CSBS and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) hosted a Climate & Health networking event on May 15th to bring together researchers across campus in response to NSF’s recent Dear Colleague Letter: Capacity Building to Catalyze Collaborations to Address Climate Change Impacts on Human Health. 

Brenda Koester, Associate Director of CSBS, discussed the increasing recognition of climate-related health issues as a top priority for major funding agencies. She highlighted how climate change exacerbates existing health conditions and introduces new threats, particularly for vulnerable populations. Koester emphasized the event’s goal of bringing together researchers from various disciplines to address the complex human health challenges driven by climate change. 

Faculty from the departments of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences (CliMAS), Geography and Geographic Information Sciences (GGIS), Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL), Health and Kinesiology (HK), Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES), Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and Microbiology attended the event. They summarized their current research programs and explored potential intersections between their work and the critical issues of climate change.  

Discussions focused on the social, behavioral, and environmental determinants of health, particularly in vulnerable populations. Key topics included the role of climate change in exacerbating health inequities, health risks from environmental contaminants, extreme weather events, food insecurity, infectious disease transmission, climate education, climate justice, policy impacts, and the use of geospatial science and technology for equitable, innovative solutions. 

During the event, Research Development Managers from CSBS, Sneha Das and Kaylee Lukacena, provided an overview of the climate change and human health funding landscape from NSF, NIH, and Burroughs Wellcome Fund. They also facilitated the discussion to brainstorm potential future initiatives to support researchers interested in working in this space. 

Dr. Cari Vanderpool, Associate Dean for Research, LAS, delivered the closing remarks, emphasizing the importance of working together to address the challenges of climate change. CSBS continues to prioritize interdisciplinary efforts, and researchers working in this critical field are encouraged to apply for the center’s small grant program.  

Please contact Sneha Das (snehad2@illinois.edu) if you are interested in this topic area and want to learn more about collaboration and future events.