Center for Effective and Accessible Research-based Testing for Health (C-EARTH)

Abstract: The Center for Effective and Accessible Research-based Testing for Health (CEARTH) will catalyze multi-disciplinary research approaches involving individual- and policy-level solutions to address HEW, specifically extreme heat. The aims of C-EARTH are to: Create new research capacity for the development and evaluation of HEW solutions to address the consequences of heat and improve health, catalyze collaborations across disciplines, support career development of early-stage investigators, oversee a community-based pilot grant program on HEW solutions, and provide data infrastructure and heat tracking systems (Administrative Core); Identify HEW effects, individual needs, and test HEW evidence-based solutions in partnership with community health workers and nonprofit organizations (Research Project); Engage with community partners to cultivate trust, communication, and shared decision-making towards implementing HEW solutions that improve health (Community Engagement Core); Catalyze HEW implementation science and participatory research to implement and evaluate evidence-based solutions to address HEW and improve health by providing qualitative and quantitative analytic support, policy translation, and capacity-building initiatives for researchers and local leaders (Implementation, Solutions, and Evaluation Core). The C-EARTH leadership, research, and multidisciplinary team brings complementary expertise in community engagement, environmental and population health research, nutrition, implementation science, cost-benefit analyses, and national and international HEW policy – thus enabling multidisciplinary solutions-oriented research. C-EARTH will be instrumental in building the capacity to develop and test evidence-based solutions with opportunities for replication and scalable solutions to maximize impact.