Duke Receives $4.5 Million from The Duke Endowment to Fund Initiative Focused on Climate and Health

Duke Health has received a $4.5 million award from The Duke Endowment to support groundbreaking work to understand and address the health impacts of climate change in the Carolinas.

The award will fund a new initiative that facilitates and fosters climate and health research efforts leading to practical solutions. Through interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and data-driven strategies, the new Climate and Health Research Initiative (CHeRI) will unite efforts across Duke and advance efforts in the Duke University School of Medicine, Duke Global Health Institute, Nicholas School of the Environment, and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.

“Across the Carolinas, more frequent extreme weather events like heat waves, hurricanes, and flooding are making chronic health conditions worse and introducing new disease risks,” said Robert Tighe, MD, associate professor of medicine, who leads the initiative. “We are grateful to The Duke Endowment for their generous support as we find ways to reduce the health impacts on our local communities.”

Following a comprehensive strategic planning effort, the School of Medicine created CHeRI as a central hub for research, collaboration, and multidisciplinary programs focused on tackling critical climate and health concerns. The initiative emphasizes collaborative approaches where faculty with varied expertise from across the University work with community leaders and policy makers to promote community resilience and develop solutions to complex climate and health concerns.

Intersection of Climate and Health

The Duke Endowment’s award will accelerate climate-related health research already underway at Duke, including studies on how flooding affects fungal growth and respiratory health, the impact of climate on immune vulnerabilities, and heat stress as a factor in development of early kidney disease.

“This award affirms our commitment to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of climate and health and strengthens Duke’s ability to understand and mitigate the effects of climate on the health of our communities,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs at Duke University and dean of Duke University School of Medicine. “Thanks to support from The Duke Endowment, we can develop public health interventions that are tailored to the Carolinas’ unique environmental and demographic challenges.”

The grant is focused on local communities and identifying the groups most vulnerable to climate and health impacts in North Carolina and South Carolina. Extreme weather events disproportionately threaten people in low-income and rural areas, and climate-related health effects have an outsized impact on populations most at-risk.

The project will strengthen ties between Duke Health and communities, helping to ensure that interventions reflect real-world needs. Climate challenges are significantly influencing patient and community health, and The Duke Endowment’s investment will have a profound impact on Duke Health’s ability to reduce harm and improve people’s lives.

Symposiums, Pilot Funding for Duke Faculty

Starting in early 2026, CHeRI will host annual “Big Idea” symposiums to bring together faculty and trainees across Duke and spark new research. Selected collaborative proposals will receive pilot funding. In addition, CHeRI will support critical climate and health infrastructure and provide funding to active climate and health projects. These include:

• Expanding the SEED Health Atlas by incorporating climate data. This online tool used by researchers, community members, and health systems provides curated data about social and environmental factors that impact health.

• Creating a network of researchers and community members called the Duke/NC Community Coalition for Climate Change and Health, or Duke/NC 4cHealth, to promote climate resilience, assess community needs, and develop targeted action plans.
• Investigating fungal growth, spores, and toxins — and their impact on human health — in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding in western North Carolina.
• Studying how dangerous storms, heat stress, and climate-related exposures such as wildfire smoke may impact immune function to help researchers better predict disease risks.
• Initiating a pilot study to examine children’s heat exposure risk and any associated impact on their kidney health. Heat stress is a known risk factor for kidney disease in adults, but the impact on children is not well understood.

By integrating research, engagement, and policy development, CHeRI will build a robust foundation for public health strategies that address climate-related health concerns for years to come.

Expanding Research

Duke University, through the Duke Climate Commitment and the Office of Climate and Sustainability, has a long-term focus on mitigating the impacts of climate change. Now, with generous support from The Duke Endowment, CHeRI will expand climate-related health research at Duke and contribute significant additional resources and attention to addressing the escalating threat.

“This initiative accelerates Duke's efforts to understand climate challenges and to develop strategies to mitigate health effects in the Carolinas and beyond,” said Toddi Steelman, PhD, vice president and vice provost for climate and sustainability. “Duke’s focus on climate and health is highly intentional given our considerable strengths and bolsters the overall mission of the campus-wide Duke Climate Commitment.”

The award will support the new initiative for four years, said Charles C. Lucas III, chair of The Duke Endowment Board of Trustees.

“We are excited about the opportunity to strengthen Duke’s leadership in climate-related health research and interventions,” Lucas said. “The changing climate poses many challenges for our two states, and we believe Duke is uniquely positioned to address its impact on health in the Carolinas.”

Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $5 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.