IGS initiative to promote evidence-based policy and combat disinformation in climate change, energy, sustainability, and equity and justice.
Research Translation Lab (RTL) offers a variety of support to faculty and research teams to enhance the policy and public impact of their research.
Program Offerings
- Semester-long online cohort with expert presentations and peer-to-peer exchange
- One-on-one assessment of researcher’s impact goals
- Support for the development of Research Translation Plans
- Identification of strategic non-academic relationships and outreach support
- Roll out of the dissemination and policy impact segments of grants
- Consultations with city & state government representatives to identify climate/sustainability research needs
- Drafting of policy briefs and other translational and media materials
- Opportunities for grad students to be embedded with local governments
- Organize events that bring researchers together with policymakers, industry, and non-profit organizations
RTL 2024 Spotlight: Climate-Health
During the fall of 2024, the first online cohort of RTL was supported by the CAFÉ Research Coordinating Center and led by Rebecca Pearl-Martinez (IGS), Natalia Escobar-Pemberthy (IGS), Lilly Nichols (BU Center for Climate & Health), and Gaurab Basu (Harvard C-CHANGE). CAFE is a joint effort between the Schools of Public Health at Boston University and Harvard University and funded by the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative. Join the CAFE Community of Practice to stay connected and learn more.
This first RTL group included 19 climate-health researchers from the United States, Australia, Bangladesh, Chile, Namibia, and Pakistan. The RTL team supported researchers working on: Health risks of urban flooding in Brooklyn, New York; Mental health impacts of drought in Namibia; Heat stress and injuries among wildland firefighters in Chile; Water and vector-borne diseases exacerbated by climate change in coastal areas of Pakistan; and Expanding green spaces to alleviate extreme heat impacts among Latino communities in Phoenix, Arizona.
