The UNMC Water, Climate and Health Program is pleased to host a Research Seminar Series featuring updates on the exciting research being conducted by our program and affiliates. The goal of the series is to disseminate our work and stimulate thoughtful feedback from stakeholders. See the schedule below and stay tuned for updates!
Seminar Dates:
- Monday, October 30, 2023 - Drought and Public Health: A Roadmap For Advancing Engagement and Preparedness
- Friday, November 10, 2023 – A Public Health Computer Simulation Tool to Improve Disaster Preparedness in Rural Communities
- Monday, December 4, 2023 - The Economic Impact of Nitrate Contamination in Drinking Water and a Citizen-Science Dashboard to Monitor Water Quality
Monday, October 30, 2023 | 12:00-1:00 p.m. CT – Drought and Public Health: A Roadmap For Advancing Engagement and Preparedness
Summary: 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 (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) 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.
View and download the event flyer here
View the presentation slides
Speakers:
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Friday, November 10, 2023 | 12:00-1:00 p.m. CT – A Public Health Computer Simulation Tool to Improve Disaster Preparedness in Rural Communities
Summary: 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.
View and download the event flyer here
View the presentation slides
Speaker:
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Monday, December 4, 2023 | 12:00-1:00 p.m. CT – The Economic Impact of Nitrate Contamination in Drinking Water and a Citizen-Science Dashboard to Monitor Water Quality
Summary: 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.
View and download the event flyer here
View the presentation slides
Speakers:
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Deshamithra Harshanee Jayasekera, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher |
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Siddhi Munde, MS - Research Data Analyst |
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