dr. C. Anthonj (Carmen)

I am an Associate Professor with a Tenure Track Chair on Water, Health and Decisions at the Faculty ITC, University of Twente. My mission is to use water- and health-related related knowledge, information and data to inform improved health-promoting decision-making and interventions.

My group focuses on water and health challenges and how to solve them. Our research aims at providing safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to prevent exposure to water-related infectious disease, at reducing adverse impacts of extreme weather events on health-promoting infrastructure, and at promoting blue spaces to support well-being. We use a broad nexus perspective, and consider implications of environmental justice and inequality, extreme weather events, cultural context, and are particularly interested in working with vulnerable population groups.

We conduct empirical mixed methods research and employ a number of different research methods and tools, closely involving the target population in capturing spatial and non-spatial, individual and collective information to co-define challenges they are facing, co-design methods that work best for them, and co-create solutions and interventions. We work across different sectors and with different stakeholders, and collaborate with international organizations, governments and research institutes globally.

Our ongoing projects are being implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Zimbabwe), Latin America (Brazil, Peru), Asia (India, Nepal) and Europe (Netherlands, Slovakia, Germany).

Expertise

• Medicine and Dentistry

  • Water
  • Health
  • Health Hazard

• Social Sciences

  • Sanitation
  • Hygiene
  • Diseases
  • Health Risk

• Earth and Planetary Sciences

  • Investigation

Organisations

My group focuses on water and health challenges and how to solve them. Our research aims at providing safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to prevent exposure to water-related infectious disease, at reducing adverse impacts of extreme weather events on health-promoting infrastructure, and at promoting blue spaces to support well-being. We use a broad nexus perspective, and consider implications of environmental justice and inequality, extreme weather events, cultural context, and are particularly interested in working with vulnerable population groups.

We conduct empirical mixed methods research and employ a number of different research methods and tools, closely involving the target population in capturing spatial and non-spatial, individual and collective information to co-define challenges they are facing, co-design methods that work best for them, and co-create solutions and interventions. We work across different sectors and with different stakeholders, and collaborate with international organizations, governments and research institutes globally.

Publications

Research profiles

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Our focus is on water and health challenges and how to solve them. Besides considering water and health, we contextualize research problems with other global developments. We aim at providing safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to prevent exposure to water-related infectious disease and at reducing adverse impacts of extreme weather events on health-promoting infrastructure. And use related knowledge and data to inform health-promoting decision-making.

Here are some of our current and past projects:

HealthyWatersIntegrated: Strengthening water and health security in Europe’s marginalized communities through integrated social, geographical, medical and technological approaches
(PI, funder NWO OC SSH) 2024-2025

Vulnerable groups at the margins of societies in Europe, such as Roma people, often live in informal settlements, where they are excluded from access to safe drinking water, sanitation and waste management. Understanding the extent of related high health risk, and providing assistance through targeted interventions, are complicated by the invisibility of this group, and the inaccessibility of reliable, up-to-date information. We aim to improve the acquisition of information on water insecurity and related health risks among Roma communities, and develop an innovative assessment system that integrates social, medical, geoinformation and earth observation science methods.

Co-designing climate-sensitive blue and green spaces with vulnerable urban populations
(PI, funder VU-UT Collaboration Fund) 2024-2025

Blue and green spaces hold many benefits for human health, particularly in the context of climate change, heatwaves, and flooding. They provide cooling effects and reduce air pollution, and safeguard mental and social well-being by providing restoration and stress relief and facilitating social connectedness. The most disadvantaged parts of the population, including older adults and people experiencing homelessness, often miss out on nature’s benefits due to a lack of such spaces nearby and additional barriers related to infrastructure, social stigma, and lack of involvement in urban planning processes. Our project aims to counteract these barriers by considering the needs and preferences of vulnerable people and by including them in urban planning processes. We use geoinformation systems and artificial intelligence for visualizing and exploring potential changes to the city landscape, and involve these population groups, as well as decision-makers, in a participatory co-design approaches.

Integrating AI and VR in responsible futuring workshops to co-design urban blue and green spaces with vulnerable groups
(Team member, funder UT DesignLab Fellows Fund) 2024-2025

This project aims to develop and implement a workshop to explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) into the responsible Futuring Approach. This combination of AI and VR, enables the creation of simulations of urban blue and green spaces in urban areas. These simulations are relevant for early evaluations of these areas, focusing on the needs and preferences of different stakeholder groups, including vulnerable people, city planners, and policy makers. They also provide a means to assess the impact of extreme weather events. This project will serve as a steppingstone integrating various digital tools, geoinformation systems, VR and AI to support climate-sensitive and inclusive planning, and co-design of urban nature spaces.

Climate-resilient drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for those left behind in cities
(PI, funder ITC Blue Skies Fund) 2023-2024

This project aimed to fill the combined knowledge gap on understanding the challenges that homeless communities in urban areas are facing with regard to WASH insecurity overall, and specifically with regard to accessibility and usability of WASH during extreme weather events. It involved homeless community members as key stakeholders in co-designing the most suitable data collection methods, and in jointly identifying suitable interventions which were then discussed with decision-makers. Data were collected from and with people experiencing homelessness with different methods (in-depth interviews, combined arts-based research workshops and group discussions), from their service providers (social workers), and from public urban drinking water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure based on spot checks. In a transdisciplinary approach, homeless persons acted as co-researchers, and co-defined specific problems, suitable data collection methods and analytical techniques with other relevant stakeholders, e.g. homeless associations, shelters, social workers, local government, WASH providers.

Impact of flooding on the social and mental health of older adults
(PI, funder CSC) 2022-2026

As societies are aging, and as climate change and increased the frequency, intensity and unpredictability of extreme weather events, including flooding, human safety and well-being are at risk. Understanding the impact of flooding on older adults, and their well-being is critical for preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. This project aims to understand the effects of flooding on older adults' social health and mental health in the German Ahr Valley and involves observation, surveys, in-depth interviews, group discussions, and geospatial analyses. Preliminary findings indicate that various effects, including reduced sense of place and belonging, increased isolation, reduced network support, lack of information and different mental health outcomes.

WISER: Wellbeing in a Sustainable Economy Revisited. Case study on water (in)security, human well-being and productivity growth in urban populations
(Team member, PI of case study, funder European Union) 2023-2026

Water security plays an important role in promoting human health and well-being and fostering community development. Water insecurity, and limited access to safe WASH can increase water-related disease exposure. Flooding creates additional challenges to human health, while causing destruction and damaging livelihoods. If both coincide, and flooding hits deficient WASH infrastructure, this creates a dual health challenge for affected communities. Beyond physical health, water insecurity adversely affects well-being and quality of life, social relationships and human-environment interactions. Besides health and well-being, water insecurity also impedes development and productivity of a society. Reduced resources to be invested in infrastructures and their resilience may lead to further deficiencies, failures and unpredictable futures and related adverse health and well-being outcomes. This project determines the effect of water (in)security on human  well-being and productivity growth in urban populations of Nairobi, Kenya.

WHY: Water hyacinths: Use them or lose them? Improving human and ecosystem health by bringing the co-creating science to the with people of Lake Chivero, Zimbabwe
(Team member, funder NWO-NRF South Africa Collaboration WEF Nexus) 2023-2026

Water hyacinth, an invasive species in (sub-)tropical inland waters, clogs waterways and affects aquatic life and human activities, in addition, it can facilitate the spread of diseases. On the other hand, water hyacinth can be exploited to produce biofuels and other sources of income. A sustainable solution to water hyacinth encroachment "uses" WHY rather than just trying to "get rid of it". This project will use scientific research, satellite data and stakeholder experiences to co-create such solutions for Lake Chivero, the main source of drinking water for Harare, Zimbabwe's capital.

News on utwente.nl

UT scientist works with homeless people as ‘co-researchers’ - U-Today (utoday.nl)

Driving change in the real world - U-Today (utoday.nl)

Resilience Reflections #8: Reconsidering Human Resilience (itc.nl)

Dr. C. Anthonj | Dr.Carmen Anthonj | Research University of Twente (utwente.nl)

Projects | Water, health and decisions | Home ITC

Geo-health research knows no limits - U-Today (utoday.nl)

Water Institute Uses Data to Strengthen WaSH Systems in Pacific Island Countries - UNC Global Affairs

Address

University of Twente

Langezijds (building no. 19), room 1213
Hallenweg 8
7522 NH Enschede
Netherlands

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