Turning up the heat on climate health research | MEDICUS 2025 Issue 1

Turning up the heat on climate health research
By Helmy Sa’at, Media & Content Specialist

Duke University and Duke-NUS have made tackling climate a priority with both institutions providing a platform for its top researchers to collaborate // Credit: iStock.com / nito100

The world is heating up—literally. And while climate change often conjures up images of melting ice caps and extreme weather, its most immediate and personal impact is on our health. From rising temperatures triggering heart attacks to haze aggravating respiratory diseases, the human body is on the frontline of this crisis.

That’s why Duke University and Duke-NUS are taking decisive action. For the first time in its 18-year history, the Duke/Duke-NUS Research Collaboration Pilot Project grants are dedicated entirely to climate-related health research, supporting five pioneering projects that will deepen our understanding of and help counteract the effects of climate change on human health. With more than S$1 million in funding, these projects bring together top researchers from both institutions to explore the growing intersection of climate and health.

“By combining Duke’s robust research capabilities with Duke-NUS’ strategic location and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to lead efforts that anticipate and mitigate health crises arising from climate change.”
Prof Patrick Tan

In addition to advancing our understanding, the partnership between Duke and Duke-NUS aims to deliver practical solutions that can be implemented in regions most affected by climate change.

The five promising areas of research range from vulnerable populations facing heat stress in Sri Lanka, market dynamics influencing the regional spread of infections in Madagascar, environmental impact related to wildfire smoke in Southeast Asia to investigating community resilience in Durham, North Carolina and Singapore, and the relationship between heat exposure and urinary stone disease.

Extreme heat and wildfire smoke cause harmful particles, which can adversely affect heart and lung health // Credit: iStock.com / milehightraveler

For each project, the Duke Principal Investigator (PI) will receive US$100,000 and Duke-NUS PI will receive S$100,000 for a period of two years.

One of the recurring climate health threats researchers are addressing is acute cardiopulmonary outcomes associated with wildfire smoke and heat exposure in Southeast Asia.

“Eventually, we aim to improve resilience against climate change, potentially reducing hospitalisations and mortality in the long term.”
Prof Marcus Ong

This research focuses on both natural and human-induced wildfires in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand using the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study database. Extreme heat and wildfire smoke (locally referred to as haze), which carries harmful particles, have an immediate impact on people’s heart and lung health. They can cause acute health issues such as heart attacks, asthma exacerbations and heatstroke, placing an immediate burden on healthcare systems.

Professor Marcus Ong, the Health Services and Systems Research Programme Director and lead Duke-NUS PI for this project expects the study to “provide actionable data to guide healthcare resource allocation and policymaking, especially in areas vulnerable to these events”.

“Also, the results of this study can guide strategy and inform public health campaigns to protect vulnerable populations during extreme weather events. Eventually, we aim to improve resilience against climate change, potentially reducing hospitalisations and mortality in the long term,” added Ong, who is also a senior consultant with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital.

Prof Marcus Ong's project is one of the five projects to be funded by the Duke/Duke-NUS Research Collaboration Pilot Project grants // Credit: Norfaezah Abdullah, Duke-NUS

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The 40 proposals submitted underwent a rigorous evaluation based on scientific merit and the potential for successful collaboration between Duke and Duke-NUS co-principal investigators.

“Our decision to focus this year’s grants on climate change stems from our recognition of the escalating health impacts due to increasingly extreme weather conditions. By combining Duke’s robust research capabilities with Duke-NUS’ strategic location and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to lead efforts that anticipate and mitigate health crises arising from climate change,” said Senior Vice-Dean for Research at Duke-NUS, Professor Patrick Tan.

His counterpart at Duke, Associate Professor Robert Tighe, who leads the Duke School of Medicine’s climate research strategy, added: “These new Duke and Duke-NUS investigator teams are the first of many steps required to foster global connections and research needed to address the critical public health challenge of climate change and its health impacts.”

Since 2009, the Duke–Duke-NUS partnership has funded 64 projects, investing more than S$7.29 million in groundbreaking and impactful research. This latest focus on climate health continues that legacy, pushing boundaries of what can be achieved through international research collaboration and forging new paths in tackling one of the greatest health challenges of our time.