Everyday environments
Adapt household and weather measurements to the local research setting and its daily routines.
Environmental measurementsIndia / Maharashtra
VaduClimate and health
in rural Pune.
Bringing climate and health research into the everyday lives of rural communities near Pune.
Explore the CHEERS–Vadu pilot
- Population platform
- Vadu HDSS
- Local institution
- KEM Hospital Research Centre
- CHEERS stage
- Pilot development
01 / The setting
A population research setting.
Vadu connects long-term population research with new questions about heat, health and well-being.
The CHEERS pilot is being adapted to the Vadu Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). Local researchers and communities inform how morbidity surveys, wearables and household and environmental measurements can work together.
The aim is to develop feasible, locally relevant methods for understanding climate-related health risks.
Approximate location · Natural Earth
02 / Research prioritiesUnderstanding exposure.
Understanding exposure.
Following health.
Health & well-being
Connect morbidity and well-being questions with wearable measurements and culturally appropriate assessments.
Wearable measurementsLocally feasible methods
Develop practical data workflows through methods training, field collaboration and community engagement.
Pilot aims & methods03 / People & partnershipsLed locally.
Led locally.
Working together.
Local leadership
Dr Rutuja Patil
Head of Vadu HDSS
Lead, Indian HDSS Network
Principal Investigator, CHEERS–Vadu
Vadu Rural Health Program · KEM Hospital Research Centre
Portrait: KEM Hospital Research Centre
CHEERS–Vadu Co-investigator
Dr Dhiraj Agarwal ↗
Respiratory health & population research
KEM Hospital Research Centre
Research & network enquiries
Dr Sandra Barteit ↗
Digital Global Health
Heidelberg Institute of Global Health
04 / DevelopmentBuilding the pilot,
Building the pilot,
step by step.
Current status · November 2026
- March 2026 / Workshop held
Prepare together
A workshop at KEM Hospital Research Centre brought researchers together to prepare the CHEERS–Vadu pilot.
Workshop & programme ↗ - Current / Pilot development
Adapt to the setting
Develop locally appropriate measurements, questionnaires and workflows for the Vadu population platform.
Pilot profile ↗ - Planned / Feasibility work
Learn from implementation
Assess how the adapted approach works in practice. Completed recruitment and health-effect results are not yet reported here.
Connected initiative
REFRAME separately plans a core HDSS study in Vadu. The EU grant agreement is in preparation, with a January 2027 start planned.
About REFRAME ↗Publications & evidence
Related publications
No Vadu-specific CHEERS journal paper has been identified in the reviewed library. The publications below explain the framework and methods informing adaptation to this setting.
2023Background frameworkMethods
Widening the lens of population-based health research to climate change impacts and adaptation: the climate change and health evaluation and response system (CHEERS) ↗
Introduces the modular CHEERS framework linking population surveillance, environmental measurements and individual health data.
Methods, findings & limitations ↗2023Transferable study protocolStudy protocol
Developing Climate Change and Health Impact Monitoring with eHealth at the South East Asia Community Observatory and Health and Demographic Surveillance Site, Malaysia (CHIMES) ↗
CHIMES evaluates the feasibility of sensor-based climate and health research at SEACO, including asthma and COPD.
Methods, findings & limitations ↗Connected projects
Research connections
Network resources & exchange
Related resources and exchange
Workshops & programme contributions
Sources, background & updates
Sources & updates
Sources and updates
- Read about the planned pilot ↗
- Public contact / role: Dr Dhiraj Agarwal ↗
- Published professional contact: Dr Dhiraj Agarwal ↗
- Published professional contact: Dr Rutuja Patil ↗
- Public contact / role: Dr Sandra Barteit ↗
- REFRAME project scope and preparation status ↗
- Rutuja Patil · research background and Indian HDSS Network ↗
Profile reviewed 13 November 2026. Suggest a profile update ↗