Impacts of Climate and Migration on Health in the Darien Gap (2026-2027)

Background

The Darién Gap — a densely forested region between Panama and Colombia — has undergone dramatic change in recent years. International migration through this region surged from roughly 9,000 migrants in 2018 to more than 520,000 in 2023. Most migrants (about 85 percent) traveled from malaria-endemic regions. At the same time, Panama has experienced a major malaria resurgence, with cases increasing from 715 in 2018 to more than 15,000 in 2024, concentrated in the provinces of Darién and Guna Yala. This rise has occurred despite long-standing malaria control programs and may be worsened by the arrival of new, more efficient mosquito vectors from Colombia.

These shifts intersect with rapid economic, social and environmental change in the indigenous Emberá–Wounaan communities that live along migration routes. As migration increased, many residents shifted from subsistence livelihoods like fishing, hunting and farming toward service-sector activities such as transportation, lodging and food sales for migrants. With migration flows dropping sharply in mid-2025, these same communities must again adapt amid ongoing economic and environmental pressures. Understanding how climate, mobility and changing ecologies interact to affect health is crucial for informing local and international policy.

Project Description

This project will investigate how climate change, changing migration flows and environmental disruption affect human health in indigenous communities in the Darién region of Panama. Students will join one of three research teams — malaria ecology and epidemiology, nutrition, or migration — and work collaboratively to develop an integrated understanding of health and socioeconomic change along migration routes.

Malaria ecology and epidemiology team

• Learn malaria biology, vector ecology, human-behavioral risk factors and climate-related risk pathways.
• Extend ongoing survey work to measure indigenous communities’ malaria exposure, mobility, socio-demographic variables and interactions with migrants.
• Receive training in mosquito vector collection and environmental surveillance to assess whether new vectors are expanding into the region.

Nutrition team

• Investigate how ecological and social change influence dietary diversity and nutritional patterns.
• Use stable isotope analysis of hair samples to reconstruct dietary composition over time and assess resource access and market integration.
• Integrate isotopic data with qualitative and survey data on food practices, environmental change and household livelihoods.

Migration team

• Study how shifts in migration flows reshape local economies, resource use and environmental pressures.
• Use surveys and survey experiments to assess how residents balance economic opportunities against environmental and health concerns.
• Examine local perceptions of economic transitions.

Together, these teams will carry out mixed-methods fieldwork across at least seven Emberá–Wounaan communities, aiming to enroll at least 400 participants. Results will be synthesized to inform sustainable, inclusive policies that address population needs.

Anticipated Outputs

• Peer-reviewed publication integrating findings of malaria, nutrition and migration subteams
• Policy recommendations to support sustainable and inclusive health and development strategies
• Data to support longitudinal studies and expansion of research across Central American migration routes

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this team will include 2 graduate students and 8 undergraduate students with interests in field research, lab science, data analysis, science communications, global health, ecology, climate impacts or policy. Students with skills in statistical analysis, laboratory work, field work or policy analysis and those who speak Spanish at an intermediate or higher level are especially encouraged to apply.

Depending on specialization, students may gain experience in:

• Epidemiology and biostatistics
• Vector ecology and field collection methods
• Climate and land use modeling
• Laboratory techniques and stable isotope analysis
• Survey design and data analysis
• Policy analysis related to climate, migration and health
• Popular science writing and preparation of peer-reviewed manuscripts
• Cross-disciplinary teamwork and international fieldwork

Graduate students will support project leadership, mentor undergraduate researchers and may use elements of the project for thesis or dissertation work. All students may have the opportunity to travel to Panama in Summer 2026.

Timing

Summer 2026 – Spring 2027

Summer 2026 (optional):

• Primary data collection, including nutrition and migration surveys and mosquito vector sampling

Fall 2026:

• Preliminary data processing and analysis across malaria, nutrition and migration teams
  • Continued epidemiological, ecological and policy analyses

Spring 2027:

• Completion of analyses
• Preparation of manuscripts and partner-facing reports
• Communication of findings to Panamanian collaborators and international audiences

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters

See earlier related team, Impacts of Climate and Migration on Health in the Darien Gap (2025-2026).