The foundation for environmental health research in Malaysia was laid during the First National Conference on Environmental Health Research, held at Genting Highlands in April 1994, which was jointly organized by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment Malaysia. This pivotal event led to the establishment of the Environmental Health Research Centre (EHRC) in September 1996, following the redesignation of the Medical Ecology Division within the Institute for Medical Research (IMR).
In 2005, the centre reorganized to enhance its focus on critical environmental health issues, leading to the creation of three distinct units: the Health Risk Assessment Unit, the Occupational Health Research Unit, and the Research Management Unit. Following a subsequent restructuring, the Centre established dedicated research on the intersection of climate change and health, with a focus on emerging environmental challenges and their impact on human health.
The EHRC currently consists of three units: (1) the Health Risk Assessment Unit, (2) the Occupational Health Research Unit, and (3) the Climate Change Unit.
