Current Funded Projects
The REACH Center supports two initially funded projects:
- RESEARCH PROJECT 1: A Community-Centered Study of Road Pricing in Washington, D.C
- RESEARCH PROJECT 2: Landscape fire PM2.5, air conditioning, and mortality among dialysis patients
RESEARCH PROJECT 1: A Community-Centered Study of Road Pricing in Washington, D.C
The primary objective of this project is to quantify the health implications associated with road pricing schemes under consideration in the Washington, District of Columbia, area.
The impacts of vehicular air pollutant emissions on health are particularly pronounced in cities, where vehicles are a dominant air pollution emissions source. Road pricing (alternatively called congestion pricing) is policy currently being considered in cities around the world as a way to reduce air pollution, reduce congestion and commuting times, shift travel from vehicles to public transit and other active transport modes, and reduce traffic-related injuries.
This project, which was co-generated in collaboration with Greater Greater Washington (GGWash), a community group in the Washington, DC, area, focuses on the District as a case study for assessing how road pricing may impact traffic-related health outcomes. The primary significance of this project over existing literature is estimating health benefits of proposed road pricing schemes using state-of-the-science transportation, air quality, and health outcomes models at community-relevant scales.
Key Personnel:
Director: Lucas Henneman, PhD
Co-Director: Kelvin Fong, ScD
Investigators: Rachel Clark, JD; Zhengtian Xu, PhD; Jenna Krall, PhD; Daniel Tong, PhD
Other Significant Contributors: Administrative Core and Exposure Assessment Core - Gaige Kerr, PhD; Community Engagement Core - Maria Harris, PhD
RESEARCH PROJECT 2: Landscape fire PM2.5, air conditioning, and mortality among dialysis patients
The primary objective of this project is to examine the association between landscape fire PM2.5 and long-term mortality among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving dialysis, and to determine whether the prevalence of air conditioning has a relationship with mortality in this patient population.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a disease that results in premature mortality and substantially reduced quality of life.
This project, which was co-generated in collaboration with the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), a national independent kidney patient organization in the U.S., focuses on assessing whether repeat events of exposure to landscape fire smoke can impact long-term mortality in ESRD patients and whether air conditioning (AC) could serve as a possible preventive measure for dialysis patients. The primary significance of this project is to use a large geospatial landscape fire PM2.5 dataset and national level renal data to generate findings that are translatable to ESRD patients, medical care and dialysis providers, and other end-users.
Key Personnel:
Director: Kate Applebaum, ScD
Investigators: Pramita Bagchi, PhD; Dominic Raj, MD
Other Significant Contributors: Administrative Core - Susan Anenberg, PhD; Exposure Assessment Core - Joseph Wilkins, PhD; Community Engagement Core - Maria Harris, PhD; Kristi Pullen Fedinick, PhD