In June 2025, Dr Erica Bennett and PhD student Kassi Welch travelled to Basel, Switzerland, and Barcelona, Spain, as part of Forum Basiliense, an interdisciplinary collaboration platform and center that promotes dialogue between scientists from the humanities and social sciences, life sciences and natural sciences. 

Working with an international team of researchers led by Dr Sarah Koch from the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health at the University of Basel, Erica and Kassi contributed to the INCLUDE project, a three-year longitudinal study that aims to investigate the role of gender, climate change and urbanization in shaping the physical activity of older people with respiratory diseases. This mixed-methods study is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation as part of National Research Program 83, which focuses on gender medicine and health. 

During their stay, Erica and Kassi co-led a three-day workshop on qualitative research design and its integration into mixed-methods frameworks. They shared their expertise on qualitative methods and facilitated discussions on methodological considerations for research at the intersection of gender, ageing and environmental health. They also gave a research lecture at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, presenting their research on ageing LGBTQ+ adults in Canada and addressing the topic of resilience through physical activity.

Erica and Kassi continue to collaborate with Dr Koch, Dr Laura Delgado Ortiz and the INCLUDE team on this project, contributing to ongoing international discussions on ageing, physical activity and the health consequences of climate change.