The Ghosh lab's current climate and health research projects include:
- Evidence-based urban greening to reduce heat-related morbidity and mortality (Cool Trees project - PI): This project, funded by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Environmental Defense Fund, examines the relationship between tree species, associated local climates, and heat-related health impacts within NYC. This work is transdisciplinary and environmental justice-focused. Therefore, the “Cool Trees” team consists of physicians, biostatisticians, urban climatologists, social scientists, plant ecologists, spatial analysts, and urban foresters. The Cool Trees team is also collaborating with NYC urban forest stakeholders through an advisory board and community engagement in order to understand the practical applications of this work, including equitable implementation. This project's end goal is to produce equitable, heat-adaptive tree planting scenarios for urban areas.
- Understanding the nationwide and citywide spatiotemporal dynamics of COVID-19 and extreme heat (PI): This project, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), examines and quantifies the risk of COVID-19 incidence, hospitalization, and death associated with heat waves. Additionally, this project identifies socioeconomic factors that heighten population-level COVID-19 incident risk during heat waves.
- Identifying older-aged persons at risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes after hurricane-related flooding (PI): This project, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), uses Medicare claims data, epidemiological methods, and machine learning techniques to examine older aged adults at risk of cardiovascular disease after hurricane-related flooding.
- Developing clinical risk prediction tools in NYC to reduce disparities in extreme heat event (EHE)-related morbidity (PI): This project, funded by the Dalio Center for Health Justice, models extreme heat event (EHE)-related morbidity risk across the New York Presbyterian hospital system by identifying at-risk populations for EHE-related emergency room presentation and hospitalization, and then building and validating a heat-related risk prediction tool using machine learning algorithms.
- Understanding aging and adaptation to extreme heat (Co-I): This project, funded by Cornell University, aims to bridge the gaps in research on the health and well-being of older adults amidst the heat crisis. A multidisciplinary team has been assembled for this work, including experts in clinical medicine, epidemiology, digital health, data science, and urban planning. This work will engage and partner with front-line organizations to undertake targeted applied research efforts to link up interventions across healthcare, public health, and built environment systems.
- Mapping chronic conditions in NYC flood zones (PI): This project examines the number and types of chronic conditions that residents have along projected coastal flood zones in NYC (flood zones designated by Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] and NY Emergency Management Center Evacuation Zones). This work seeks to inform New York City emergency planning for medical shelter development and medication provision in preparation for potential large-scale displacement due to coastal flooding.