In 2019, a team of researchers led by Ashley Ward, now director of Duke University's Heat Policy Innovation Hub, found higher overnight temperatures led to up to a 6% increase in preterm births in some regions of North Carolina. A person without access to cooling could historically open a window at night and find relief, "but when outdoor temperatures overnight remain high, it means that mechanism for cooling isn’t really available anymore," Ward told the Tampa Bay Times.

Ashley Ward’s work focuses on strengthening community resilience and protecting human health in the face of environmental challenges. In her role as director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, Ward brings together scientists and communities to develop and deploy innovative policy solutions that reduce the impacts of extreme heat on human health and well-being. Part of a Duke Climate Commitment series of climate research profiles.

Nationally, heat requirements for rental units are far more common than cooling ones, though rules for the latter have taken off since 2020, Ashley Ward, director of Duke University's Heat Policy Innovation Hub, explained to The Minnesota Star Tribune. Cooling requirements are more common in hotter parts of the country but are starting to appear in moderate climates, too, “suggesting a rise in the recognition that extreme heat is a threat to our public health and community well-being,” Ward said.

Discover highlights from FY 2025 in this digital report. Covering July 2024 to June 2025, the report features actionable research, engagement with decision‑makers on emerging issues and hands‑on learning experiences that equip Duke students to lead.

For 20 years, the Nicholas Institute has pursued the “quest for yes”— bringing people together across differences, grounding big ideas in evidence and co-creating durable solutions to environmental and energy challenges. On Oct. 23, the institute welcomed students, scholars, alumni and partners in the community to an anniversary celebration that blended reflection with forward momentum.

A video and landing page from the Rockefeller Foundation highlight the Heat Policy Innovation Hub's Cooling Communities project among other initiatives designed to safeguard human health in the face of extreme heat. 

With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Heat Policy Innovation Hub's Cooling Communities project is helping to scale life-saving, community-driven measures for confronting extreme heat. This includes developing a structured pathway for trusted institutions to move toward becoming Community Lighthouses: hubs designed to keep people informed, safe, and connected during disasters.

A commentary by Naveen Rao, MD—senior vice president of the Health Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation—highlights the importance of centering community needs and insights when tackling heat-related health challenges. He cites the Heat Policy Innovation Hub's work to establish community lighthouses as an example of an approach that puts resources and decision-making in the hands of trusted local institutions.   

A new report from Duke's Heat Policy Innovation Hub provides the first multistate review of heat-related legislation in 11 states, offering a comprehensive view of both policy activity and inaction in the Southeast. The report indicates that efforts to address extreme heat are gaining traction with state legislatures in the region, but policies remain fragmented and inconsistent across jurisdictions.

Landlords in North Carolina are only required to provide heating during the winter, not cooling in the summer. State law says they must maintain existing AC units, but they’re not required to provide them. Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, told WUNC that passing a cooling ordinance would help make air conditioning more affordable and accessible to the people who need it most. "All we're asking for is what we already do for cold weather ... [to] also do it for hot weather," she said.

Recognition is growing among officials in many cities that heat is a workplace hazard, but what could be considered extreme in Boston might be a normal temperature in a state such as Arizona. "What we’re talking about is temperatures that are above expected or what is normal for the area in which you are," Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, told The Christian Science Monitor.

Held June 24–26, this invitation-only summit gathered dozens of leaders from diverse sectors for roundtable discussions designed to translate research and insights into actionable policies and strategies on extreme heat. The event was led by Duke University’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub as part of the HeatWise Policy Partnership, a brain trust committed to accelerating extreme heat solutions in the United States.

Heat is the deadliest weather hazard in the United States, killing more people annually than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes or extreme cold. “There is a misunderstanding of the risk,” Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, told Heatmap News. “A lot of people—particularly working age or younger people—don’t feel like they’re at risk when, in fact, they are.”

"While heat is expected in the summer, the scale and intensity of this current heat event—stretching through most of the U.S.—is unusual for late July," said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub. Ward talked with Newsweek about simple but effective ways people can stay cool even without air conditioning.

The Global Heat Health Information Network, World Meteorological Organization, U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Duke University's Nicholas Institute have launched three new resources as part of an effort to help improve international and multi-sectoral coordination on heat risk reduction. “If countries and institutions want to act swiftly and decisively to protect communities and economies, we must collaborate with and learn from one another as we develop systems for improving heat resilience,” said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub.