Chairs-C: climate, health, and aging innovation and research solutions for communities - extreme temperature, humidity, and particulate air pollution are threats to human health, the frequency of…

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded a $7,698,402 Project Grant under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) federal grant program to Brown University to establish the "Climate, Health, and Aging Innovation and Research Solutions for Communities (CHAIRS-C)" center. The center aims to advance science on the adverse health impacts of climate change, particularly for aging populations, and develop solutions to promote healthy aging. Key objectives include strengthening partnerships between academic, community, and government stakeholders; building capacity for transdisciplinary climate and health research focused on aging; and sharing research findings to drive localized interventions. The grant also includes sub-awards to the Environment Council Of Rhode Island Education Fund, Inc. and the Pace Organization Of Rhode Island to facilitate meaningful community engagement in the research and solution development process.

Chairs-C: climate, health, and aging innovation and research solutions for communities - extreme temperature, humidity, and particulate air pollution are threats to human health, the frequency of intense exposure to these threats is increasing, and their combination particularly impacts aging populations and those with chronic health conditions. To combat these challenges, we propose establishing a new center at brown university, "climate, health, and aging innovation and research solutions for communities (chairs- C)," to advance science on the adverse health implications of climate events and develop actionable solutions to promote healthy aging for all. Chairs-C will be comprised of an administrative core, research project, capacity building core, and community engagement core, all designed to efficiently bring together a breadth of existing and emerging climate and aging research with critical community partners. The long-term objectives of chairs-C are to enhance relationships between brown university and community partners and strengthen interdisciplinary research among existing campus-based units. Chairs-C intends to be a national leader in understanding the impacts of climate change on older adults and proposing innovative interventions to mitigate these harmful effects. To achieve these long-term objectives, chairs-C has identified the following specific aims: 1) strengthening and expanding multi-directional engagement of academic, community-led, and governmental partners around climate-related risks and accessible mitigations for aging populations; 2) developing new capacity for transdisciplinary research and community engagement in climate and health through shared learning experiences, focused on aging populations; and 3) sharing findings from best- available exposure modeling and place-based health datasets with community and governmental partners to stimulate actionable, localized responses, particularly for high-risk subgroups facing disparities. The basic tenet of chairs-C is that innovative solutions require partnerships between communities and researchers to generate the appropriate evidence and political will to guide effective and efficient solutions. Neither research nor community action is effective alone. To mitigate the adverse implications of climate change, we must collaborate. Chairs-C will merge these approaches to benefit older adults, setting a new standard that will be applicable to other populations facing inequity and health threats related to climate change.