Three teams funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently wrapped up the first phase of their work to address environmental health stressors specific to their regions. Having strengthened local partnerships, they’re now implementing community-led strategies to address the health effects of extreme heat, harmful algal blooms, mental health, and food system disruptions.

The teams — based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Public Health Institute in California, and University of Colorado Denver — make up the Alliance for Community Engagement – Partnership for Action Toward Health (ACE-PATH) program. NIEHS plays a lead role in the crosscutting NIH Program on Health and Extreme Weather (HEW), which funds ACE-PATH.

“ACE-PATH’s community-level impact and vision exemplifies the collaborative mission of the NIH HEW Program,” said Mary Masterson, Ph.D., scientific program lead at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the administrative home for ACE-PATH.

She added that by supporting the co-development of adaptive solutions, NIH is building sustainable resilience through responsive, community-rooted health research.

ACE-PATH is a program within the larger NIH Community Engagement Alliance, which works to improve health outcomes and strengthen partnerships through community-engaged research. The Community Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC) provides external support by offering scientific and community engagement resources to the ACE-PATH centers.

Building a roadmap to community resilience

In Lake County, California, the CHARM project at the Public Health Institute’s Tracking California program brought together local Tribal leaders, public health officials, grassroots agencies, and community organizations. The goal was to better understand and respond to health challenges related to extreme heat events and harmful algal blooms.

“Local communities are already leading the response,” said Michelle Wong, M.P.H., who co-leads the CHARM project. “Our goal is to follow their lead by studying the best ways to strengthen resilience at the community level.”

The main product of CHARM’s Phase I efforts was the Road Map to Resilience in Lake County. This tool supports county and Tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, municipalities, and community-based organizations responding to environmental emergencies.

To create the Roadmap, CHARM surveyed residents, conducted interviews, and hosted a heat simulation exercise. Findings showed respondents relied on trusted public spaces, such as community centers, peer support centers, and places of worship, during environmental crises. In response, CHARM co-created educational materials with the American Red Cross on extreme heat awareness, which are now being distributed at 12 community centers across the region.

Elevating tribal-led health solutions

The Alaska Alliance for Community Engagement (AK ACE), at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, co-developed strategic action plans with five Alaska Native communities across four distinct regions — Tanana, Emmonak, Arctic Village, and Toksook Bay. The plans, guided by engaged discussions with local community members, are rooted in data and cultural knowledge. The co-developed plans outline interventions to address food system disruptions, infectious disease risks, and mental health challenges.

The AK ACE team secured Tribal resolutions in each community and involved local leadership in decision-making. They also trained community members to co-lead the data collection and analysis using the Q Methodology, a participatory research approach that uses shared community values to guide culturally appropriate measurement tools and strategies.

“Community voices revealed that when rural Alaska youth cannot practice traditional ways of life, their physical and mental health are greatly impacted,” said Stacy Rasmus, Ph.D., who co-leads the team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

For example, the AK ACE team prioritized ensuring that traditional lifestyles, particularly subsistence practices, such as fishing, were protected in the intervention plans. Looking ahead, the team will build on localized strengths that have supported Alaska Native community health for generations, with the aim of serving as a model for other Indigenous communities.

Turning data into community tools

The Mountain West Hub (MWH) at the University of Colorado Denver partnered with more than 40 organizations across West Denver and the San Luis Valley to address regional health concerns, including air quality, wildfire, drought, and heat.

“Ownership of this project by community members is crucial to success of the research,” said Carol Brown, Ph.D., who leads the team at MWH. “Active listening with local partners helped our team understand the unique challenges and common concerns faced by Colorado’s rural and urban communities.”

The MWH established three Community Cores — Conversations Core, Action Planning Core, and Youth Core — consisting of members from West Denver and the San Luis Valley. These groups share resources, respond to community feedback, and promote opportunities for action within their respective locales. The Cores have hosted community dialogues on local environmental health concerns, secured funding for water filter installations, and created a youth reading program to promote health literacy.

To capture community experiences on environmental hazards, MWH reviewed literature on community-based interventions, conducted interviews with community members, and added questions to a statewide survey to better understand common concerns.

Turning plans into practice

As the ACE-PATH program begins Phase II, the focus shifts to implementation. Teams will sustain community momentum, scale up successful models, and produce actionable research.

“Phase II will equip communities with expanded information, tools, and innovative solutions that build long-term resilience to regional health stressors,” said Lucas Rocha-Melogno, Ph.D., program director and scientific lead at CETAC.

For example, CETAC will provide ACE-PATH awardees with site liaisons to track progress, identify and help resolve challenges, and provide scientific support.

Rocha-Melogno added, “We look forward to continuing to support community-driven research teams in this next phase.”