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Building planetary health resilience

Our research

Designing integrated data streams coupled with advanced modeling and intervention evaluation to reveal the interconnectedness  and opportunities to planetary health resilience.

Hei-Planet is dedicated to uncovering the interconnected impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and nature-based solutions on human health. Building on this understanding, we develop strategies and responses to enhance resilience.

Our team uses advanced modeling and data science techniques, including machine learning and geo-informatics, to predict health outcomes in real-world scenarios. We apply counterfactual analyses to assess the implications of climate change and environmental degradation on health.

To enrich our research, we leverage citizen science initiatives to generate novel data streams and design field studies that facilitate integrated data collection across various spatial and temporal scales.

Furthermore, we emphasize the co-design and evaluation of interventions that promote health, foster healthy ecosystems, and support sustainable environments. Assessing the economic outcomes of these interventions is also a key component of our work.

…Overall, our research fosters a holistic and integrated approach to public health and ecosystem resilience, breaking down silos between disciplines.

What we do

We aim to foster a healthier, more resilient and sustainable world, equipping communities and policy makers with the knowledge and tools needed to adapt to the health challenges posed by climate change.

Enhanced decision-making

We develop AI-enhanced data streams to provide possibilities for online monitoring and early warnings, as well as improved data for integrating innovative modeling, eventually building the foundation of scientific insights and solutions for policy and decision-making in integrated One Health surveillance.

Deeper understanding of zoonotic diseases

We utilize advanced technologies for passive monitoring of animal interactions and behavior, to gain deeper understanding of zoonotic disease risks and the importance of biodiversity conservation.

Improved preparedness

Our work emphasizes monitoring health risks and adaptation, improving preparedness for diseases transmitted between animals and humans, and combating antimicrobial resistance driven by anthropogenic activities and environmental changes.

Nature-based solutions evaluation

We conduct both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary studies to evaluate nature-based solutions through the One Health lens, identify gaps in current approaches, and promote effective practices through collaboration and co-development.

New indicators

We contribute to the development of indicators to track the impacts of climate change on population health.

Discover

Our research groups

Hei-Planet consists of three interdisciplinary research groups: Climate-Sensitive Infectious Disease LabLancet Countdown Europe, and Eco-epidemiology group—that collaboratively address key planetary health challenges through research and outreach initiatives.

Climate-sensitive infectious diseases: epidemic intelligence through models and novel data streams

Tracking climate change impacts on population health in Europe

Eco-epidemiological studies on interdependencies between health and ecosystems

Our projects

IDAlert

Tackling the emergence and transmission of pathogens to improve Europe’s resilience to health threats linked to infectious diseases

Lancet Countdown Europe

The Lancet Countdown Europe focuses on developing open, transparent, and rigorous indicators to track the impact of climate change on population health in the region.

TULIP

Combating antimicrobial resistance driven by climate change and plastic pollution interactions.

PANDASIA

One Health and Eco-Health perspectives to enhance pandemic preparedness for zoonotic diseases.

LILY

The LILY Action addresses gaps in Nature-Based Solutions for health (NbS-Health) by developing a comprehensive framework, indicators, and best-practice guidelines through participatory approaches with scientists, stakeholders, and communities.

BEPREP

BEPREP aims to identify best practices for biodiversity recovery and public health interventions to prevent future epidemics and pandemics by conducting spatially and temporally replicated field studies.

AFROGROW

AfroGrow aims to transform agroforestry across Africa into resilient, multi-functional landscapes that address climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic development, fostering food security, climate change mitigation, and inclusive growth through collaborative partnerships, innovative research, and stakeholder engagement.

PANDA

PANDA investigates the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans in Thailand and Laos, aiming to develop sustainable preventive measures against future pandemics.

iSPARROW

A bioacoustic Internet-of-Things (IoT) system for passive spatio-temporal monitoring of animal interactions, demonstrating its potential as a data-rich tool for understanding zoonotic disease risks and biodiversity conservation.

HIDSS4Health

The aim of the Helmholtz Information & Data Science School for Health (HIDSS4Health) is to attract, promote and train the best young talents at the interface between data science and health-related applications. HIDSS4Health offers a structured doctoral training program embedded in a highly interdisciplinary research environment, bringing together experts from the data and life sciences.

Climate Change and Health in sub-Saharan Africa

The DFG-funded research unit project “Climate Change and Health in sub-Saharan Africa” focuses on understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change on health in rural populations in Burkina Faso and Kenya.

Our publications

The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: unprecedented warming demands unprecedented action

van Daalen, Kim R et al. The Lancet Public Health, Volume 9, Issue 7, e495 – e522, DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00055-0

Disclosing temperature sensitivity of West Nile virus transmission: novel computational approaches to mosquito-pathogen trait responses

Heidecke J, Wallin J, Fransson P, Singh P, Sjödin H, Stiles P, et al. // bioRxiv. 2024-09-20, DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.16.613097

Decision-support tools to build climate resilience against emerging infectious diseases in Europe and beyond

Rocklöv, Joacim et al. (2023) // The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, Volume 32, 100701, DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100701

West Nile Virus Eco-Epidemiology and Climate Change

Heidecke J, Lavarello Schettini A, Rocklöv J. (2023) // PLOS Climate. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000129

From heatwaves to food systems: epidemiologists addressing climate challenges

Treskova M, Bärnighausen T, Pompeu CR, Rocklöv J. // International Journal of Epidemiology. 2024 Oct;53(5):dyae117

Effect of El Niño–Southern Oscillation and local weather on Aedes vector activity from 2010 to 2018 in Kalutara district, Sri Lanka: a two-stage hierarchical analysis

Liyanage, Prasad et al. // The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 6, Issue 7, e577 – e585, DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00143-7