DISC Interim Director Dr. Michael Wimberly, traveled to India to advance an international research collaboration focused on improving disease prediction, climate risk assessment, and public health decision-making in rapidly growing urban environments. He serves as the University of Oklahoma’s institutional lead on the NIH-funded Urban Malaria Project.
Dr. Wimberly joined Dr. Courtney Murdock, the project leader, along with researchers, public health practitioners, and government officials from the United States and India, to present project findings and help guide the next phase of the initiative. The collaboration connects experts from Cornell University, New York University, the University of Oklahoma, the ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, and the Ahmedabad and Surat Municipal Corporations.
The Urban Malaria Project is exploring how climate conditions, particularly humidity, influence mosquito populations and malaria transmission in urban environments. Researchers have combined laboratory experiments with diverse environmental, socioeconomic, and public health data streams to better understand disease dynamics and develop tools that can support malaria control and elimination efforts.
The initiative demonstrates how artificial intelligence, data science, and advanced analytics can be leveraged to address major global health challenges. By integrating multiple streams of weather and environmental data with ecological models, the research aims to improve forecasting capabilities and provide communities with more actionable information for planning and response.
During the visit, Surat Municipal Corporation Commissioner M. Nagarajan attended a project meeting and shared his vision for hyperlocal climate risk assessment using AI-driven weather intelligence to support public health planning and decision-making. His remarks highlighted growing opportunities for collaboration at the intersection of climate resilience, extreme weather preparedness, and community health. The project team also met with representatives of the Ahmedabad municipal corporations and connected with RuVision Thinking Labs, a tech startup that is developing AI models for hyperlocal climate and weather applications.
Project leaders emphasized that the partnership represents more than a research initiative as it provides a model for translating cutting-edge scientific discovery into meaningful local impact. The collaboration has strengthened long-standing relationships between academic institutions, public health organizations, and municipal leaders, who are working together to combat malaria and build healthier, more resilient communities.
Dr. Wimberly and his collaborators are grateful for the continued partnerships with the many institutions, colleagues, and community members who are engaged in the project. The work that has been done so far has laid the foundation for future international collaborations aimed at implementing climate-informed public health solutions.
