Duke and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore recently awarded more than 1 million Singaporean dollars, or approximately $750,000, to fund five research projects aimed at tackling climate change and its public health impacts.
This year’s initiative is the first in the grant’s 18-year history to solely address the intersection of urgent health and environmental challenges. The five grant recipients will invite experts from both Duke and Duke-NUS to conduct “basic, translational and clinical research” on the topic.
The partnership is part of the two institutions’ latest Research Collaboration Pilot Projects, which aim to foster collaboration between researchers from Duke and Duke-NUS to address critical global issues.
According to Patrick Tan, senior vice-dean for research at Duke-NUS, the theme of global warming and health care was chosen due to the increasingly devastating impacts of extreme weather conditions on humans. Industrialized countries such as Singapore and the U.S., as well as low- and middle-income countries, are coping with health hazards caused by rising temperatures, urbanization and pollution.
“By combining Duke's robust research capabilities with Duke-NUS's strategic location and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to lead efforts that anticipate and mitigate health crises arising from climate change,” he said.
The five projects were selected out of 40 proposals in a rigorous review process. Duke’s principal investigators will each receive $100,000 and Duke-NUS’ PIs S$100,000 each to fund a two-year period of research.
The first project, titled “Climate change, heat exposure and urinary stone disease,” will address the impact of rising heat exposure for individuals at risk of the affliction. By improving their understanding of increasing temperatures and health care utilization, researchers aim to advance strides towards health equity in both North Carolina and Singapore.
The second project, “Perception and lived experience of health effects of climate change among vulnerable older adults residing in Durham and Singapore — informing health communication interventions,” will inform targeted health communication interventions and policy interventions in North Carolina and Singapore focused on mitigating the impact of climate change on older adults, ages 60 and above.
The third project, “Impact of wildfire smoke and heat on acute cardiopulmonary outcomes in Southeast Asia,” investigates the environmental impact of wildfires on acute cardiopulmonary outcomes in vulnerable communities. The team plans to use their findings to inform climate mitigation policies.
The fourth team, “Heat stress, kidney health and lived experience of communities in the climate frontlines in Sri Lanka: an interdisciplinary population health analysis through a planetary health lens,” focuses on the relationship between heat exposure and kidney health among vulnerable populations in the South Asian country. The interdisciplinary project will assess community needs through an epidemiological lens informed by local farmers and health systems.
The final project, “Linking environments and markets to understand regional spread of infections along networks in Madagascar,” analyzes the spread of infectious diseases among subsistence farmers in the country. Aiming to improve health security, the researchers will investigate how climate-induced food security prompts local subsistence farmers to widen their markets, thus increasing opportunities for diseases to spread.
Duke’s partnership with Duke-NUS traces back to 2009 and has funded 64 projects, totaling over S$7.29 million, or roughly $5.4 million.
Duke-NUS was established in 2005 to advance research and medical education in Singapore, becoming the country’s flagship graduate-entry medical school. In October 2022, the two institutions reaffirmed the fourth phase of their collaboration and extended their partnerships for the next five years.
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Lucas Lin is a Trinity sophomore and a university news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.