Rutgers University has received a $3.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the effects of extreme heat and air pollution on pregnant women. The funding was awarded to Soko Setoguchi, co-director of the Rutgers Center for Climate, Health and Healthcare, which is part of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.
The research will focus on low-income pregnant patients and will examine how extreme heat, air pollution, and medication use interact to affect health outcomes. According to the research team, almost two-thirds of pregnant women in the United States take at least one prescription medication aside from vitamins. They believe that medication use could influence how heat and air pollution impact health or could increase the risk of illness for pregnant women and their children.
“Our study will produce evidence that will guide clinical and policy decisions to protect this vulnerable population from extreme heat and air pollution while providing new insights on underlying biological processes,” said Setoguchi, who is also a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers School of Public Health.
The Center for Climate, Health, and Healthcare is a joint initiative between Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health. Its mission is to improve health outcomes in New Jersey and beyond by addressing the climate health crisis through research, education, and community-focused climate action.
