The rainfall on July 27th, 2022 in a 12-county area of Eastern Kentucky was an unprecedented meteorological event even for an area that experiences semi-frequent flooding. Climate-related changes in weather patterns are making these events both more frequent and more intense, leaving a path of destruction that goes well beyond property damage. The National Institutes of Health have recently recognized the ways climate-related weather events impact human health across the lifespan.  To that end, they have established the Climate Change and Health Initiative with the intent to develop substantial lines of funding to investigate climate’s impact on all facets of human health. This includes increases in disease transmission, increases in heat-related injury from rising global temperatures, increases in food insecurity and poorer nutrition resulting from drought and lost crop yields, negative effects on mental health, as well as many other outcomes. All of these issues are exacerbated by the presence of structural racism and discrimination, putting underrepresented communities and individuals at greater risk for climate-related health impacts. 

The mission of this UK for KY Rapid Response Pilot Program is to support research across the spectrum of the University of Kentucky’s research portfolio from the perspective of how climate may impact your particular area of interest. This RFA is open to any faculty member in any UK college who can ask a research question through the lens of climate change and how it impacts human health, or what tools or technologies can be developed to help those affected by events related to climate change.