Scholars@Duke
Ashley Ward

Ashley Ward

Area Director, Nicholas Institute for En
Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
ashley.ward2@duke.edu
2111 Campus Drive, Durham, NC 27708

Selected Publications

Heat Legislation in the Southeast: Gaps, Innovations, and Opportunities

Report · September 18, 2025 Extreme heat is the fastest-growing weather-related hazard in the United States, posing mounting risks to human health, infrastructure, and economic stability. Nowhere is this threat more urgent than in the Southeastern states, where high humidity, widespr ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Engaging Communities, Aligning Strategies, and Scaling Solutions: A Report from HeatWise DC

Report · September 12, 2025 HeatWise DC—a continuation of the HeatWise Policy Partnership launched in 2024—brought together 62 cross-sectoral leaders to confront the rising threat of extreme heat. Held in Washington, DC, the three-day event focused on rural vulnerability; national se ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Intersecting Risk: Heat and Substance Use in Rural Communities.

Journal Article Substance use & misuse · January 2025 BackgroundExtreme heat has a direct impact on health and can exacerbate substance use. Rural communities are at high risk given higher rates of hospitalizations for heat related illness and the disproportionate effects of substance use. This comme ... Full text Cite

Confronting Heat Challenges—Cross-Sector Strategies for National Resilience: A Report from the 2024 HeatWise Policy Partnership Summit

Report · November 4, 2024 The HeatWise Policy Partnership Summit is a key component of a cyclical two-year program that encompasses stakeholder engagement, event planning, biannual convening, reporting key findings, and outreach to policymakers. During the 2023 engagement phase, As ... Open Access Link to item Cite

The Climate Change Burden on Immune Health: Are Persons Living with HIV More at Risk?

Journal Article AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses · October 2024 Climate change poses one of the most significant modern threats to overall human health,especially for vulnerable populations including persons living with HIV (PLWH). In this perspective, we specifically explore the concept of immune resilience in human h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Higher Temperatures in Socially Vulnerable US Communities Increasingly Limit Safe Use of Electric Fans for Cooling.

Journal Article Geohealth · August 2023 As the globe warms, people will increasingly need affordable, safe methods to stay cool and minimize the worst health impacts of heat exposure. One of the cheapest cooling methods is electric fans. Recent research has recommended ambient air temperature th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Defining Extreme Heat as a Hazard: A Review of Current State Hazard Mitigation Plans

Report · April 20, 2023 Heat is the leading cause of weather-related death in the United States. Each US state must have a FEMA-approved state hazard mitigation plan (SHMP) to be eligible for certain non-emergency disaster funds and funding for mitigation projects. Many US states ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Influence of growing season temperature and precipitation anomalies on crop yield in the southeastern United States

Journal Article Agricultural and Forest Meteorology · September 15, 2020 This study investigates the spatiotemporal relationships between growing season precipitation, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature anomalies on yield for corn (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max), cotton (Gossypium), peanut (arachis hypogaea), and sw ... Full text Cite

The impact of heat exposure on reduced gestational age in pregnant women in North Carolina, 2011-2015.

Journal Article International journal of biometeorology · December 2019 Research on the impact of heat on pregnant women has focused largely on outcomes following extreme temperature events, such as particular heat waves or spells of very cold weather on pregnant women. Consistently, the literature has shown a statistically si ... Full text Cite