Faculty and Staff Highlights

Learn more about what the faculty and staff of the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity are up to and where to find their work.

Stronger evidence, weaker protections: planetary health consequences of rescinding the US Environmental Protection Agency endangerment finding

Infographic showing how U.S. greenhouse gas emissions drive cascading climate impacts across multiple sectors. A central circle labeled “U.S. release of greenhouse gasses” is linked to influencing factors including state and federal regulation and market forces. Surrounding segments illustrate impacts on public health (heat illness, mental health, cardiopulmonary disease, food and water insecurity, injuries from extreme weather, vector-borne diseases), national security (resource conflict, migration), economic markets (reduced labor productivity, rising insurance costs, infrastructure damage, supply chain disruption, financial uncertainty), agriculture (lower crop yields, livestock productivity, and crop nutritional quality), and the environment (disrupted pollination and migration, extreme weather, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, wildfire risk, habitat and species loss).

Center faculty, affiliate faculty, and staff collaborated to publish Stronger evidence, weaker protections: planetary health consequences of rescinding the US Environmental Protection Agency endangerment finding in The Lancet Planetary Health.

New York State Public Health Association 2026

Group of people standing close together on an outdoor deck, posing for a photo with mountains and a bright blue sky in the background. Several individuals wear name badges and hold up hand signs, while buildings and trees are visible below the overlook.

Ellie Madson represented the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity (CCCHE) New York State Public Health Association (NYSPHA) 2026 Annual Conference in Lake Placid, New York. The conference was attended by public health educators, academic staff, county health employees, students, and health practitioners from across the state of New York.

Western New York Environmental Alliance (WNYEA) Annual Congress Meeting

Speaker stands at a podium labeled “Tifft Nature Preserve,” addressing an audience with a microphone and notes in hand. A large screen beside the speaker displays “Western New York Environmental Alliance Annual Congress 2026” with logos and a highlighted introduction line.

Ellie Madson represented the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity (CCCHE) at the Western New York Environmental Alliance (WNYEA) Annual Congress meeting in April. The WNYEA brings together academics, community members, and community organizations to promote environmental health, justice, and education. Information about the Annual Congress can be found at https://www.wnyea.org/2026-congress.html.

Climate Change and Emerging Contaminants: Risks and Responses in Asia and Beyond

Three panelists sit at a conference table on a stage. One speaker in a blue blazer holds a handheld microphone and gestures while speaking, while two others sit beside them slightly out of focus. A screen and chairs are visible in the background.

“Climate Change and Emerging Contaminants: Risks and Responses in Asia and Beyond” was a two-day event held in April 2026. The first day centered around speeches and discussion in the Screening Room of the Center for the Arts. The conference was organized by UB’s Asia Research Institute, RENEW Institute, Office of Global Health Initiatives and the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity.

CCCHE Faculty Dr. Josh Miller presented in the session "Addressing the Impacts of Water Scarcity and Environmental Justice" about his ongoing work on the intersections of WASH and Filipino youth. 

The Enabling Program

Dr. Kristen Cowan joined the 2026 Fellows for the Enabling Program. This NSF-funded program at the Natural Hazards Center gives early career researchers the opportunity to develop their hazards and disaster research. 

Faculty and Staff Highlights

Cover of a book titled Climate Change, Drinking Water Security, and Public Health.

Ellie Madson was a co-author for the Climate Change, Drinking Water Security, and Public Health textbook published by Springer Nature. Madson co-authored the chapter titled "Climate Change, Drinking Water, and Public Health: An Integrated Review." Her portion of the chapter focused on how the changing climate is impacting the world of microbes. She explained the different types of diseases humans can contract from water, emerging and reemerging diseases, and One Health dynamics. 

Science Exploration Day 2026

Classroom with people seated at desks facing three presenters at the front. One presenter gestures while speaking beside a projected slide, as others listen. Whiteboard, blackboard, and fluorescent lights visible in the room.

Dr. Shelby Yamamoto, Dr. Kristen Cowan, and Ellie Madson represented the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity at the University at Buffalo's Science Exploration Day. High School students from around the Western New York area were invited to UB's North Campus to explore various career and/or degree paths. The Center allowed students to be "disease detectives" by participating in an activity that centered around heat exposure and health disparities. Students had to determine which neighborhoods were being disproportionately impacted and why. The activity ended by educating them on different intervention initiatives and allowing them to see what it is to be a climate epidemiologist. 

Wildfires & Health: From Research to Resilience

Graphic for an event titled “Wildfires & Health: From Research to Resilience.” The text includes the date and time: November 19, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET. On the left side is an illustration of an orange flame, and on the bottom right is the logo for CAFE. The background is light beige.

Dr. Cowan presented findings from her dissertation work titled “Wildfire smoke exposure and risk of hospitalization among people who are incarcerated in California and Oregon” at the Climate Cafe Research Coordinating Center event called “Wildfires and Health: From Research to Resilience” on November 19th. This half-day event was the second installment in their Extreme Weather half-day event series focusing on wildfires and public health. Dr. Cowan presented in a session focused on health impacts from wildfires, other speakers in this session spoke about topics including wildland-urban interface fires, birth outcomes associated with wildfire exposure and stroke risk associated with long-term wildfire smoke. To learn more about CAFE and look for other upcoming events visit their website https://www.climatehealthcafe.org/. 

APHA Annual Meeting

Four individuals seated behind a long rectangular table with a wooden top and dark blue table skirt at a conference setting. Items on the table include a water bottle, smartphone, notebook, and a large white cup. All participants wear lanyards, suggesting a formal event or panel discussion. Behind them is a large painting featuring abstract barn-like structures in earthy tones of orange, brown, and black. A projection screen is partially visible on the left side of the image.

Ellie Madson, laboratory manager and project coordinator for CCCHE Director Kelly Baker, represented CCCHE at the 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC (November 2–5). On November 4, she delivered a 15-minute talk as part of the session, Climate Change, Water, and Health. Her presentation, Temporal Changes in Microbial Composition of Private Well Water During Times of Drought and Flood in Iowa, highlighted her graduate research with Dr. Kelly Baker examining how climate-driven drought and flooding events may alter the microbial communities in private well water—an issue with significant implications for water safety and public health.

STEM Research Opportunity Fair

An indoor informational booth for the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. The table is covered with a blue tablecloth featuring the school’s logo and displays brochures, pens, blue lanyards, and a beige tote bag with the same logo. A sign on the table reads “Center for Climate Change and Health Equity” with additional text mentioning “Environmental Health.” Behind the table are two seated individuals, and the background shows large windows, a person sitting outside, and bags placed on the floor.

On October 30, 2025, Dr. Kristen Cowen and Ellie Madson represented the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity (CCCHE) at the STEM Research Opportunity Fair hosted by WiSE and CSTEP. They engaged with undergraduate and graduate students interested in exploring research projects and collaborations in the climate and health field. The event offered a valuable opportunity to explain how climate issues intersect with disciplines across STEM, helping students identify meaningful ways to apply their studies to climate and health challenges.

FoodWISE Asia Pacific Network

Group photo of approximately 30 attendees at the FoodWISE Asia Pacific Regional Meeting in September 2025. The participants are standing in rows inside a modern conference room with neutral beige walls, carpeted flooring, and bright overhead lighting. Two large screens in the background display event branding with an image of a person carrying water and the FoodWISE Asia Pacific logo. Attendees are dressed in business casual attire, including dresses, blazers, button-down shirts, and slacks. The overall color palette features earthy tones with pops of green and blue from clothing and the event logo, creating a professional yet welcoming atmosphere. At the bottom of the image, logos for UNSW Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, Northwestern University, and UNSW Global Water Institute are visible.

From September 17-19, more than 50 researchers, government officials, development partners, practitioners and community leaders from 15 countries convened to launch the FoodWISE Asia Pacific network – a community of practice dedicated to expanding the use of experiential tools to better understand how people acquire and use food and water, and to apply this knowledge to develop and advocate for strategies that promote equitable access to these essential resources.

The program included welcoming remarks, presentations and working sessions, as well as a full day focused on preparing scientific manuscripts and policy briefs. Discussions underscored the urgent need to address food and water challenges in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in the context of ongoing climate change. Aboriginal community members shared how the WISE Scales have enabled them to document local water issues and mobilize political will for action, after years of evidence on high salinity levels had failed to drive change.

Dr. Joshua Miller presented on ongoing work to develop tools for measuring the accessibility and adequacy of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in schools and healthcare facilities. Following the meeting, he has been in contact with UNICEF, WaterAid and other groups interested in piloting the tools to strengthen their monitoring and evaluation efforts.

He also contributed to a presentation from the nationally representative Longitudinal Cohort Study of the Filipino Child, showing that reliance on refilling stations for drinking water has more than doubled over the past decade among households with adolescents. Despite 98% of households reporting use of an “improved” water source (per WHO standards), about one in four experienced water insecurity, based on the experiential water insecurity scale his colleagues and he developed. These findings underscore the need to complement supply-side indicators with experiential measures to more comprehensively assess whether people are able to access and benefit from available water services.

Blue Path

Zoom image: Group in a lab observing a demonstration at a workbench with shelves of supplies and equipment. Group in a lab observing a demonstration at a workbench with shelves of supplies and equipment.

Ellie Madson, laboratory manager and project coordinator for CCCHE Director Kelly Baker,  represented the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity this year during Blue Path. She spent time with high schoolers interested in the health professions, talking about her journey to UB and giving them some hands-on lab experience!