How extreme weather and wildfire smoke affect health in American Indian and rural Minnesota
Assessing Health Impacts of Extreme Weather on American Indian, Rural Populations with Multisystem Electronic Health Records
Researchers will use electronic health records and weather data to learn how heat, drought, and wildfire smoke affect the health of American Indian and rural residents in Minnesota.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11193937 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As someone living in a rural Minnesota or American Indian community, this project links medical records from many hospitals with local weather and air-quality data to see when heatwaves, droughts, and wildfire smoke cause more doctor visits or hospital admissions. The team partners with nine large Minnesota health systems to include records for about 61,000 American Indian patients and roughly two million rural residents. They will examine common health conditions and medications that can make people more sensitive to heat or air pollution. Results aim to identify who is most at risk and when protective actions or warnings could help.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are American Indian individuals and rural residents of Minnesota, especially those with chronic conditions or taking medications that affect heat tolerance.
Not a fit: People who live outside Minnesota or who are not represented in the participating health systems’ records may not see direct benefit from this specific project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help public health officials and clinicians better warn and protect high-risk people during extreme weather and air-quality events.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked heat and air pollution to worse health outcomes, but using near-complete statewide electronic health records combined with weather, smoke, and medication data is a relatively new and more comprehensive approach.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Berman, Jesse David — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Berman, Jesse David
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 below.