Webinar: Lung Cancer and Air Pollution | Lung Cancer Nursing UK

Webinar: Lung Cancer and Air Pollution

Tuesday 31st March 2026 18:00 - 19:00

This webinar, presented by Dr Joan Schiller, explores the link between air pollution, climate change, and lung cancer, with direct relevance to nursing practice. It highlights evidence that air pollution increases lung cancer risk and mortality, even in never-smokers, and examines how wildfire smoke, heat, and climate-related disruptions affect treatment delivery and patient outcomes.

Webinar objectives:

  • Understand how air pollution and climate-related exposures impact treatment tolerance, recovery, and survival in lung cancer patients.
  • Identify how extreme heat and environmental events may affect drug metabolism, radiation therapy, and patient safety.
  • Appreciate the importance of environmental exposure history in never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer.
  • Explore practical steps for patient education, service preparedness, and professional advocacy through organisations such as Oncology Advocates United for Climate and Health International (OUCH-I).

All healthcare professionals are welcome to join this webinar and to participate in the Q&A session that will follow the presentation.

  • The views expressed by speakers or other thirds parties are those of the speaker or third party and not necessarily of LCNUK.
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  • The contents do not negate the requirement for comprehensive assessment, liaison and management of patients, their families and caregivers.
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Speakers

  • Bing Smith

    Barts Health Trust
    My initial nursing journey started in 2000 when I qualified as a Registered Nurse in China, I worked mainly on the thoracic and general surgical wards which I really enjoyed and this kick started my interest in lung cancer. I moved to the UK in 2010 and initially worked as a Registered Nurse on a Respiratory ward, where I further developed a knowledge base of respiratory illnesses and malignancies. I have been working as a Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (LCNS) since 2017 covering both diagnostic and treatment pathway. Since undertaking this role, I have successfully completed BSc in Acute Care and Independent Prescriber qualification. I review patients who attend the lung cancer diagnostic clinic and oncology treatment review clinic.
    My main interest is in the field of nurse led research and advanced clinical practice, I am currently a member of the data monitoring committee for NIHR research, “Fit4surgery”. I am an Associate PI for the “Improving Access and Recruitment to Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer Patients”. I am also a co-author for several posters which were accepted by LCNUK and UKONS.
    My other interest is workforce planning. I started working as the Lead LCNS in Barts Health recently after 13 years of service in Surrey. I look forward to the new role. One of the main priorities for my role will be around workforce planning and collaborative working in the second largest cancer centre in the UK.
    I am a keen advocate for the provision of equal service access for minority patient groups who have been diagnosed with lung cancer as I am aware that often these patient groups have significant barriers to accessing care, support and treatment.
    I look forward to working with the LCNUK committee and LCNSs to develop research based practice to support our patients.

  • Joan Schiller

    Steering Committee Chair and Co-founder, OUCH-Int’l,
    (Oncology Advocates United for Climate and Health – International)
    Lung Cancer Research Foundation – Board Member
    Deputy Director of UTSW Simmons Cancer Center and Inova Schar Cancer Institute (Retired)
    Deputy Director of the Inova Scar Cancer Center (retired)
    Adjunct Professor, University of Virginia

    Dr. Joan H. Schiller is a widely published and internationally recognized oncologist for her work in lung cancer clinical research. She has served on numerous national and international committees, including chair of the ECOG Thoracic Oncology Committee , as an editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology; as a board member for the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the principal investigator on many national clinical trials for lung cancer. Her research has generated well over peer-reviewed 200 publications.

    Dr. Schiller is also known for her pioneering efforts to bring awareness to the issue that climate change has profound effects on cancer incidence, treatment, and outcomes. Dr. Schiller is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Steering Committee of Oncology Advocate United for Climate and Health - International (OUCH-Int’l), a non-profit organization whose goal is to educate cancer health professionals and organizations about the impact climate change has on cancer care, and to advance awareness, actions, and policies that mitigate these effects. (Ouchforclimate.org). She has published numerous articles, editorials, and opinion pieces on the effects of climate change and has given multiple national and international talks and webinars.

    Dr. Schiller graduated from the University of Illinois Medical School and completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She then completed her fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, and stayed on as a faculty member where she subsequently served as head of the Lung Cancer Program. She transitioned to UT- Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where she served as division chief of Hematology/Oncology, Deputy Director of the Harold Simons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and held the Andrea L. Simmons Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Director of Clinical Investigation for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Virginia, where she was Chief of Hematology/Oncology. She currently has an adjunct professorship at the University of Virginia.