Advances in Global Disease Surveillance: An Introduction to BEACON (Boston)
Thu, Apr 24, 2025 14:00 PM - 18:30 PM
Advances in Global Disease Surveillance: An Introduction to BEACON (Boston)
Thu, Apr 24, 2025 14:00 PM - 18:30 PM
Overview
About this Event
Join us for the highly anticipated launch of a new program at Boston University which merges emerging infectious diseases surveillance, a global network of moderators who are subject matter experts and the power of artificial intelligence and large language models, called Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON). BEACON is informal outbreak surveillance program dedicated to the rapid collection, vetting, reporting, and analysis of information on emerging threats affecting humans, domestic animals, wildlife, plants and the environment globally. It is based at Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID) and operated in partnership with the Hariri Institute for Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University and HealthMap at Boston Children’s Hospital. Funded by National Science Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and through support from the University, BEACON is poised to become an irreplaceable global public good, now more than ever.
Tentative agenda:
- 2:00-2:30pm: Welcome and opening remarks from Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Founding Director, CEID; Dr. Robert A. Brown, President Emeritus, Boston University; and Sir Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist, WHO.
- 2:30-3:00pm: Demonstration of the BEACON surveillance platform and its potential applications, led by Dr. Yannis Paschalidis, Director, Hariri Institute.
- 3:15-4:30pm: Panel discussion with Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner, MA Dept. of Public Health; Dr. Wilmot James, Senior Adviser to the Brown Pandemic Center; & Dr. Barbara Mahon, Deputy Director of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Gates Foundation.
- 4:30-5:15pm: Keynote address by Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
- 5:15-6:30pm: Reception for all speakers and attendees, with hors d'oeuvres, wine, and beer.
This event will be offered in a hybrid format. Please select a ticket for in-person or virtual attendance below.
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