Convene-Accelerate-Foster-Expand:

The Joint BUSPH-HSPH Research Coordinating Center (CAFÉ RCC) of the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative

Continued climate change threatens the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the US and around the globe.

With unprecedented support from the National Institutes of Health through a cooperative agreement, Boston University School of Public Health and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have joined forces to create the BUSPH-HSPH CAFÉ Research Coordinating Center (RCC). The CAFÉ RCC is a critical component of the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative and aims to build a Community of Practice by managing and supporting climate change and health research and capacity building efforts.

The CAFÉ RCC will Convene, Accelerate, Foster, and Expand the global climate change and health community of practice. To accelerate the translation of research into practical solutions, we will engage a diverse array of key stakeholders, including across government agencies, non-governmental and community-based organizations, industry, foundations, and potential funders.

The CAFÉ RCC is jointly led by Gregory Wellenius (BUSPH), Amruta Nori-Sarma (BUSPH), and Francesca Dominici (HSPH) and consists of 4 related functions:

  • Convene

    The administrative function is led by the team of principal investigators to Convene a community of practice around climate and health by:

    (1) overseeing all aspects of the CAFÉ RCC;

    (2) organizing and hosting an annual meeting; and

    (3) collaborating closely with partners at NIH, a steering committee, an external advisory board, and members of the newly funded NIH Alliance for Community Engagement.

    Events & Meetings

  • Accelerate

    The data-management function is co-led by Danielle Braun (HSPH) and Kevin Lane (BUSPH), with the goal, in partnership with the Harvard Dataverse, to Accelerate research by:

    (1) identifying research data needs and defining common data elements across the community of practice;

    (2) developing and promoting data science and software tools for processing, linking, and analyzing data;

    (3) facilitating sharing and reuse of data; and

    (4) providing data management and dissemination guidance and cloud computing infrastructure to those who need it most.

    Data Management

  • Foster

    The resource function is co-led by Benjamin Sovacool (BU IGS), Rebecca Pearl-Martinez (BU IGS), and Leila Kamareddine (HSPH), with the goal to Foster collaborations across the Community of Practice (COP). To accomplish this goal, the Resource Function will:

    (1) facilitate communication, engagement, and sharing of resources within the COP;

    (2) stimulate co-production of new knowledge and ideas across the COP; and

    (3) promote timely dissemination and translation of COP advances into changes in policy and practice.

    Engagement

  • Expand

    The capacity-building function is co-led by Patrick Kinney (BUSPH) and Rachel Nethery (HSPH), with the goal to Expand the COP by achieving the following key objectives:

    (1) attract a diverse community of CCH scientists via inclusive education, training, and mentoring,

    (2) provide funding for pilot and time-sensitive projects; and

    (3) foster a multidisciplinary, global COP.

    Training

“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.”

— IPCC Report, 2023

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