Organized by Duke’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub, the HeatWise Policy Partnership is a group of leaders committed to accelerating extreme heat solutions in the United States. The partnership launched in June 2024 with a summit that drew more than 100 stakeholders to campus for robust cross-sectoral dialogue about how to make communities more resilient to heat events. The summit resulted in a November 2024 report identifying concrete recommendations, which form the basis of an outreach and education program aimed at decision-makers at the federal, state and local levels.
Building on the success of the inaugural summit, the hub hosted HeatWise DC in June 2025 with 62 attendees. This series of high-impact roundtable discussions was designed to translate research and insights into actionable policies and strategies. The event, hosted at Duke in DC, brought together federal and local policymakers, private sector leaders, researchers and community advocates to drive meaningful progress in heat resilience and governance. Discussions focused on three core themes: rural heat vulnerability, national defense and security and financing for heat mitigation and insurance. HeatWise DC included a reception for attendees and invited guests to network and to commemorate the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Extreme Heat Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, visited with 47 congressional offices in May and June 2025 as part of outreach for the HeatWise Policy Partnership. READ MORE.
Participants at the HeatWise DC summit in June 2025, held at Duke in DC.