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What We Do
We are a consortium of scientists across 10 countries in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, conducting research to increase knowledge about how heat is affecting pregnant and postpartum women, newborns, children, and the health workers who serve them – information vital to protecting these groups from increasing heat across the globe.
We still have a lot to learn about how we can protect these vulnerable groups on an increasingly hotter planet.
Imagine you are eight months pregnant tilling a field in the sun, or on your feet working on a sweltering, busy maternity or newborn ward. It’s not a pleasant mental image.
As climate change worsens, hotter weather like this will be on the rise across the globe. According to the World Meteorological Organization, there are six times as many heatwaves now than in the 1980s.
Pregnancy can be a time of strength, hope, and transformation, but while temperatures rise worldwide, increasing heat will bring serious challenges.
As the world continues to heat up, pregnant women, their newborns, young children, and the health workers who serve them will be at particular risk.
Evidence is mounting that heat exposure, including high temperatures from heat waves, is harmful for the health of these vulnerable groups.
When temperatures rise, more babies are born preterm and with low birth weight. Stillbirths rise. More pregnant women suffer from conditions such as gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes. Heat increases the likelihood of infant mortality as well as the risk of children developing conditions such as asthma, wasting, and diarrhoea.
Research also shows that those who are least responsible for the climate crisis, living in poorer settings in the global south, are most affected.
Our
Solution
Measuring
heat-health impacts on pregnant and postpartum women, newborns, and young children
Designing
the MotherHeat Alert heat-health early warning system mobile app
Adapting
maternity and neonatal health facilities to beat the heat
Reducing
carbon footprints at maternity and neonatal health facilities
Studying
the biology of heat on pregnancy
We still have a lot to learn about how we can protect these vulnerable groups on an increasingly hotter planet.
Funding for the four-year project comes from the EU’s Horizon Research and Innovation programme and UKRI’s Innovate UK. We are one of six projects in the EU Climate-Health cluster, joining forces to elevate discussions about climate and health across Europe.
Protecting maternal and newborn health is severely under-represented in current climate policies.
An analysis of 50 national and international climate policy documents showed that only 12% referred to maternal health. If progress on maternal, newborn, and child health is to be protected and maintained, this urgently needs to shift.
We hope to help with that change.
The Project Team
Our diverse, passionate researchers are united by a common goal: protecting mothers and babies in a warming world.
Stanley Luchters
Ghent University, Belgium
Stanley Luchters is a medical epidemiologist specializing in sexual and reproductive health and climate-related health interventions in low-resource and marginalized communities.
Debra Jackson
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Debra Jackson is a global child health expert whose research focuses on maternal and child health, with current work examining the impacts of climate and heat exposure.
Shobna Sawry
WITS RHI, South Africa
Shobna Sawry is an epidemiologist and senior researcher with extensive experience in health research, data systems, and clinical studies, with a growing focus on climate and health.
Matthew Chersich
WITS PHR, South Africa
Matthew Chersich is a planetary health researcher focusing on maternal health, HIV, and climate change, leading major international initiatives on heat, pregnancy, and adaptation.
Chuansi Ga
Lund University, Sweden
Chuansi Gao is a researcher in human thermal environments whose work focuses on heat and cold stress, early warning systems, and climate adaptation for health protection.
Olof Stephansson
Karolinska Instituet, Sweden
Olof Stephansson is an obstetrician and researcher specializing in pregnancy and birth outcomes, including the effects of heat, air pollution, and maternal health risks.
Anayda Portela
World Health Organization
Anayda Portela is a global health scientist advancing equitable maternal, newborn, and child health through community-based interventions, evidence synthesis, and policy-focused research.
Jørn Toftum
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Jørn Toftum is an indoor environment expert whose research examines how building conditions affect human comfort, health, and performance, with a focus on monitoring and energy-efficient systems.
Ilona Otto
University of Graz, Austria
Ilona Otto is a climate change researcher whose work focuses on societal transformation, using complexity science to understand and accelerate large-scale social and environmental change.
Aquinius Mung'atia
Aga Khan Health Services, Kenya
Aquinius Mung’atia is a healthcare and sustainability professional advancing climate-resilient and low-carbon healthcare systems through policy, management, and cross-sector collaboration.
Fortunate Machingura
CESHHAR Zimbabwe
Fortunate Machingura is a climate and health researcher leading studies on the impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations and strengthening health policy and systems in Africa.
Christos Hadjichristodoulou
University of Thessaly, Greece
Christos Hadjichristodoulou is a public health leader and epidemiologist overseeing national disease surveillance, preparedness, and response in Greece, with expertise in international health regulations.
The Scientific Advisory Board
This board comprises leading experts who provide strategic guidance, scientific oversight, and thought leadership across health, climate, and policy.
Anthony Costello
Anthony Costello is a global authority on maternal and child health and climate change, widely recognized for improving survival in low-income settings and shaping global health policy.
Till Bärnighausen
Till Bärnighausen is a global health researcher and academic leader focused on designing and evaluating innovative interventions to improve population health and address major diseases and health risks.
Caroline Hormer
Professor Caroline Homer AO is a leading expert in maternal and newborn health, with over 20 years of experience advancing midwifery, health systems, and policy across the Asia-Pacific region.
Vlatka Matkovic
Vlatka Matkovic is a public health specialist with over two decades of experience managing EU-funded respiratory health projects and advancing lung health policy across Europe.
Mickey Chopra
Mickey Chopra is a global health systems leader focused on improving the organization, management, and quality of health services through his work with the World Bank and UNICEF.
Linda Nyondo-Mipando
Linda Nyondo-Mipando is a nurse midwife and health systems researcher specializing in co-designing health services to improve maternal, newborn, and infectious disease outcomes.
Mark New
Professor Mark New is a leading African climate scientist whose work focuses on climate risk, adaptation, and resilience, with a strong emphasis on policy-relevant research across Africa.
Jantina de Vries
Independent Ethics Advisor
Professor Jantina de Vries is a global health ethicist whose work centers Africa in ethics scholarship, with particular expertise in genomics, emerging health technologies, and global health governance.
Our Project Consortium
The HIGH Horizons project includes 11 partner universities and research centres across 10 countries in Europe and Africa, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Greece, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, the UK, Denmark, and Switzerland.
Our Partners
Associated Partner
