Modeling is vital to understanding disease spread and optimal interventions. In this episode of the B.Next Outbreak Analytics & Forecasting series, Dr. Marita Zimmermann, Affiliate Assistant Professor and Research Economist at the Institute for Disease Modeling, discusses with Dr. Dylan George the need for modeling and how it’s used to understand which people are at risk for COVID-19 and determine public health interventions to minimize their risk.

References:

• Institute for Disease Modeling COVID-19 Reports

In this episode of the B.Next Outbreak Analytics & Forecasting series, Drs. Dylan George and Caitlin Rivers are joined by Dr. Nick Reich, one of the leading researchers who is building operational forecasting capabilities in collaboration with public health agencies. Listen in as they discuss the need for better quantity and quality data to have more high-resolution, real-time data to enable better modeling and guide response efforts, and the development of the CDC COVID-19 Forecasting Hub. 

References:

• COVID-19 Forecast Hub

Today, weather forecasters can spot the development of a tropical storm and use models to help determine its path and strength, which is incredibly important to protect those in its path. In episode four of the B.Next Outbreak Analytics & Forecasting series, Drs. Dylan George and Caitlin Rivers explain why the world needs a disease forecasting center now more than ever, and how it could work to inform decision making among government, policy makers, the public health community, and more to minimize disease spread.

References:

• How to Forecast Outbreaks and Pandemics

Episode three of the B.Next Outbreak Analytics & Forecasting series features Dr. Steven Riley from Imperial College of London, with Drs. Dylan George and Caitlin Rivers exploring the importance of the infection mortality rate, the value, and need for the public health community to embrace data and use it better.

References:

• Report 9: Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand

Episode two of the B.Next Outbreak Analytics & Forecasting series features Dr. Dylan George discussing simulated forecasting in infectious disease with Dr. Jeff Shaman, professor at Columbia University and director of the Climate and Health program at the Mailman School of Public Health. Analyzing the past to develop models may be able to inform the trajectory of infectious disease activity in the near-term future and allows for public health officials to consider real-world intervention strategies to help mitigate the spread of disease.  

References:

• Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

In the era of COVID-19, you’ve likely heard the terms outbreak analytics and forecasting being used more frequently. This episode kicks off a special B.Next series that will investigate outbreak analytics and forecasting, how it’s being used to help with pandemic response efforts, and what’s needed to improve these capabilities. Dr. Dylan George, Vice President at IQT’s B.Next, and Dr. Caitlin Rivers, Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Center of Health Security, lead today’s discussion to provide an overview of how outbreak analytics are useful and critical tools in understanding the risks of the pandemic and how to best mitigate them.

References:

• Modernizing and Expanding Outbreak Science to Support Better Decision Making During Public Health Crises: Lessons for COVID-19 and Beyond

When it comes to good datasets, which is more important: quality or quantity? This episode explores three different IQT Labs projects across different domains, specifically examining quality and quantity considerations. Hear about the parallels between our projects within the geospatial, biotechnology, and synthetic data domains, as well as lessons learned about good training data characteristics.

Learn more:

• Machine Learning Robustness Study

What are some of the challenges associated with diagnostics and testing surrounding COVID-19? B.Next’s Drs. Kevin O’Connell and Dylan George discuss recent pandemic developments and explore the importance of testing, why it's been challenging, and the exciting technologies that we should look forward to coming soon.

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Hospitals across the world are operating under a contingency standard of care due to COVID-19. Could the strain of resources be alleviated through remote monitoring of patients through their wearable devices? In this episode, B.Next’s Dr. Dan Hanfling and In-Q-Tel’s Kevin Schaeffer explore wearable sensor technology and how it can affect and help in monitoring patient health.

Learn more at www.bnext.org. 

What goes into the development of vaccines, specifically ones to combat COVID-19? B.Next Drs. Kevin O’Connell and Dylan George are joined by Dr. Luciana Borio to discuss the technology and factors involved in creating safe and effective vaccines. Learn more about the scale and timeline of vaccine manufacturing, the level and duration of protective immunity, different phases of clinical studies, distribution logistics, and more as the team breaks down what it takes to develop a very complex countermeasure. Note, this podcast was recorded on 5/15 before Operation Warp Speed was announced, which you may learn more about at the link below.

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