- September 09, 2025
- By Philip Merrill College of Journalism and School of Public Health Staff
The University of Maryland will lead an eight-country research consortium to develop an artificial intelligence-powered early warning system to help communities fight diarrheal disease. The condition kills a half-million children ages 9 and younger each year while sickening many millions more, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and is rising in risk as extreme weather events increase around the world.
Funded by a three-year, $1.9 million joint grant, the project will unite UMD researchers with partners from Nepal, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and South Africa. The consortium is led by Professor Amir Sapkota, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health (SPH), whose team has built up the international partnership over the past several years.
Sapkota has long studied the effects of climate and weather on a range of health conditions; his recent research piloted the study team’s approach, using AI to predict diarrheal outbreaks. Among the youngest children, some of the most common viral causes of the condition include adenovirus, norovirus and Salmonella, the WHO reports. Across all age childhood groups, rotovirus and E. coli are the most common pathogens.
“Scientific data suggest extreme weather events will continue to increase in the near future, despite current mitigation efforts,” Sapkota said. “As such, there is an urgent need to use science and technology to develop tools that will help communities anticipate, prepare for and respond to the health threats posed by these extreme events.”
Other UMD colleagues include Associate Professor Ronald Yaros of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, SPH Assistant Professors Huang Lin in epidemiology and biostatistics and Pin Wang in global, environmental and occupational health, and Assistant Research Professor Hao He in atmospheric and oceanic science. They will collaborate with the international partners to design and refine a mobile app for the early warning system.
The system will integrate a range of data sources on weather, health and demographics to provide timely, actionable information about disease conditions and extreme atmospheric events to public health agencies, non-governmental organizations and local leaders.
“This project will translate complex scientific data into practical tools that communities can use to save lives,” Yaros said. “By working across disciplines and borders, we can ensure the results reach the people who need it most.”
Called Awareness Against Health Threats of Extreme Weather Events (AWARE), the project aims to strengthen community resilience in regions most affected by extreme weather events, reducing disease burdens and preventing health crises before they occur. Though the project will begin with a focus on predicting and preventing diarrheal disease, the team hopes to extend the focus to other climate-sensitive diseases including dengue later.
AWARE is funded by a joint grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Future Earth, United Kingdom Research and Innovation, the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan, and the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action.