At National College of Ireland, we are proud to share the news that Dr Nicole Gross, Assistant Professor in Business and Society, has contributed to The Lancet.

Unsafe by design? The launch of the Lancet Series on the Digital Determinants of Health 

On October 5th, 2026, co-hosted by The Lancet and DTH-Lab, there will be a webinar event to launch the new three-paper Lancet Series on the digital determinants of health. 

At this webinar, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization, will give the welcoming address. Series authors, young people, public health leaders, policymakers, and governance experts will come together in an impressive panel to examine why digital environments should be treated as a public health priority and how we can move from responding to harm to preventing it.  

This webinar, and this Series, is so important, especially in this increasingly digital landscape that we live in, that children are growing up in, and that young adults are earnestly trying to navigate. The significance and the seriousness of this event can be encapsulated by the idea that if we know that serious harm is possible, we should not wait for it to happen; immense efforts should be made to prevent it.  

This Lancet webinar will explore: 

• What the latest evidence tells us about digital determinants of health and their impact, particularly on children and young people. 
• Why are current approaches to governing digital environments falling short and what stronger public health governance could look like? 
• How safety by design, regulation, accountability, and litigation can help prevent harm and create healthier digital environments. 
• What needs to happen now?  
• What different actors can do to turn evidence into action? 

This is a global, online event, and anyone who would like to attend can Register Here.  

Academics, teachers, parents, guardians, guidance counsellors, even young people themselves, will find this to be an eye-opening event, and we do encourage everyone to attend as the research being conducted plays a huge role in how we help our children and young people thrive in an ever-evolving, increasingly online world.  

About The Lancet 

Founded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley, The Lancet, was an international, independent, general medical journal that was published weekly. The aim of The Lancet has always been to make science widely available so that medicine can positively impact people's lives, having a transforming effect on society. Impressively, The Lancet has been addressing key topics for more than two centuries, inspiring conversations, initiating debate, and highlighting urgent topics in society. The journal has worked hard to put science into context, and influence decision makers around the world. Though The Lancet Group has evolved over time, the core belief that medicine must serve society remains. Not only that, but knowledge must transform society, and the best science must lead to better lives.