Iowa INSIGHT

This article was originally published on the University of Iowa College of Engineering website. Click here to read the full article.

Advancing Human Resilience Through Science

The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking (INSIGHT) is a first-of-its-kind initiative dedicated to understanding how Iowa’s environment is impacting the health of its people.

Iowa INSIGHT is a statewide initiative that will produce scientific evidence needed to understand how environmental exposures affect human health — from the air Iowans breathe to the water they drink. The program will work to identify environmental factors contributing to Iowa’s high cancer rates and other negative health problems, prioritizing maternal and newborn health, neurodevelopment, and autism-related outcomes.

A generous founding gift from the Kyle J. and Sharon Krause Family Foundation supports Iowa INSIGHT. The program is a collaboration with the University of Iowa’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering.

Key Focus Areas

Iowa INSIGHT targets four primary focus areas centered on collecting data, using data to identify links between environmental exposures and human health, and sharing information to raise awareness and motivate action among Iowans.

Environmental Monitoring

Expand existing monitoring of Iowa’s air and water while advancing analysis of emerging environmental risks.

Biomonitoring

Build research expertise and infrastructure to analyze biospecimens, such as blood and urine, and generate data linking environmental exposures to health outcomes in Iowa.

Epidemiology and Data Science

Use environmental and biospecimen data to identify associations between environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes, with a major focus on factors contributing to Iowa’s high cancer rates.

Knowledge Sharing

Raise awareness and motivate action among Iowans by translating environmental and health data into accessible online visualizations and sharing insights through community engagement events across all 99 counties.

Transparent Data

Iowa INSIGHT will centralize publicly available data into a research database designed to support epidemiological studies of environmental risk factors affecting Iowans.

An interactive online dashboard will share the data; research findings; and clear, accessible and actionable recommendations in real-time.

Community Engagement

Iowa INSIGHT will partner will county health offices and local organizations to host community town halls in all 99 Iowa counties, sharing research findings, answering questions, and providing evidence-based recommendations to improve environmental health.

Through CHEEC and IIHR’s existing statewide networks, Iowa INSIGHT will extend its reach across Iowa, ensuring that communities have access to actionable insights that support a healthier, more resilient future.

To view the original article on the University of Iowa website, click here.