NUS Medicine’s Heat Resilience and Performance Centre to lead Southeast Asia’s efforts in heat health and productivity

Published: 01 Dec 2023

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A Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine research centre dedicated to finding ways to combat rising global temperatures has been appointed to lead and coordinate Southeast Asian efforts in this area.

The Heat Resilience and Performance Centre (HRPC) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) will be the Southeast Asia (SEA) node of the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN), an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), to establish a regional community for future collaborations and knowledge-sharing on issues pertaining to heat and health.

Leveraging current technologies and trends, the HRPC remains invested in emerging technological approaches steeped in basic science and mechanistic explanations that can be translated to effective application, and that will push the boundaries in heat resilience research and allow the Centre to stay ahead of the curve to counter the challenges of working and living in rising ambient temperatures. The gathering of heat and health experts, through the HRPC, aims to spur further interrogation, giving way to a deeper understanding of the complex and intricate area of heat and human physiology.

The Centre will lead the way in identifying knowledge gaps, reviewing preparedness efforts and rolling out actionable strategies. It aims to become a trusted source of expertise for governments in the region, actively monitoring and identifying emerging community, national and regional needs and opportunities in the face of rising ambient temperatures.

Following its appointment by the GHHIN, the Centre will be hosting the first Southeast Asian regional heat health forum in mid-2024 to catalyse more collaborative and aligned heat health research and policy efforts.

Read the media release here.