Radcliffe Institute Public Symposium on Epidemics
Radcliffe Institute Science Symposium entitled “The Contagion: Exploring Modern Epidemics” will be held on Friday, October 27, 2017. The symposium looks at new ways of tracking epidemics using big data and social networks to predict and stem the rise of emergent diseases. Epidemiologists, journalists, physicians, public officials, scientists, and sociologists will discuss cutting-edge research, prediction mechanisms, and possible solutions to the range of epidemics that face our world today—from Ebola and SARS, to the more recently recognized social epidemics of the opioid crisis and gun violence.
The morning will open with the Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Lizabeth Cohen and framing remarks by Janet Rich-Edwards, Codirector of the Science Program. The morning session will focus on infectious disease epidemics, the early afternoon session will discuss big data, and the late afternoon session will explore the social roots of epidemics. The symposium will conclude with a talk by Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist.
The symposium is free and open to the public. Register to attend the symposium or learn more and access the live webcast on October 27. Registration is not required to view the webcast.
Additional educational resources, related to the symposium, are available freely through our online repository:
- Learn more about public health issues relevant to globalization and the intensified cross-border movement of people, goods and services
- Explore a recent report on the connection between global security and infectious disease
- Learn about the global impact of vector-borne diseases, and the relationship with environment and climate change