C2H2 conference: in service of healthy and thriving communities: public-private partnership, collaboration, and workforce opportunities through the weather enterprise

The National Science Foundation's Office of Integrative Activities awarded $249,614 to the American Meteorological Society, Inc. under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) on August 15, 2025, to organize and convene a series of virtual and in-person conferences and convenings focused on advancing collaboration between the weather and health communities. The primary deliverables include a multi-part conference series designed to bring together key professionals from academia, for-profit and non-profit sectors, and other stakeholders to strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships addressing weather-related health risks such as respiratory issues from poor air quality, heat stress, and water quality impacts from flooding. The project establishes a steering committee and active working groups to explore critical issues at the intersection of weather and health, with in-person discussions leveraging existing American Meteorological Society meetings to maximize stakeholder participation.

The grant supports knowledge advancement and workforce development through education and training opportunities for early-career professionals pursuing careers at the intersection of weather and health. Expected outcomes include enhanced collaborations between the weather and medical research communities, research findings that deepen understanding of weather-health linkages, and ultimately new products and services that improve public safety and health outcomes. The award period extends through July 31, 2026, with activities conducted from the awardee's Boston, Massachusetts location.

Abstract

This series of conferences and convenings is focused on advancing knowledge that has direct application to pressing societal problems for keeping communities safe and healthy in the face of a growing number of weather-related risks. A wide range of health issues are weather related such as respiratory issues due to poor air quality, heat stress, impacts on water quality from flooding, and others. There are many reasons for the weather community to work closely with the medical/health communtity to keep people safe and healthy. While there are examples of effective collaborations between the weather and health communities, much more could be done to provide the medical researchers and practitioners with information to reduce health impacts from weather. This set of meetings brings together key professionals from academia, the profit and non-profit sector, and other interested parties to foster effective collaborations to accelerate the understanding links between weather and health. Those collaborations, and the research that will result from them, will ultimately lead to new products and services that improve the safety and health of the public. Broader impacts of the work will provide education and training of early career professionals seeking careers at the intersection of weather and health to build a strong and well integrated community of practice in this area of societal need. This series of convenings involves virtual and in-person meetings. The in-person discussions take advantage of existing american meteorological society meetings that bring together many of key stakeholders that are essential to contribute to project goals. A steering committee of leaders working at the intersection of weather and health guide the formation of active working groups that explore issues such as data and metadata standards to allow the interoperability of health and weather datasets; consistent health reporting information; and new approaches to education and training of professionals working at the intersection of weather and health. The steering committee and working groups set the agendas for the three in-person meetings. These will involve scientists and professionals from government, academia, and the private, and NGO sectors in weather information and services. They will also include health and medical professionals whose job is to keep communities safe and healthy. The in-person meetings include one at the american meteorological society (AMS) annual meeting in january 2026. This national meeting has over 5000 attendees, many of whom work at the intersection of weather and health. Another is the AMS washington forum in april, 2026. This convening brings together thought leaders from government and the academic, private, and NGO sectors. The last formal in-person meeting will happen just before or after the AMS summer community meeting in august, 2026 where collaboration across the weather enterprise is facilitated and emphasized. Virtual working groups will also convene in the interim between in-person meetings to enable conversations between all interested parties on a variety of weather and health related issues. These convenings are designed to result in new and/or expanded collaborations to foster high-impact, action-oriented interdisciplinary research between those in the weather and health communities with a goal of advancing and accelerating our how to better address issues impacting human health in a rapidly changing and increasingly unpredictable weather present and future. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.