Delphi Center for Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling in Public Health Response will improve use of data during emergencies

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected CMU’s Delphi Research Group for a Center of Innovation in Outbreak Analytics and Disease Monitoring. With this funding support, CMU researchers will leverage data, artificial intelligence and forecasting tools in preparation for the next pandemic, outbreak or public health crisis. The Delphi Center for Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling in Public Health Response will work with public health agencies to develop a ready response to emerging outbreaks and expand data collection efforts to further innovate forecasting. 

The Delphi Center will receive $17.5 million in funding from the CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Analytics (CFA) over the next five years.

“AI has a remarkable role to play in helping us better anticipate health crises, understand our risks and assess if our interventions are working,” says CMU President Farnam Jahanian. “Carnegie Mellon University’s Delphi Research Group has spent the last decade tracking trends related to the flu and other pathogens and pioneering groundbreaking techniques for epidemic forecasting. The new Center will see our researchers and scholars apply the same meticulous lens to new pathogens, expand to new data sources and techniques, and help prepare local and state public health agencies for future public health emergencies.”

The Delphi Center is one of 13 centers announced Tuesday by the CFA to establish an outbreak response network that uses data to support decision makers during public health emergencies.

“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,” said Dylan George, CFA’s director. “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.”

“We are thrilled to join this community and support the important work of the CDC and CFA,” said Peter Jhon, executive director of the Delphi Research Group and strategic coordinator of public health research initiatives at CMU. “Forecasting and modeling within a pandemic involves sorting through many data sources. Our work will streamline ingesting as many of these signals as possible and then apply machine learning and AI tools to inform public health officials in a clear and concise manner.”

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carnegie Mellon University’s Delphi Research Group rapidly developed a massive data collection project that grew into the largest-ever public health survey and helped steer the response to the crisis. 

The Delphi Center will work with the other centers announced today to build the infrastructure to improve readiness and response during public health emergencies. The center will establish connections with state, tribal, local and territorial public health agencies and other local and national partners.

Additionally, the center will expand training, career development and job placement in outbreak analytics and disease modeling with a focus on increased diversity. It will develop courses for post-graduate students and facilitate internships, fellowships and other work experiences for those students with public health agencies and other organizations. This approach will grow expertise and capacity for forecasting and modeling within the public health workforce. 

 More information about the CDC’s recently announced Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling Network is available on the agency’s website. Learn more about the Delphi Research Group on its website.

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SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University