Decision making in the built environment as a public health intervention for malaria control in a changing climate

BEDMAC

Call

  • CEH2

Project Website

https://sites.psu.edu/bedmac/

Principal Investigator

Esther Adhiambo Obonyo (Lead PI), Philip Anyanwu (UKRI-NERC PI), Ida Nadia Sedjro Djenontin, James Mutunga, Supraja Sudharsan, Bernadette Woods Placky, Annie Young, Adetoun Mustapha, Avriel Diaz, Willy Dunbar, Carvalho Madivate, Alcides Sitoe, Lydia Kibe, Peter Mbabazi, Given Mhina, Nathan Mulure, Wycliffe Waburiri, Marie Thorpe, Jane Achan

Partners

Penn State University (Lead organization); University of Warwick (UKRI NERC lead); Ardhi University (Tanzania); Instituto Superior de Ciência e Tecnologia de Moçambique, (ISCTEM, Mozambique); WHO/ UN HABITAT Roll Back Malaria’s Multisectoral Working Group; Malaria Consortium; Global Council for Science and the Environment; Climate Central; Fundación Panameña de Turismo Sostenible (APTSO, Panama); Nigerian Medical Research Institute; Kenya Medical Research Institute; The Architectural Association of Kenya; and Ad Visions (Kenya).

Funders

  • NSF (National Science Foundation), UKRI (UK Research and Innovation)

Project Objective

This project aims to build and validate transdisciplinary knowledge on the connections between climate, health, and the built environment, with a focus on malaria transmission in a changing climate. Key objectives include engaging communities to develop climate adaptation strategies, assessing the impacts of future climate hazards on malaria, and conducting intersectional analyses of vulnerabilities in different populations. The project will also explore the health co-benefits and risks of climate mitigation measures and develop a decision support framework to integrate climate-responsive design into malaria prevention. With test beds in the U.S., Panama, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, the project will leverage diverse knowledge systems to create scalable solutions for malaria prevention and built environment-related disease management.

Call Objective

This CRA focused on the nexus of Climate, Environment, and Health to address an unmet need to promote, mobilize, and establish an inclusive, transdisciplinary funding scheme, through the preservation and celebration of diverse communities, research topics, ecosystems, and creative transformative solutions. One goal for this CRA is to create a comprehensive culture shift through education, research, service, and advocacy to inspire a world where all animals and humans can thrive — through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science — and by adapting and protecting Earth’s natural systems for generations to come. Projects address at least one of the three call themes: 1) Decision-science of environmental behavior and implementation, 2) Food, Environment, and Biological Security, 3) Climate Risks to Ecosystems & Populations.

Region

  • Africa, Central America, Europe, North America

Country

  • Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Panama, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America (USA)

Duration

3 years

Call Date

May 2023

Project Award Date

January 2025