Research Seminar Series

Drought is one of the costliest and deadliest climate-related disasters in the United States, necessitating public health engagement at a national level. Although drought is not typically thought of as a health hazard, the pathways to human health outcomes are prevalent and numerous. To better understand these pathways, and actions that could be taken to reduce health impacts associated with drought, Jesse Bell, PhD, and Rachel Lookadoo, JD, of the Water, Climate & Health Program worked in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Integrated Drought Information System to develop the nation's first comprehensive assessment of drought and health. This presentation describes the years-long process of developing the report, insights into the connection between drought events and human health impacts, and key opportunities and recommended actions to advance drought and public health engagement and preparedness.

• Jesse E. Bell, PhD
  Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate and Health, College of Public Health, UNMC
• Rachel Lookadoo, JD
  Director of Public Health Policy, Water, Climate & Health Program, College of Public Health, UNMC

• Webinar Recording
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• View the presentation slides

When natural hazards occur in rural communities, where resources are often scarce, local public health agencies, hospitals, healthcare providers, and emergency responders are quickly overwhelmed. Dr. Kintziger and colleagues designed a computer simulation model that accurately tracks key public health response outputs such as the number of individuals in need of rescue or medical care, patient wait times, surge, and resource management that can help rural communities better prepare for disasters.

Kristina Kintzinger, PhD
Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Health and Environment, College of Public Health, UNMC

• Webinar Recording
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In this presentation, Dr. Jayasekera will share about an ongoing project which seeks to better understand the economic cost of groundwater nitrate contamination. These costs will be understood through (1) clean-up costs, (2) environmental costs, and (3) health costs, and will use multiple data sources and various methods. Dr. Jayasekera will discuss what considerations must be made when making decisions about nitrate management and ensuring clean drinking water for Nebraskans.

In addition to this, Siddhi Munde will discuss an ongoing project in collaboration with the University of Nebraska which seeks to use citizen submitted water quality data to help monitor water quality throughout the state. Munde was a lead analyst in charge of developing a dashboard to visualize water quality data.

• Deshamithra Harshanee Jayasekera, PhD
  Postdoctoral Researcher
• Siddhi Munde, MS
  Research Data Analyst

• Webinar Recording
• View and download the event flyer
• View the presentation slides