WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Speaker Series N°8 – Harnessing Contextual Insights for Better Public Health Intelligence

Co-hosted by the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence (“WHO Hub”) and the Charité Center for Global Health, the Speaker Series is a regular event series, with in-person and digital elements targeting public health communities in Berlin, Germany and globally. The series aims to convene multidisciplinary and cross-sector discussions around challenges and emerging opportunities in global pandemic preparedness and response that stem from the complex nature of public health emergencies. 

Started in 2022, the first season of the Speaker Series was themed around “Complexity of Pandemics” and convened six sessions to unpack the complexity of pandemics from the perspectives of human, animal and planetary health, social sciences, innovative technologies, data preparedness, open source, and climate change.  Building upon the first season, the Speaker Series launched a second season in 2024 under the theme of “Protecting the World: Moving Rapidly Together” to explore how to better protect the world from future health emergencies through more rapid and collaborative approaches.

Harnessing Contextual Insights for Better Public Health Intelligence

Effectively monitoring global health threats requires gathering insights from diverse information sources. These include contextual information that improves our interpretation of complex interplay of factors influencing health outcomes, such as socioeconomic conditions, environmental influences, geographical information, and patterns of movement, among others.

Contextual information is the backbone of effective public health intelligence. The Speaker Series N°8 will delve into harnessing contextual insights for better public health intelligence, spotlighting the importance of leveraging diverse contextual information for effective public health interventions. The session will explore common challenges and enablers in utilising contextual insights for better public health intelligence, showcase relevant country experiences and case studies, and encourage meaningful multidisciplinary collaborations to enhance public health intelligence and decision-making as we prepare for future health emergencies.