Author:
Staff
Thirteen primary awardees have been named by CDC’s Center for
Forecasting and Outbreak Analysis. The funds will be used to create a
consortium to design, prototype, test, and scale up advances in data
modeling tools and technology that can be used to support public
health decision makers. The new network, Outbreak Analytics and
Disease Modeling Network (OADM), will be a valuable resource to
support responses during public health emergencies.
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Each
of these primary awardees brings a unique set of skills that will support
in innovation, integration or implementation. For example, the Gillings
School at UNC has received funding specifically for the creation of the
Atlantic Coast Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and Analytics (ACCIDDA),
which will support the CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics
as the OADM Coordinating Center and as a Center of Innovation. The Johns
Hopkins Center for Health Security
will
establish large-scale partnerships with traditional and nontraditional
public health stakeholders across the country, as well as training public
health students, practitioners, and modelers to use modeling and analytics
tools for the full spectrum of epidemic responses. Meanwhile, Emory
University has joined the network as an innovation partner and will
support the development of a pipeline of new analytical methods, tools,
and platforms for modeling efforts that will ultimately inform public
health decision makers.
Dylan George, director
of CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics said: “Each of
the grantees will help us move the nation forward in our efforts to
better prepare and respond to infectious disease outbreaks that
threaten our families and our communities. We are committed to working
alongside these outstanding partners to achieve our goal of using data
and advanced analytics to support decision-makers at every level of
government.”
This innovative network
extends the geographic reach and technical diversity of participants
focused on innovating, integrating, and implementing modeling and
forecasting tools to improve outbreak response. The goal is to improve
speed, accuracy, and use of data & analytics during health emergencies,
which is essential to providing Americans with the information to keep
themselves and their families safe during outbreaks.
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