SCORCH CENTER MISSION
SCORCH is dedicated to research and programs that will empower communities in dry regions, both locally and globally, to adapt to the health risks of climate change and to build health equity as heat, drought, wildfires, and other climate crises threaten population health.
The Southwest Center on Resilience for Climate Change and Health (SCORCH) supports cross-disciplinary researchers and community partners to plan and implement programs that will help underserved communities in hot and dry geographic regions adapt to climate-driven health threats. The Center’s applied research in the Southwestern United States will build knowledge and practice that will benefit communities globally.
Our world is rapidly changing. Many parts of our country and our world are quickly becoming hotter and drier, conditions that lead to a range of health challenges for the people who live there. The University of Arizona and the Zuckerman College of Public Health has deep experience and expertise in research and response for arid lands. We have envisioned SCORCH as a collaboration that builds on current expertise and partnerships to serve a range of communities, including both urban and rural populations, Indigenous peoples, and Spanish-language groups.
Systems Thinking
We investigate how existing support systems, infrastructure, and programs can respond to climate change using a cross-disciplinary approach that reaches across organizations and expertise to find solutions. Building a flexible and integrated data core to facilitate this process and tackle complex problems.
Health Equity
We work with community partners to evaluate needs and conduct collaborative research that engages the community with the science. As we prioritize equity in our response to climate threats, we build relationships with local partners as well as global partners from other arid regions.
From Science to Solutions
We develop responsive and resilient systems that can adapt to climate impacts and connect research knowledge with practical implementation in collaboration with community organizations. We foster partnerships with the private sector to scale solutions and build relationships with policymakers to guide action and lead adaptation.
Why SCORCH?
As our world warms, many regions are becoming hotter and drier. These environmental conditions lead to a cascade of public health threats, such as extreme heat, wildfires, dust and smoke, food scarcity, water quality and scarcity, and the spread of communicable diseases. Arizona already confronts many of these health threats, and our research and experts are already working with local agencies to find solutions.
Expertise: A land grant research institution in the arid Western United States, the University of Arizona has extensive knowledge and experience with cross-disciplinary arid lands research. Our scientific studies build on a foundation of data to provide benchmarks and insights that guide decision-makers to help prepare for the complex challenges posed by climate change and protect our communities.
Partnerships: In the process of conducting research, UArizona has also built collaborative relationships of trust with many community partners, including rural, urban, and tribal communities, and across many sectors such as agriculture, health services, mining, and technology. All of these partnerships will help to guide research and implement programs to support populations in hot and dry climate regions.
SCORCH: Three Areas of Focus
How do extreme weather events impact long-term health?
This focus area helps answer questions about the health impacts of extreme heat, drought, and air pollution from dust or wildfire smoke. How do heatwaves impact the health of humans and livestock? What are the long-term health effects of exposure to dust and wildfire smoke? What are the productivity and mental health effects of compounding climate crises?
How can we predict when and where climate disasters will strike, and their severity?
This focus area helps answer questions about forecasting, early warning systems, and harm prevention. What kinds of forecasts are useful for policy makers? How can early warning systems help communities prepare and make decisions? How can we motivate public action to avert the worst outcomes?
How do we plan our built environment and modify our landscape to support health in the face of rapid growth?
This focus area helps answer questions about population growth, and how we can shape our landscape and our built environment to promote physical and mental health in the face of a warming world. How do we incorporate greenspace into our urban areas to lower temperatures and enhance wellness? How do we use landscape and architectural design to increase resilience for both urban and rural communities?
Our UArizona Team
SCORCH is under the leadership of Kacey Ernst, PhD, Mona Arora, PhD and Joseph Hoover, Phd (Principal Investigators).
Bio: Dr. Ernst, Principal Investigator for SCORCH, brings deep experience in applied epidemiology, research, and education, alongside an extensive track record of cross-disciplinary collaboration. An infectious disease epidemiologist, her research primarily focuses on how humans, their environment and their interactions shape the risk of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. She has worked on projects throughout the globe, including in western Kenya, Indonesia, Ghana, and Mexico to understand the dynamics of dengue and malaria. Her research also seeks to engage communities in prevention and control by leveraging widely available and novel technologies. Dr. Ernst prioritizes collaboration because she believes it is critical to bring multiple disciplines together to tackle the challenges we face in a changing climate.
Bio: Dr. Arora, Principal Investigator for SCORCH, is an Assistant Research Professor in the Zuckerman College of Public Health. She brings expertise in GIS, program evaluation, and survey design and implementation. Recently she conducted a national workforce assessment of the public health system’s capacity to protect against the health consequences of climate change. Dr. Arora has served on several national committees, including the Lancet Countdown U.S. Policy Brief Working Group, National Adaptation Forum Program Committee, and the National Association of City and County Health Official’s (NACCHO) Workgroup on Global Climate Change. She obtained her Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) degree in Tropical Medicine from the Tulane University School of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene and has a doctorate degree in Geography from the University of Arizona.
Bio. Dr. Hoover, Principal Investigator for SCORCH, is an environmental scientist who addresses environmental exposure and health disparities using community engaged research methods and geospatial technology. His research emphasizes drinking water quality and access challenges experienced by Indigenous communities with additional interests in community engaged research methods and healthy homes. He employs a community-driven research approach to develop sustaining partnerships with communities, which includes project co-development and training. Dr. Hoover's larger research goal is to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants through use of analytical tools that communities can then build on for future efforts.
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