# Methods Development Research Core

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2024 · $1,161,959

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (METHODS DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CORE)
The University of Southern California (USC) CLIMAte-Related Exposures, Adaptation, and Health Equity
(CLIMA) Center’s Methods Development Research Core (MDRC) will address current modeling and data gaps
that are critically important to inform climate action policy for health equity. Climate hazards are not only
increasing separately, but they are also more likely to occur concurrently or consecutively as compound events,
challenging the adaptive capacity of systems and human resiliency to withstand their effects. These
dependencies lead to more complex and correlated patterns of climate-induced exposures which are also not
equally distributed and require new and transdisciplinary methods to accurately capture their distribution in space
and time with high resolution and assess their risks at varying scales. Given the increasing complexity and
transdisciplinary nature of climate change (CC) and health research, and the multitude of intertwined CC-induced
exposures, this Core has the potential to significantly advance modeling capabilities and inform policymakers
with early, real-life evidence on the effectiveness and gaps of adaptation strategies to strengthen CC resiliency,
especially in the face of emerging threats from less well-understood compound events. Early lessons learned
can inform local, regional, and global solution-oriented research and policy for climate health equity. The MDRC
will be guided by the following aims: (1) develop cutting-edge, high spatiotemporal resolution models to
accurately characterize climate-related environmental exposures (urban heat islands, wildfire smoke plumes),
vulnerability factors (power outages), and adaptation strategies (air conditioning penetration, tree canopy shade);
(2) leverage these improved, fine-scale models to inform where adaptation interventions are most needed based
on the intersection of climate-induced exposures, population vulnerability, and adaptive capacity (Environmental
Justice cumulative burden (CalEnviroScreen)); natural disaster preparedness (Social Vulnerability Index); and
climate vulnerability (Climate Vulnerability Index) in partnership with the Community Engagement Core (CEC);
and (3) explore transdisciplinary frameworks and build capacity towards modeling cumulative impacts of CC-
related compound events on exposures, adaptation vulnerabilities, and cardiovascular health and resilience
across the life course (in partnership with the Research Projects).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10980387
- **Project number:** 1P20HL176204-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelly Twomey Sanders
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,161,959
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-17 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10980387

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10980387, Methods Development Research Core (1P20HL176204-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10980387. Licensed CC0.

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