Keeping children safe during heat waves in emergency care
Heat Waves, Pediatric Readiness, and Child Outcomes: Risk, Mitigation, and Resilience in Emergency Care
This project uses weather and health data to pinpoint where heat waves put children at risk and how emergency departments can better protect them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11326245 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project combines weather, hospital, and census data from across the United States to map where heat waves most threaten children and whether nearby emergency departments are prepared. Researchers will link 13 different data sources and use detailed local weather maps, geospatial analysis, and advanced modeling to find high-risk neighborhoods and gaps in pediatric emergency readiness. They will assemble national samples of children who went to emergency departments during heat events to study outcomes and what hospital features are linked to better survival and recovery. The team will use these findings to suggest practical steps for hospitals, health systems, and policymakers to reduce heat-related harm to children.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children ages 0–11 who live in or travel through areas prone to heat waves and whose families might seek emergency care during extreme heat are the primary group this work focuses on.
Not a fit: Children in regions without significant heat exposure and adults are less likely to see direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help hospitals and policymakers improve emergency care and reduce heat-related illness and deaths among children.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work has linked higher pediatric emergency readiness to better survival, but applying those findings specifically to heatwave-related child health is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Newgard, Craig D. — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Newgard, Craig D.
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.