Researchers from the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, Pandemic Sciences Institute, Ethox Centre, Department of Statistics, and Department of Biology ─ all affiliated with the Pandemic Sciences Institute ─ will co-lead a new programme of work to protect against future pandemics using digital tools.
The Oxford Martin Programme on Digital Pandemic Preparedness will develop a blueprint for digital health systems that can be deployed during pandemics, create a funding model for implementation, and work with public health agencies to develop the next generation of pandemic-ready digital tools. Such tools are already enabling unprecedented and individualised public policy responses, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Melinda Mills, programme co-director, and director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, said ‘We face an unprecedented number of outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics, while at the same time digital tools are transforming our lives and enabling novel analytics and personalised public policy responses.
‘In this new programme we will not only understand the technical and modelling requirements for an effective digital response, but also engage with stakeholders to develop an ethical blueprint for digital health systems to contribute to the next pandemic playbook.’
Programme co-director, Christophe Fraser, Moh Family Foundation Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford added ‘We are entering an age when pandemics are more likely because of environmental change, ecological change, climate change and increasing urbanisation.
‘Digital tools have transformed responses to other problems which require rapid communication, rapid awareness, wide decentralised response, and coordination of complex activities. We need to apply the same thinking in public health.’
Digital technologies enable public health personnel to respond more quickly and accurately to rapidly changing situations, but concerns have been raised about surveillance by state actors and technology companies. The team will explore the relationship between the common good and other values, including human rights, as well as examining the moral basis for using certain technologies in managing pandemics and developing ways to use data analytics in a manner that protects people's privacy.
Professor Michael Parker, ethics lead for the programme, and director of the Ethox Centre said ‘We need to develop a strong ethical structure alongside a strong technical and digital structure and build trust in our approach so that we are ready for the next pandemic. That needs collaboration across disciplines and so we’re incredibly excited that this programme will bring together people from across the University and beyond to address this urgent problem.’
The programme will also involve partners from the Departments of Economics, and Medicine, and the Faculty of Philosophy. It is one of three new Oxford Martin School programmes that will develop research solutions to the most pressing 21st century issues.
The other programmes will tackle the critical challenges of how we can improve our ability to detect attacks on systems that use AI; and how to effectively redeploy electric vehicle batteries through ‘second-life’ schemes when they reach the end of their life.
Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Director of the Oxford Martin School, said ‘I am really excited about the three new programmes which I believe will help address a broad range of challenges facing us in the coming decades. I am confident the researchers working on these programmes will continue our rich tradition of addressing these challenges in novel and innovative ways.’
