Climate and Health Allied Network for Geospatial and Environmental Science (CHANGES) Center

Vision

Synergize expertise in geographic information science, health data science, epidemiology, and biomedical research to identify – and ultimately predict – gaps in health care, inform policies, and create actionable strategies to optimally protect our vulnerable communities in New Mexico from climate change.

Goals

1. Synthesize and integrate diverse datasets and leverage cutting-edge tools for geospatial analysis to connect exposure and health outcomes data to discover previously unseen patterns.
2. Develop culturally responsive practices for community engagement in climate health that benefit diverse communities, underserved and underrepresented populations, and key stakeholders.
3. Establish a sustainable transdisciplinary Climate Change and Human Health Center serving as a model for cross-campus team science and climate change interventions that maximize human health outcomes.

Projects

Climate-Related Disasters and Impacts on Health Systems

Project Leaders: Roberta Lavin, Ph.D., Xi Gong, Ph.D.

Co-Leaders or Mentors: Mary Pat Couig, Ph.D., Peter Fawcett, Ph.D.

Linking Wildfire Smoke to Cancer

Project Leaders: Shuguang Leng, Ph.D., Charles Wiggins, Ph.D.

Co-Leaders or Mentors: Peng Mao, Ph.D., Xi Gong, Ph.D., Huining Kang, Ph.D.