Using data science to reduce heat-related health harms in Africa
Official title: Developing data science solutions to mitigate the health impacts of heat in Africa: the HE2AT Center Project
Funded at Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD · NIH-11396879 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project links health, weather, and location data to find ways to protect pregnant people, newborns, and other vulnerable communities in sub‑Saharan Africa from heat-related illness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Parktown, South Africa) |
| Project start | September 15, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $198,974 |
| NIH project number | 3U54TW012083-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11396879 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant people and newborns in sub‑Saharan Africa or individuals living in high-heat areas whose health records can be linked to environmental data.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside sub‑Saharan Africa or whose health records and local environmental data are not available or linked are unlikely to directly benefit from this Center's work.
What this research studies
Researchers are building a data ecosystem that joins biomedical records with weather, air quality, and geospatial information across sub‑Saharan Africa. They will reuse existing pregnancy and newborn cohort and trial data to study how heat exposure affects mothers and babies. The Center runs two main research projects plus 10–12 pilot projects, supported by teams for data management, training, and community engagement. Local and international experts in physiology, public health, social science, and data science will work together to produce practical tools and guidance for health workers and policymakers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could produce data-driven warnings, clinical guidance, and interventions that reduce heat-related illness and deaths among pregnant people and newborns.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has shown heat harms for pregnant people and newborns and that linking weather and health data can inform warnings, but a large, multi-country data center approach in Africa is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD
Parktown, South Africa Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chersich, Matthew Francis — Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD
- Study coordinator: Chersich, Matthew Francis
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.