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| Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy |
| Formation | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | Dr. Michael T. Osterholm |
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy is a research and policy institute focused on infectious disease surveillance, prevention, and response, founded at the University of Minnesota. It operates at the nexus of academic University of Minnesota, public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, international bodies including the World Health Organization, and global health partners like Doctors Without Borders. The Center contributes to pandemic preparedness, vaccine policy, antimicrobial resistance strategy, and outbreak communication across networks including Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund.
The Center was established in 2001 amid concern following the H5N1 outbreak and the rise of novel threats such as SARS and later MERS. Founding leadership drew on faculty from University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and its early work connected to responses to events including the 2003 SARS outbreak, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic. Over time the Center forged links with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health while engaging with advisory processes tied to the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act and the International Health Regulations.
The Center's mission emphasizes applied research, policy analysis, and communication to reduce infectious disease burden and enhance preparedness for crises like COVID-19, avian influenza, and antimicrobial-resistant infections such as those caused by MRSA and CRE. Objectives include informing vaccine strategy with evidence from trials led by institutions like Johns Hopkins University and Harvard School of Public Health, advising policymakers in entities such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and foreign ministries like the Ministry of Health (United Kingdom), and supporting global initiatives spearheaded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust.
The Center is housed within the University of Minnesota and comprises divisions in epidemiology, modeling, antimicrobial resistance, and communications. Leadership has included prominent figures affiliated with University of Minnesota Medical School, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and advisory roles with World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization. Governing relationships extend to university governance structures and collaborations with think tanks like the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and policy institutes such as the Brookings Institution and Kaiser Family Foundation. The leadership engages with advisory boards containing experts from Oxford University, Imperial College London, Columbia University, and Stanford University.
Research programs address surveillance methodologies used by ProMED-mail and modeling approaches similar to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention modeling units. Areas include vaccine effectiveness studies aligned with protocols from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, antimicrobial stewardship strategies paralleling initiatives by Infectious Diseases Society of America, and zoonotic disease investigations related to outbreaks traced to hosts studied by researchers at Smithsonian Institution and Wuhan Institute of Virology. The Center supports training and fellowships in collaboration with institutions such as Yale School of Public Health, Emory University, and University of Oxford and contributes to multisite trials run by networks like NIH Clinical Center and INSIGHT (International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials).
The Center informs policy debates on issues spanning vaccine allocation frameworks used by COVAX Facility, antimicrobial resistance priorities championed by the World Health Assembly, and travel-related guidance influenced by International Civil Aviation Organization consultations. It has provided expert commentary during crises involving Zika virus outbreak, West Nile virus, Ebola virus epidemic responses, and the COVID-19 pandemic, engaging with legislative bodies such as the United States Congress and regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency and Therapeutic Goods Administration. Advocacy efforts coordinate with non-governmental organizations like PATH and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to shape global health policy.
The Center publishes timely analysis, situation reports, and policy briefs similar in function to outputs from The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and reporting by ProMED-mail and CIDRAP News-style outlets. Its communications target practitioners at World Health Organization, public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, clinicians affiliated with American Medical Association, and researchers at institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Mayo Clinic. The Center disseminates guidance during outbreaks, collaborates with media organizations like BBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and contributes to academic literature indexed by PubMed and archived by National Library of Medicine.
Funding sources encompass grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, philanthropic support from foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and contracts with governmental entities like the U.S. Agency for International Development. Partnerships span academic collaborations with University of Oxford, operational ties with Médecins Sans Frontières and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and engagement with global financing mechanisms like the Global Fund. The Center participates in consortia coordinated with World Health Organization initiatives and private-sector collaborations involving pharmaceutical companies regulated by entities such as the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency.