Balsari Lab – Research and Advocacy

The Balsari Lab studies the impact of public health emergencies, disasters, and war on vulnerable populations.

Our team collaborates with populations in distress, humanitarian response agencies, civil society organizations, governments, and international agencies to reduce information asymmetries that threaten to exclude the poor and disadvantaged from decisions that impact their lives.

Leveraging mobile technology, data science, machine learning, and mixed methods, we have built digital decision support tools to advance clinical and population health outcomes in underserved communities globally.

Featured Projects

CrisisReady

Scalable Crisis Readiness Expertise

CrisisReady uses novel data on disaster disruptions and community impacts to develop tools that improve response efficiency and support preparedness efforts. By integrating research, technology, and policy, it aims to enhance resilience and reduce risks during crises.

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Heat Risk API

Heat Exposure & Vulnerability Mapping

Turning authoritative climate data into daily, per-community heat exposure metrics for any geography on Earth—so responders can act on local risk, not regional averages.

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Key Learnings in Disaster Response

Courses

ID205 emphasizes the public health dimensions of disaster response across the continuum of assessment, rescue and relief, early recovery, and strategies for longer‑term population protection.

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Multimedia Simulations

Training for Climate Extremes

We are developing multimedia simulations on extreme climate events—including wildfires, heat, and floods—using archival footage, didactic modules, and facilitated discussions to examine adaptation strategies, with our first heatwave simulation already conducted for Harvard faculty and U.S. city officials.

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Climateverse

Climate Change & Human Health

An open-access repository of curated climate datasets that enhances data quality, access, and usability by leveraging LLMs and Generative AI to break down barriers to utilization.

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Community HATS

Climate Change & Human Health

Uncovering the impacts of extreme heat, Community HATS supports local communities and governments in India to build effective climate strategies.

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Spotlight

What 1,000 Women Workers Can Teach Us About Surviving Extreme Heat

September 19, 2026

In TIME, Dr. Satchit Balsari explains why death counts understate the toll of extreme heat. Through the CommunityHATS study, 1,000 women workers in India are measuring how heat at home and at work affects their health, sleep and wages — and early results show the most vulnerable are already bearing the cost themselves.

Valiben Makwana, street vendor in Ahmedabad, India on May 16, 2026. Photo by Ed Kashi. — Photo by Ed Kashi

Spotlight

Phoenix Heat Wave Simulation at the Global Heat Forum, Bangkok

October 6, 2026

On October 6, Balsari Lab ran the Phoenix Heat Wave Simulation as the opening session of Track A at the Global Heat Forum in Bangkok, the global gathering on heat and health. About 200 interdisciplinary participants from around the world wore role vests, stepping into the shoes of city heat officers, hospital teams and emergency responders, and worked through what happened, what they would decide, and what Phoenix actually did.