ABOUT

The Climate, Aging, and Relationships (CARE) Lab investigates how climate change and social relationships interact to shape healthy aging. We focus on social connection, loneliness, and care in the context of climate-related risks, using transdisciplinary approaches. Our projects include global research across diverse cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic settings, including minoritized populations. Ultimately, the aim is to generate evidence that informs inclusive climate adaptation and public health policies that strengthen social connection worldwide.

The CARE Lab is led by Dr. Samia C. Akhter-Khan at the Brandenburg Medical School.

VISION

Our lab envisions a resilient future by promoting the interconnection of social well-being and planetary health in an aging world. Our work is guided by rigorous and transparent evidence, participatory methods, and by our values:

Sustainable impact: We aim to pursue knowledge with the purpose to improve human and planetary conditions. Through participatory research and science communication, we aim to translate our research from insight into action, to ultimately achieve lasting impacts on communities in a rapidly changing world.

Relationships: Our research has the goal of fostering social relationships, locally and globally. We study social connection through equitable collaborations built on trust, both within the lab and with participants, researchers and stakeholders. By empowering scholars at risk and giving voice to people from minoritized backgrounds, we strive to create ripple effects to the wider community to support global equity.

Openness: We recognize humans and environments as dynamic and continually evolving. We promote open, transparent, and sustainable research and learning practices.

The CARE Lab's vision and values were created by our team at a lab workshop in January 2026 and will be updated as the lab evolves.