How weather, location, and other risks affect fungal infections in the U.S.
Official title: Using massive, multi-regional EHR data to estimate the impacts of environmental and other risk factors on fungal disease epidemiology in the U.S.
Funded at University of Missouri Kansas City · NIH-11115678 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses millions of de-identified medical records to find how environment and personal risk factors change the chances and patterns of fungal infections for people across the United States.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Missouri Kansas City NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $783,681 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI176770-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11115678 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People in the U.S. with a recorded fungal infection or those living in areas with suspected environmental exposure would be the focus of this work, as captured in participating health systems' records.
✕Less likely to help
People whose infections never appear in medical records, who receive care outside the participating EHR network, or who lack location data are unlikely to be represented and thus may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you or someone like you has had a fungal infection, this work links de-identified electronic health records from many U.S. regions with environmental data (like temperature, floods, wind, and soil moisture) to look for patterns. The team will analyze records for many different fungal illnesses—including candidiasis, cryptococcosis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, and skin fungal infections—using a large EHR partner network. They will examine patient factors such as rural residence, insurance status, and income alongside environmental exposures to map where and when risks rise. The goal is to use big health data to better describe who is getting sick, how severe the illness is, and which places or weather patterns are associated with higher risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help public health officials and clinicians target prevention, speed diagnosis, and focus resources where people face the greatest fungal disease risk.
How similar studies have gone: Large EHR and environmental linkage studies have successfully revealed risk patterns for other infections, but applying this scale of multi-regional EHR data specifically to a wide range of fungal diseases is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Missouri Kansas City
Kansas City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: White, Theodore C. — University of Missouri Kansas City
- Study coordinator: White, Theodore C.
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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.