Carolina Jaime and Ivan J. Ramírez to Study Ecosyndemics in Perú

Published: Nov. 17, 2022

Ivan J. Ramírez, Clinical Assistant Professor of Health and Behavioral Sciences (HBS), and Carolina Jaime, HBS PhD student, recently traveled to Perú to reconnect and establish research collaborations with universities (Universidad del Pacifíco) and governmental institutions, such as the Ministry of Health (CDC Perú) and Geophysics Institute of Perú (IGP). The collaborations will support a study focused on understanding how quasi-periodic changes in the tropical Pacific Ocean (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) affect the geography of ecosyndemics. Unlike an epidemic defined by one disease, an ecosyndemic is two or more diseases clustered in a population, sustained by social inequities, and compounded by environmental drivers. More broadly, the research will yield new insights about the multifactorial context of climate change and its impacts on population health as well as health adaptive capacities. The research is funded by the Office of Research Services’ New Faculty Grant.