Jaime Madrigano

Mapping Environmental Racism: Q&A with Jaime Madrigano and Benjamin Preston

Environmental policy experts Jaime Madrigano and Benjamin Preston are leading an effort to highlight how discriminatory policies have shaped environmental health disparities. Their goal: create an interactive map of the United States to motivate environmental policy that advances antiracism.

Promoting Social Equity in Infrastructure Planning and Delivery

The American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan propose to address racial inequities through significant infrastructure, workforce, education, and child care investments. Multiple barriers may need to be addressed for the funds to reach their intended destination.

What Can the Coronavirus Teach Us About Preparing for a Heat Wave?

The occurrence of a heat wave during the pandemic may be the clearest example of an overlapping disaster in the near term, but we'll likely see more and more overlapping disasters brought about by a changing climate.

Where Are India's Heat Hotspots?

Poverty, poor sanitation, a precarious water and electricity supply, and limited access to health care make India vulnerable to heat waves. Rural and urban districts could improve their preparedness by developing and targeting local adaptation strategies.

After the March for Science: What Now?

Politicized rhetoric may imply otherwise, but scientific expertise and civic participation are not at odds with each other. As the scientific community decides how to respond to shifting political attitudes about science, it's time to focus on a long-term strategy for science policy in the United States.

Wildfires Getting More Destructive

The potential for smoke to harm air quality and cause health problems was especially acute in 2015 because a record number of wildfires broke out in the United States. Pre-wildfire season preparedness could go a long way toward protecting public health.

Adapting to a Hotter World

Because climate change is largely irreversible, mitigation alone won't solve the problem. While mitigation will prevent even greater, future climatic changes, adaptation — efforts to adjust to climate change's effects — will prepare the world for a new set of living conditions, whatever they may be.

Journal Article

Examining the Cross-sectional Association Between Neighborhood Conditions, Discrimination, and Telomere Length in a Predominantly African American Sample

Disproportionate exposure to adverse neighborhood conditions and greater discrimination may contribute to health disparities among African Americans.

Journal Article

The Road to Justice40: Organizer and Policymaker Perspectives on the Historical Roots of and Solutions for Environmental Justice Inequities in U.S. Cities

This study characterizes the perceptions of organizers and policymakers regarding how communities experience the causes of environmental injustices in U.S. cities, the characteristics of policies intended to address these injustices, and lessons learned for equitably engaging communities.

Tool

Environmental Racism: A Tool for Exploring the Enduring Legacy of Redlining on Urban Environments

Researchers developed an online tool for visualizing the spatial relationships between the discriminatory practice of redlining and exposure to environmental hazards (e.g., pollution, waste sites).

Report

Translational Impacts of World Trade Center Health Program Research: A Mixed Methods Study

In this report, the authors describe the findings and recommendations of a four-year study of the World Trade Center Health Program's research portfolio and its translational impact. Recommendations are designed to help guide Program planning.

Tool

Citizen Science for Disasters: A Guide for Community Groups

This toolkit provides guidance to community groups on engaging with disaster citizen science to support public health preparedness.

Tool

Citizen Science for Disasters: A Guide for Local Health Departments

This toolkit provides guidance to local health departments on engaging with disaster citizen science to support public health preparedness.

Report

Assessing Health and Human Services Needs to Support an Integrated Health in All Policies Plan for Prince George's County, Maryland

This report describes a health and human services needs assessment of Prince George's County, Maryland. Findings from this report can inform Prince George's County's pursuit of a Health in All Policies approach to policymaking.

Report

Indonesian Fires and Haze: Measuring the Health Consequences of Smoke Exposure

Fire activity in Indonesia contributes to severe air pollution, or haze, that causes public health, environmental, and economic degradation. The authors present preliminary analysis of health consequences of fire and future research directions.

Commentary

Adapting to Adversity amid a Global Pandemic: Stakeholder Insights About Progress and Next Steps for Taking Integrative Action to Build Resilient Systems

In 2020, the global pandemic and ongoing chronic stressors caused multiple shocks in the United States. The authors describe recommendations to advance an integrative resilience research and practice agenda based on recent stakeholder experiences.

Report

Beyond Recovery: Transforming Puerto Rico's Water Sector in the Wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria

The recovery plan for the water sector in Puerto Rico involves not only repairing hurricane-damaged water infrastructure and systems but also fixing the significant legacy challenges in the sector's infrastructure, operations, and governance.

Report

Health and Social Services in Puerto Rico Before and After Hurricane Maria: Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Themes for Recovery

This overview of health and social services in Puerto Rico includes 31 courses of action to better recover from health crises, build a more resilient system to future disasters, and actively promote health and well-being.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 1: Executive Summary)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 3: Sample Description)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 8: Observational Assessments of Cognitive Function, Mental Status, and Pain)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 6: Impairments and Special Services, Treatments, and Interventions)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 7: Global Health, Care Preferences, and Medication Reconciliation)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 2: Background and Methods)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 4: Cognitive Function)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Report

Development and Evaluation of Candidate Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements: Findings from the National Beta Test (Volume 5: Mental Status and Pain)

This report, part of a series, describes patient assessment data elements developed and tested by RAND on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services to comply with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.

Journal Article

Enhancing Community Preparedness: An Inventory and Analysis of Disaster Citizen Science Activities

Disaster citizen science, or the use of scientific principles and methods by "non-professional" scientists or volunteers, may be a promising way to enhance public health emergency preparedness and build community resilience.

Journal Article

Air Pollution-Associated Changes in Biomarkers of Diabetes Risk

The study expands upon existing literature by focusing on a longitudinal population exposed to air pollution concentrations typically experienced in the United States and other countries with lower average air pollution exposure.

Journal Article

Association Between Long-term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Change in Quantitatively Assessed Emphysema and Lung Function

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants, especially O₃, was significantly associated with increasing emphysema assessed quantitatively using CT imaging and with worsening lung function.

Journal Article

Fugitive Chemicals and Environmental Justice: A Model for Environmental Monitoring Following Climate-Related Disasters

Waterfront communities can use this six-step framework to proactively develop an environmental monitoring program to prepare for, recover from, and respond to chemical leaks after weather disasters.

Journal Article

Development and Maintenance of Standardized Cross Setting Patient Assessment Data for Post-Acute Care: Summary Report of Findings from Alpha 2 Pilot Testing

Results of the Alpha 2 feasibility test, used to help develop standardized assessment-based data elements to meet the requirements of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation(IMPACT) Act of 2014.

Journal Article

Awareness, Risk Perception, and Protective Behaviors for Extreme Heat and Climate Change in New York City

This study demonstrates that non-Hispanic black individuals are more likely to lack access to air conditioning, and with the finding that people with low household incomes are more likely to lack access, may explain disparities in heat-related morbidity and mortality.

Journal Article

Vulnerability to the Cardiovascular Effects of Ambient Heat in Six U.S. Cities: Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

In a changing climate with extreme heat events, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which heat affects health and who is vulnerable. This knowledge will allow better targeting of assistance and interventions, which could help people adapt.

Report

Injury and Illness Surveillance of U.S. Agricultural Workers: Assessment of Recommendations and Actions

This report provides the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health with an assessment of the feasibility and desirability of carrying out specific actions recommended by an independent panel regarding program relevance and impact.

Research Brief

Mapping Vulnerability to Heat Waves in India

Using district-level data on demographic, social, economic, health, and environmental factors, RAND researchers created the first-ever tool for measuring and mapping India's population's vulnerability to heat waves: the Heat Vulnerability Index.

Journal Article

Heat Wave Vulnerability Mapping for India

Indexing relative variation in heat-related vulnerability across all of India can help planners, policy makers, and disaster mitigation experts target climate adaptation efforts.

Report

An Agenda to Advance Integrative Resilience Research and Practice: Key Themes From a Resilience Roundtable

Presents recommendations for an integrated agenda to promote transdisciplinary resilience research and practice, drawing on proceedings from a 2016 Resilience Roundtable and a supplementary literature review.

Journal Article

Beyond Disaster Preparedness: Building a Resilience-Oriented Workforce for the Future

Deepening the field of resilience will require a trained and capable resilience-oriented workforce, but optimal strategies for developing such a workforce have yet to be realized.

Journal Article

Preparing for Extreme Heat Events: Practices in Identifying Mortality

Deaths from heat waves are not being accurately recorded, leading to a mis-estimation. Training regarding the collection and interpretation of evidence may improve preparedness for heat events.