health impact assessment for over 30 years. He was involved in the development of the discipline since its early days in tropical medicine, to its later emergence as an instrument both for healthy public policy in the UK and Europe, and for community safeguards by international development banks.

He has personal experience of many sectors including water resource development, agriculture, oil and gas, housing and planning. He has written guidelines for health agencies, development banks and multinational corporations. He continues to work all across the globe as well as in the UK. He runs training courses for institutions worldwide. He currently heads up a London based consultancy BirleyHIA. Martin’s depth of experience places him in an ideal position to provide an introduction to the rapidly expanding field of health impact assessment, for the benefit of newcomers and experienced practitioners alike.

Former member: International Association for Impact Assessment

Martin is a recipient of various awards including the Individual Award of the IAIA:

“This award is given to an individual who has made a major contribution to the discipline of impact assessment at an international level. For 2001, we have selected Dr Birley for his contribution to the development of health impact assessment as a recognised field of practice.”

He has also been recognised for his local voluntary work on environmental issues through the South West London regional award

“given to an individual who has made a major contribution to the improvement of the environment at a local level.”

EXPERIENCE  SUMMARY

  • Pioneering Health Impact Assessment since 1984

  • Extensive experience of HIA in many countries of the world

  • Author of many books, guidelines, reports and academic papers

  • Consultant to WHO, World Bank, Asian and African Development Bank, DFID, governments and private concerns

  • Senior Health Adviser on Health Impact Assessment for Shell International

  • Senior University Lecturer

  • Receipt of individual recognition award from IAIA for work of international significance in Health Impact Assessment

  • Invited speaker on HIA at many conferences

  • High level of computer proficiency

WHAT IS HIA?

Health Impact Assessment, or HIA, is a consensus building process around the future positive and negative health consequences of changes that affect defined populations of people. It may be integrated with other forms of impact assessment (ESHIA/ESIA/EIA/SEA), or stand-alone.

BirleyHIA – safeguarding community health

BirleyHIA consultants undertake HIA for Local Authorities, private & public sector organisations in collaboration with project sponsors, regulatory authorities, local communities, and other stakeholders; and within internationally accepted professional codes of practice. The firm also runs HIA training and workshops for individuals and organisations.