Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy

🌡️ “We are living through a ‘heatshed’ moment.”

In a new commentary published in the Journal of Urban Affairs, Udall Center researcher Ladd Keith and collaborator Sara Meerow argue that rising temperatures and increasingly severe heat events require urgent action to protect communities, public health and livelihoods.

The paper highlights how extreme heat is the top weather-related killer in the United States, though it often receives less attention than natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires. The authors call for advancing heat resilience through three key strategies: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.

As climate change continues to intensify heat risks, Keith and Meerow argue that now is the time to build more resilient and heat-ready communities.

🔗Read the full paper at the link below! ⤵️

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07352166.2025.2526490

🎉 Congratulations to Professor Minwoo Ahn!

Minwoo recently completed his postdoc with UC heat policy researcher Ladd Keith and will be moving on this summer to his new position as Assistant Professor at the College of Charleston!

During his time at the University of Arizona, Minwoo served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) and the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning.

His research and studies have focused on environmental policy, water policy, environmental and climate behavior, and heat governance. His work has advanced important conversations around climate resilience, public health and environmental governance. He is also a core member of the Heat Resilience Initiative at the Arizona Institute for Resilience.

We are grateful for Minwoo’s contributions to the Udall Center and the University of Arizona community, and we look forward to seeing the impact he will make in this exciting new role.

Please join us in congratulating Minwoo on this well-deserved achievement and wishing him continued success at the College of Charleston! 👏

🎉 Welcome to the faculty, Anne-Lise!

Former postdoctoral heat researcher Anne-Lise Boyer was recently named Assistant Research Professor at CAPLA!

With a research focus on climate adaptation, water governance, and community resilience, Professor Boyer’s work continues to bridge interdisciplinary research with real-world impact across the Southwest and beyond.

We are excited to celebrate this incredible achievement and look forward to seeing the impact of her work in research, collaboration, and community engagement continue at the UA College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture.

Wishing Anne-Lise all the best as she begins this exciting new chapter at the University of Arizona! 🐻⬇️

👏 Congratulations to Former UC Fellow Brian Mayer!

Professor Mayer received the 2026 University of Arizona Provost Award for Distinguished Outreach!

A professor in the School of Sociology and a 2017–18 Udall Center Fellow, Mayer was recognized for his outstanding commitment to community-engaged scholarship and public impact. His work continues to strengthen connections between the university and communities across Arizona through research, collaboration, and outreach.

We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved honor and his continued contributions to the University of Arizona community! 🐻⬇️

🔗 To view the other well-deserved UA 2026 award winners, visit the link below! ⤵️

https://facultyaffairs.arizona.edu/honors-awards/2026-awards-distinction

The National PFAS Conference is just a week away! 🤩

The University of Arizona is hosting the three-day conference from June 8th – 10th, 2026, focusing on per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) research, regulation and the lived experiences of affected communities.

📍𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Health Sciences Innovation Building, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

🗓𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: June 8th – 10th, 2026

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Includes panel sessions, community perspectives on national impacts and collaborative discussions on health and environmental protection.

🔗Check out this news story on the topic from U of A at the link below! ⤵️

https://news.arizona.edu/news/researchers-convene-u-tackle-forever-chemicals-national-pfas-conference

👩🏽‍🔬Congrats to our latest award-winning scholar! 🏆

Udall Center Associate Research Professor and Associate Professor in the University of Arizona Zuckerman College of Public Health Stephanie Russo Carroll (Ahtna) was named a 2026 U of A Distinguished Scholar!!! 👏🏽

As co-author of the 2019 CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance and leader of multiple data sovereignty groups and collectives including the Indigenous Data Alliance, U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance, Dr. Carroll is an international leader in the field of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance research and advocacy.

We’re so proud to see this well-deserved recognition go to such a dedicated and impactful scholar!

🔗 See who else made the cut for the U of A’s 2026 Awards of Distinction at the link below.
https://bit.ly/4drlQIQ

🎓 👩‍🏫 UC Director named U of A Distinguished Mentor!

Congratulations to Andrea K. Gerlak, U of A’s 2026 Distinguished Mentor awardee!

Dr. Gerlak is Director of the Udall Center and Professor of Geography at the School of Geography, Development and Environment.

A dedicated instructor and mentor for students and faculty at all stages of their learning and professional journeys, Dr. Gerlak has taken concerted steps to elevate the Udall Center’s mentoring activities through the creation of the Mo’s Policy Scholars mentorship program for undergraduate students, working to get the UC named as a MENTOR Institute Certified Unit on campus, helping postdoctoral researchers maximize their development and engagement opportunities, guiding countless graduate and doctoral students from the application process through graduation, and so much more.

We are lucky to have such a dedicated mentor leading the Center in its policy research efforts!

Way to go, Andrea!!

🔗 See who else made the cut for the U of A’s 2026 Awards of Distinction at the link below.

https://facultyaffairs.arizona.edu/honors-awards/2026-awards-distinction

🏜️ 📜This policy tool could help with contentious Colorado River negotiations.

In an op-ed recently published by the The Arizona Republic, U of A Professors Andrea K. Gerlak and Katherine Jacobs, Professor Tanya Heikkila at the University of Colorado Denver and Professor Heather Tanana (Navajo) of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law make a case for more transparent and flexible management of the Colorado River’s water resources through the formation of an independent, Colorado River basin commission established and funded by the U.S. Congress.

Such a commission, the article states, could broaden participation by diverse stakeholders and rightsholders while managing variable flows based on the actual amount of water available for human use.

🔗 Read the full article at the link below! (DM us if you get stuck at a paywall)

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2026/05/07/solution-colorado-river-water-access-opinion/89935009007/