Strengthening Health through Integrated Environmental and Climate Data (SHIELD)

Climate change is intensifying hazards such as floods and heatwaves, increasing the burden of climate sensitive diseases and the risk of public health emergencies. While climate, health, and environmental data exist in many countries, they are often fragmented across institutions, limiting their usefulness for preparedness and timely response.

SHIELD is a research project funded by the Wellcome Trust (2026-2028) to strengthen national capacity for climate and health decision making in Malawi and Pakistan. We achieve this goal by co designing and supporting ministry hosted climate and health data services that integrate climate, health, environmental, demographic, and socioeconomic data, which enables timely, relevant, and actionable insights for public health decision making. We work in close collaboration with local stakeholders to ensure alignment with country priorities, sustainability, and long-term ownership.

What SHIELD delivers

SHIELD’s outputs aim at cultivating sustained climate and health evidence generation pipeline, including the delivery of:

• Integrated climate and health data services, including a functional initial system capability and a clear pathway for scale‑up.
• Priority use cases in each country that demonstrate how integrated climate and health data services can inform real‑world public health decisions.
• Capacity building and strengthening to support effective adoption, use, and maintenance.

These outputs enable future investment through:

• A costed roadmap for continued development and scale.
• A credible investment case for multilateral development banks (MDBs) and other funders.

SHIELD’s design principles

• Integrating climate and health data across disciplinaries. SHIELD addresses fragmented data landscapes by supporting interoperable services that align climate, health, environmental, and related datasets within real‑world constraints.
• Separating data from analytics to preserve downstream flexibility. By maintaining clear boundaries between data, analytics, and interpretation, SHIELD supports transparency, scientific rigor, and flexibility as priorities and methods evolve.
• Designing around user needs and decision workflows. A human‑centered design approach ensures that services reflect the realities of users, increasing usability and uptake.
• Building capacity alongside digital infrastructure. Service development is paired with targeted capacity building and strengthening to support sustained use.
• Embedding government ownership for long‑term sustainability. SHIELD works with local stakeholders from the outset to integrate services within existing ecosystems and financing pathways.