In a short period of time, the world has gone through an unbelievable process of acknowledging, responding and acclimating to a global pandemic. Now Congress is working on bipartisan legislation to strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure and outline its next round of supplemental pandemic aid.
Vaccines are one of the most critical public health investments needed to protect us from current and emerging infectious diseases. The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) has been a global leader in vaccine research since the 1980s, addressing global health issues such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, influenza and zika. DHVI has recently been awarded a grant to develop the next-generation of pan-coronavirus vaccines.
Also critical to the pandemic response are public health interventions including testing, screening, treatments, infrastructure-based mitigation, technology and more. The Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy has offered pioneering policy expertise to address the COVID-19 pandemic and to create a pathway to reopen the nation successfully and create a more secure health care system.
In this conversation, Duke experts will discuss the importance of federal investment in research, translation of research to policy, the impacts they already see from their work, and additional recommendations to bolster our nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response systems.