Research Project

Center for Climate Health Equity (CECHE)

Principal Investigator: Malecki, Kristen
Start Date: 2024-09-21
End Date: 2027-09-20
Research Area(s): Community Engagement; Emerging Topics; Environmental Health; Health Disparities
Funding Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Abstract

The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Center for Climate and Health Equity (CECHE) unites multi-disciplinary researchers including cutting edge climate scientists with epidemiologists, physicians, exposure and data scientists, community engagement scholars, urban planners and health policy experts to advance cutting-edge climate health research. These interdisciplinary teams are critical in identifying innovative solutions to promote equity and address climate change threats in urban areas. CECHE's vision is to use team science and a cumulative impacts framework to advance innovative solutions- based research and policies to combat climate health inequity and fulfill its mission of responding to priorities of the most vulnerable environmental justice (EJ) communities in Chicago, the nation, and beyond. The center’s initial research theme “nature-based solutions for mitigating adverse climate health impacts in Chicago and beyond” is in direct response to community partner priorities. As a minority-serving institution, ranked 13th among top public universities and 8th in social mobility, UIC is an ideal institution to establish CECHE and promote diverse perspectives into climate change and health research. The Administrative Core (AC) will provide overall management and evaluation of the Center's activities. An internal advisory committee, external advisory committee, and community advisory board will govern the AC. The AC will also support communication across the center, support career advancement, and create a pilot project program to accelerate innovative climate and health research. The Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC) will use an iterative process for capacity building and identification of climate solutions working in collaboration with community EJ partners, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Using a train-the-trainer model, COEC will also establish a Climate Health Institute to build capacity and train community health ambassadors within EJ communities. COEC leaders, with EJ partners, will also conduct innovative urban health design studies to create nature-based toolkits for promoting health benefits of green infrastructure (GI) and policy development at local, regional, and national levels. The Geospatial Data Analysis Core (GDAC) will build a highly resolved spatiotemporal data architecture linking GI with environmental factors (PM2.5, O3, heat, flooding), electronic health records, and different types of nature-based GI features across multiple spatial and temporal scales, advancing multidisciplinary nature-based research. These scales include satellite imagery of tree canopy, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and Google Street View with land use and cover data. The Research Project will examine how features of urban GI 1) impact air quality and heat islands, 2) mitigate flooding, and 3) influence cardio-respiratory outcomes such as hospitalizations and ED/ER visits in Chicago. Over time, CECHE will work with other Climate and Health Centers to become a pioneer in urban climate health equity and share innovative strategies for building climate-resilient and healthy communities.