The Balsari Lab studies the impact of public health emergencies, disasters, and war on vulnerable populations.
Our team collaborates with populations in distress, humanitarian response agencies, civil society organizations, governments, and international agencies to reduce information asymmetries that threaten to exclude the poor and disadvantaged from decisions that impact their lives.
Leveraging mobile technology, data science, machine learning, and mixed methods, we have built digital decision support tools to advance clinical and population health outcomes in underserved communities globally.
Featured Projects
Science Communication
Hum Sab Ek
An immersive exhibit built from the powerful stories of 3 million women in India’s Self-Employed Women’s Association, who worked in the informal sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scalable Crisis Readiness Expertise
CrisisReady
CrisisReady uses novel data on disaster disruptions and community impacts to develop tools that improve response efficiency and support preparedness efforts. By integrating research, technology, and policy, it aims to enhance resilience and reduce risks during crises.
Climate Change & Human Health
Community HATS
Uncovering the impacts of extreme heat, Community HATS supports local communities and governments in India to build effective climate strategies.
Climate Change & Human Health
Climateverse
An open-access repository of curated climate datasets that enhances data quality, access, and usability by leveraging LLMs and Generative AI to break down barriers to utilization.
Digital Tools for Public Health
Digital Health Needs Finding Study
Exploring the digital requirements of Indian health systems, seeking innovative solutions, and pinpointing discrepancies between stakeholder needs and current identification methods.
New White Paper: Critical Perspectives on Extreme Heat in India
April 15, 2026
Released by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University, this compilation of essays makes the case that extreme heat in India has moved from a seasonal concern at the margins of climate policy to a structural test of the country’s public health systems, labor protections, agricultural economy, housing stock, and financial architecture. Drawing on the interdisciplinary deliberations at a global convening on heat organized by Harvard in New Delhi, the paper sets out a path toward adaptation that is more integrated, more accountable, and more responsive to the people most exposed.
Workstreams
Climate Change & Human Health
Disaster Impact Assessment
Digital Tools for Public Health
Science Communication
Events
Letters to a New Heat Officer
Accelerating Useful Learning for Urban Heat Action
May 6, 2026 – May 7, 2026
HUM SAB EK (We Are One) on Display at the International Labor Organization’s Headquarters
A Milestone for India’s Informal Workers
May 30 - June 25, 2025
The Salata Institute for Climate & Sustainability & The Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute
India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future
March 19-22, 2025
Climate Change and Planetary Health Concentration Talk
How hot is it really? Who decides?
February 26, 2025
Amrita University
Too Hot To Work? What Would Climate Adaptation Look Like For India’s Labor Force?
February 20, 2025
The Paul Farmer Symposium on Global Health Equity
The Audacity of Accompaniment
November 19, 2024
The Harvard Global Health Institute
Oral Histories, Microsensors, and Parametric Insurance: When Poor Women Workers Drive the Research Agenda
June 28, 2024