New consortia to advance sustainability and health economics research

To address some of the state’s most critical health concerns, two new Indianapolis-based research consortia will broaden the impact of Indiana University’s sustainability and health economics research.

The new research consortia join three others at IU Indianapolis, which are focused on artificial intelligence, informatics and community-engaged research to impact health equity. Led by a faculty champion, each consortium takes an interdisciplinary approach to its area of focus. They provide important expertise to complement the missions of the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute and the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing, announced as part of IU’s historic investment in life sciences and biotechnology innovation.

“By bringing together IU Indianapolis’ collective expertise in these high-impact areas, our research consortia will play a critical role in helping our institutes transform the health and well-being of Hoosier communities,” said Phaedra Corso, IU associate vice president for research and vice chancellor for research at IU Indianapolis. “The launch of the new Health Economics Consortium and Sustainable Earth Consortium will allow us to take an even more comprehensive approach to meeting Hoosiers’ most pressing health challenges.”

Aligned with the goals of the IU 2030 strategic plan, the institutes and consortia expand on IU Indianapolis’ current research strengths. Their work will be central to helping transform IU Indianapolis into one of the nation’s premier urban research universities.

A network of health economics experts

The Health Economics Consortium will bring together health economics experts from across IU to create a cohesive and coordinated unit that serves as a valuable resource for researchers at IU and beyond. By pooling together the university’s resources and expertise, the consortium will provide a unified service that supports individual researchers who seek specialized health economics insights for their projects and grant applications.

Sumedha Gupta, an associate professor of economics in the IU School of Liberal Arts and the faculty champion for this initiative, emphasizes the consortium’s role as a service provider and an incubator for collaborative research.

Sumedha Gupta. Photo provided by Sumedha Gupta“IU is already a prominent hub for health economics and policy expertise, and our goal is to streamline access to this expertise for individual researchers,” Gupta said. “We aim to simplify the process by eliminating the need to navigate multiple departments. Our support extends to outcomes research, strengthening grant applications and developing evaluations, thereby enhancing research projects and offering crucial assistance. Additionally, the consortium has the potential to serve as an incubator for large, multi-institutional and interdisciplinary grants.”

One of the consortium’s key strengths lies in its ability to use existing resources and expertise. Many health economists within IU, who may not have had grant expectations in their departments, now have the opportunity to partner with researchers focused on health systems research.

The consortium’s launch coincides with the Midwest Health Economics Conference, set to take place at IU Bloomington in September. This event will serve as a platform to spread the word about the consortium’s mission and capabilities, not only within IU but also among regional and potential industry partners.

Researchers interested in partnering or in need of health economics assistance are encouraged to reach out to Gupta at sugupta@iu.edu to learn more about the consortium.

‘A more sustainable urban future’

Gabriel Filippelli, the champion of the sustainability consortium, plans to build on IU Indianapolis’ strength in hands-on research that explores urban sustainable solutions. He will bring in other faculty and community partners to advance climate and health care research through a sustainable lens.

“We already have a track record of working in communities who experience environmental injustices. We have a strong health focus on our campus too,” said Filippelli, a Chancellor’s Professor of earth sciences at IU Indianapolis, director of the Center for Urban Health at IU Indianapolis and executive director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute. “One of the areas where we’re seeing climate change impact us greatly is our health. These issues are not unique to Indianapolis, but through this consortium we can partner with the city to understand how to make a more sustainable urban future.”

Gabriel Filippelli. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University Corporations with strong, local interest will play a crucial part in creating and advancing sustainable solutions. Filippelli said there has already been an incredible amount of support from manufacturing companies that are looking to partner with experts who can advise their sustainability initiatives.

The Sustaining Earth Consortium plans to engage external members in research objectives such as increasing cradle-to-cradle designed products. Unlike cradle-to-grave, which follows the lifecycle of a product until it is no longer useful and discarded, cradle-to-cradle designed products can be fully recycled. Focusing on the urban landscape, the consortium plans to investigate how to make battery production cradle-to-cradle since batteries can leak toxic chemicals, like lead and mercury, into the environment when disposed of incorrectly.

Throughout the spring and summer, the consortium has held several meetings for members to explore future topics. It also started a working group that developed a proposal for a new NSF Center for the Emerging Bioeconomy, which was submitted in June.