GeoHealth Hub: Environmental Exposure and Health in the Arab Region
Official title: The GeoHealth Hub on Environmental Exposure and Health in the Arab region
Funded at Jordan University/science & Technology · NIH-11300220 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multi-country effort in the Arab region to study how air pollution, dust, heat, and other environmental factors affect health, with training and collaboration across Arab and U.S. institutions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Jordan University/science & Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irbid, Jordan) |
| Project start | June 13, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $288,957 |
| NIH project number | 5U01TW012237-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11300220 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are communities in the Arab region experiencing high environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, desert dust, heat) and health investigators in the region.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not exposed to high environmental risks or not involved in the study design may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates a regional hub to study how environmental exposures in the MENA region impact health, especially in children, using integrated training and collaborative research. It involves partnerships between Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and U.S. institutions to collect data, generate evidence, and contribute to global environmental health datasets. The effort emphasizes capacity building, data sharing, and translation of findings to improve policies and health outcomes in the region. Participants may include local communities and researchers, with attention to ethical and environmental health safeguards. The hub aims to produce actionable insights that can help reduce exposure-related health risks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform policies to reduce environmental exposures and improve child health in the Arab region.
How similar studies have gone: Prior environmental health studies in regional hubs have shown valuable associations and informed policy; this project builds on those approaches with expanded regional collaboration.
Where this research is happening
-
Jordan University/science & Technology
Irbid, Jordan Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abdulla, Fayez Ahmad — Jordan University/science & Technology
- Study coordinator: Abdulla, Fayez Ahmad
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.