2/2 GeoHealth Hub on Environmental Exposure and Health in the Arab Region-U.S - Abstract Extreme weather events (EWE) are a reality that is impacting planet Earth and its inhabitants at varying degrees according to geographical regions. The United States is not currently in a region at the highest risk of EWE, but will likely become one in the coming decades. One of the regions that is impacted the most by EWE is the Arab speaking countries in Western Asia and North Africa. Yet, there is very limited understanding of the human health impacts, the possible policies and interventions to address them, and most importantly, limited capacity in research of such policies and interventions. Their exposure settings offer a unique opportunity to study environmental health risks across diverse and elevated exposure profiles that are not readily reproducible in the United States in such extremity. We need the data and research to help inform future policies and interventions in similarly impacted regions in the United States. Through this proposal, we will establish the GeoHealth Hub on Environmental Exposure and Health in the Arab Region through its two components: The U01 research component (1/2 GeoHealth Hub on Environmental Exposure and Health in the Arab Region-Jordan) and the U2R training component. The research and training will take place in Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. The EWE areas of research will focus on heat waves, precipitation and water quality, air pollution, and desert dust pollution, all of which are currently occurring at much higher levels than in the United States. This gives us early insight to understand what the expected risks are from such events when they will eventually manifest in the United States, especially in the Southwest. Environmental health policies will be supported to quantify health benefits and inform local governments through dissemination and implementation science. These will be linked to the U2R GeoHealth Hub training application titled “2/2 GeoHealth Hub on Environmental Exposure and Health in the Arab Region-U.S. To collect, analyze, and interpret EWE health impacts in the region, we will need to increase capacity at the local level. The training program will therefore focus on creating a cadre of local experts in one or more of the areas of environmental health in the scope of the U01. We have assembled an exceptional team of collaborators from the top institutions led by the University of California San Diego, and with support from UC Berkeley, and Harvard University. This will be complemented by partnerships in the region represented by the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan, the University of Balamand in Lebanon, Mohamed VI University for Health Sciences in Morocco, and the WHO Regional Eastern Mediterranean Center for Environmental Health Action located in Amman, Jordan. The training program will include short-term didactics in the form of summer courses, workshops, U.S visits, and virtual webinars to build individual capacity building. We will have mentored one-on-one research training on work related to the U01 aims. The U.S. mentors and researchers will be able to have access to and learn firsthand which policies and interventions are feasible and can limit or prevent EWE health impacts. Furthermore, multi-country evidence and data on water, dust, and air pollution contribute to U.S. and global environmental public health datasets; including those supporting U.S.-based research initiatives. This will be a sustainable state-of-art hub to inform policymakers about the health risks of EWE and create a new generation of collaborators to serve the interests of Americans by advancing our understanding of these risks before they occur in the U.S.
