UNM Climate Change and Health for the Alliance and Novelty of Geospatial and Exposure Science (CHANGES) Center

Project Summary
We propose the creation of the Climate and Health Allied Network for Geospatial and Environmental Science
(CHANGES) Exploratory Research Center at the University of New Mexico (UNM). The overall vision of our
center is to 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. Our
team includes expertise in culturally-sensitive community engagement, environmental health and toxicology,
cancer biology, disaster response and preparedness research, geospatial information systems, biostatistics,
and environmental science and engineering. The following specific aims are proposed: 1. I Synthesize and
integrate diverse datasets and leverage cutting-edge tools for geospatial analysis to geographically connect
exposure and health outcomes data in order 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; and 3. Establish a sustainable
transdisciplinary Climate Change and Human Health Center that serves a model for cross-campus team
science and climate change interventions that maximize human health outcomes. Our center is dedicated to
leveraging transdisciplinary sciences to develop innovative strategies, solutions, and policies that empower
and protect vulnerable communities, not only in New Mexico but worldwide.

Grant Number: 1P20NR021824-01
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Jose Cerrato