CAFE Community Spotlight on the Public Health Extreme Events Research Network
CAFE’s Community Spotlight Series introduces organizations and networks shaping how we study and respond to extreme weather events. Each installment highlights the work, resources, and opportunities to connect that are most relevant to the health and extreme weather research community.
Disaster Research, Reimagined: The Public Health Extreme Events Research Network (PHEER)
When disasters occur, critical opportunities to understand health impacts and improve future preparedness can disappear quickly. That's where the Public Health Extreme Events Research Network (PHEER) comes in.
Founded in 2022 by researchers from New York University, University of Delaware, UCLA, and the University of Washington, PHEER was created to strengthen the nation's capacity for rapid, coordinated public health disaster research.
Today, PHEER is a growing community of researchers and practitioners working together to collect time-sensitive data, generate actionable evidence, and support informed decision-making before, during, and after disasters. By fostering collaboration before extreme events occur, PHEER helps ensure that research efforts are coordinated, ethical, and responsive to community needs.
The network focuses on a range of pressing topics, including extreme heat, hurricanes, wildfires, health system disruption, social vulnerability, evacuation behavior, community health impacts, and the use of location-based and mobility data to better understand disaster outcomes.
PHEER has already supported research mobilizations and exercises related to the Maui wildfires, Hurricanes Beryl and Helene, California wildfires, and other extreme events. The network funded several rapid research awards in response to the 2024 hurricane season and one rapid research award in response to the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Through partnerships with national research infrastructure programs, such as NHERI and the CONVERGE Network, PHEER also provides access to tools, data resources, training opportunities, and mentorship for the next generation of disaster researchers.
Recent work from PHEER includes mapping wildfire health exposure data, hurricane-related health impacts using location-based data, and the broader landscape of public health disaster research.
As hazards and disasters continue to increase in frequency and complexity, collaborative efforts like PHEER are helping build the evidence needed to support healthier, more resilient communities.
Engage with PHEER
- Learn about previous PHEER activations and mobilizations at the PHEER network website.
- Explore the California Wildfire Health Exposure Map created by PHEER network researchers.
- Get involved and stay connected by joining the PHEER network.
NIH Health and Extreme Weather Program
Health and Extreme Weather is Now a Highlighted Topic
Health and Extreme Weather is now designated as a Highlighted Topic across participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
Rather than waiting for a dedicated funding announcement, investigators are highly encouraged to pursue research through existing NIH funding opportunities that align with the goals of the Health and Extreme Weather Program. These opportunities may include parent R01 grants, fellowships, career development awards, and training and education grants.
One focus of the Health and Extreme Weather Highlighted Topic is training development. The NIH has released three Research Education Program (R25) funding announcements (PA-27-034, PA-27-035, PA-27-036) that support research education and training programs incorporating a health and extreme weather focus.Explore all currently active NIH funding opportunities here.
Future Funding Opportunities are in Development
While there are currently no active HEW-specific funding announcements, NIH shared that two major opportunities are currently under development and listed in the NIH Forecast.
These include:
- Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) Research Coordination and Data Center: Will solicit applications for research coordination and data support for the Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) initiative including two closely aligned components: research coordination and data support. The coordinating component will facilitate engagement across the initiative’s grantees and the larger HEW community of practice. The data component will develop resources and infrastructure to facilitate access to and use of HEW-relevant data resources.
- Health and Extreme Weather Solutions-Focused Research Hubs: Will solicit applications that propose translational research hubs with multiple highly integrated components focused on research, capacity building, and community/public health translation for regionally relevant topics related to the health impacts of extreme weather and cumulative exposures, including but not limited to wildfire smoke, extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes, drought, and other climate-related hazards affecting populations at heightened risk across the lifespan.
Investigators interested in these opportunities should monitor the NIH Forecast for future announcements.
Connect with an NIH Program Officer
A key message from NIH speakers was the importance of engaging with program officers early in the grant development process. Whether you are developing a new research project, training award, or educational initiative, program officers can help investigators determine how well their ideas align with NIH priorities and identify the most appropriate funding mechanisms.
CAFE Research Coordinating Center Updates
The second half of the webinar highlighted new and ongoing resources and opportunities available through the CAFE Research Coordinating Center.
Some of the highlighted resources and opportunities included:
- Half-Day Events: CAFE hosts virtual half-day events featuring expert panels, lightning talks, workshops, and networking opportunities focused on topics in health and extreme weather research.
- Mentorship Program: The next CAFE mentorship cohort will support early-career investigators through grant writing mentorship, guest speakers, and small-group discussions. The call for mentees is open until August 21st.
- Research Matchmaking: CAFE continues to connect researchers with potential collaborators, mentors, datasets, and technical expertise across institutions and disciplines.
- Actionable Solutions Grants Program: CAFE provides seed funding to support activities that strengthen health and extreme weather research, including data collection, training, and community engagement efforts. Deadline September 15th
- Public Narrative Workshop: Participants will learn practical storytelling techniques to communicate their research more effectively to policymakers, communities, and the public. Deadline August 28th.
- Data Resources: CAFE highlighted its growing collection of shared resources, including the Harvard Dataverse repository, GitHub tutorials and code, data management support, and the Educational Resource Hub.
To hear the full discussion and learn more about current and future opportunities, the webinar recording is available here.
Stay connected with CAFE through the newsletter and website for updates on upcoming webinars, conferences, funding opportunities, mentorship programs, and new community resources.
