What's Happening?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has named Dr. Ana Bento and Laura Smith, both assistant professors in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University, as 2026-2027 NIH Health and Extreme
Weather (HEW) scholars. They are part of a ten-person cohort launched in November 2026, tasked with collaborating with the NIH to share expertise and address research gaps. Dr. Bento, an infectious disease eco-epidemiologist, focuses on how weather extremes, ecology, land use, and human behavior influence pathogen outbreaks. Her work includes developing Oropouche virus risk maps for the Brazilian Ministry of Health and informing chikungunya vaccine rollout planning. Laura Smith, an interdisciplinary public health researcher, investigates the impact of extreme weather and environmental changes on health through food systems, nutrition, infectious disease, and mental health. She leads projects on child malnutrition in Zimbabwe and integrates mental health into policy.
Why It's Important?
The selection of these scholars underscores a growing recognition of the critical link between extreme weather events and public health in the U.S. and globally. Their research is vital for developing strategies to mitigate health risks associated with climate change, such as the spread of infectious diseases like chikungunya and the impact on nutrition and mental health. Dr. Bento's expertise in forecasting disease risk and guiding prevention, particularly with her past work on chikungunya, can inform U.S. public health responses to emerging infectious threats. Similarly, Dr. Smith's focus on food systems and nutrition in the context of environmental change is crucial for understanding and addressing vulnerabilities within U.S. communities, especially those disproportionately affected by climate-related disasters. This initiative aims to foster gold-standard, collaborative science across various disciplines to protect community health.
What's Next?
As NIH HEW scholars, Dr. Bento and Laura Smith will collaborate with the NIH to identify and address critical gaps in research related to health and extreme weather. Their work will contribute to the NIH HEW Program's objectives, which include supporting research to understand how extreme weather impacts human health and developing interventions and prevention strategies. This collaboration is expected to lead to new insights and tools for public health officials and policymakers. The program also prioritizes connecting health and environmental data, training, capacity building, community engagement, and research translation, suggesting that their findings will be disseminated to inform practical applications and policy decisions in the coming years.
Beyond the Headlines
The NIH's focus on health and extreme weather highlights a significant shift towards integrating climate science into public health policy and research. This initiative acknowledges that climate change is not merely an environmental issue but a profound public health challenge with far-reaching implications. The interdisciplinary nature of the selected scholars' work—spanning eco-epidemiology, public health, and environmental science—reflects the complex and interconnected nature of these challenges. This approach could lead to more holistic and effective public health interventions, moving beyond traditional disease control to address the underlying environmental determinants of health. It also emphasizes the importance of international collaboration, as many of these health threats, like infectious diseases, transcend national borders.
