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INFORMATION FOR

Research Projects

Research Themes

Crisis Epidemiology

Quantifies the health impacts of war and displacement to reveal the human cost of political violence. By identifying mortality patterns, this theme generates evidence to inform humanitarian response, accountability, and efforts to protect population health.

Humanitarian Health

Examines the delivery and effectiveness of medical and public health services during acute and protracted emergencies, centering on health system performance, clinical outcomes, and responsive care models that mitigate the secondary effects of violence and build resilient systems.

  • Related work: Access to NCD medication in Sudan (ongoing).

Environment, Climate, and Conflict

Examines how environmental degradation, climate change, and conflict interact to shape health, livelihoods, displacement, and community resilience.

Refugee and Migrant Health

Addresses the structural and social barriers and determinants of health faced by displaced populations during transit and resettlement, emphasizing community participation and social cohesion as essential to reducing barriers to access and strengthening community resilience.

  • Related work: Returnees’ health vulnerabilities after a 3-year conflict in Sudan (The Lancet, 2026).

Surveillance, Data, and Accountability

Centers on health information systems for ethical monitoring and the early warning, detection, and alert of emerging crises. By emphasizing data transparency, this theme supports targeted intervention and rapid response, strengthens accountability, and informs evidence-based public health action and system resilience.

  • Related work: Infectious Disease Surveillance Under Conflict — a scoping review (ongoing); Strengthening Public Health Surveillance in Conflict Zones — a case study from Sudan (book chapter, under review).

Ethics and Peacebuilding

Explores the moral complexities of research in conflict zones and the intersection of health and stability, highlighting public health pathways that address the consequences of political violence and support community resilience.

Kaveh Khoshnood, Founder and Faculty Director of PEACE Lab, delivers a presentation on “Strengthening Public Health Surveillance in Conflict Zones: A Case Study from Sudan” for the Council on Middle East Studies (CMES) at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.

Projects, Grants and Activities

  • Strengthening Health Intelligence through Electronic Linked Data (Sudan)

    Integrating EWARS, GIS, and community-based surveillance in conflict-affected settings.

    A 24-month project to restore infectious disease surveillance following the severe disruption of Sudan's health system in the April 2023 war. It builds local capacity to modernize and scale the electronic Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) by incorporating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and machine-learning-based disease forecasting. By integrating historical trends with conflict and displacement data, the initiative generates predictive risk maps to optimize frontline logistics and resource allocation. Through community engagement and implementation research, the initiative establishes a resilient, locally driven model for epidemic detection while securing sustainable funding pathways for long-term system strengthening and regional health security.

    • Supported by: Hecht Global Health Faculty Network Award 2025, Yale Institute for Global Health

    • In collaboration with: Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA) and Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET).

  • Community-Embedded Verbal Autopsy for Mortality Surveillance in Humanitarian Settings

    A pilot project in conflict-affected Sudan.

    This project introduces a pilot mortality surveillance system using Verbal Autopsy (VA) to determine causes of death in communities where formal records are absent. By collaborating with local stakeholders and training community-based interviewers, the initiative generates actionable data on mortality patterns and social determinants. Beyond immediate data collection, it builds sustainable local capacity and fosters community ownership, aiming to shift humanitarian efforts from assumption-based responses to evidence-informed action and to provide a scalable model for mortality surveillance in conflict zones. Ultimately, it serves as a blueprint for rebuilding Sudan's health information infrastructure and improving accountability in humanitarian programming.

    • Supported by: The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, Yale University (2026).

    • In collaboration with: MakeDeathsCount