Claire Wardle, co-founder and co-director of the Information Futures Lab, and Professor of the Practice at the Brown School of Public Health has been appointed as a member of the World Health Organization’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH).
The STAG-IH, a multidisciplinary group of 30 experts established by the WHO Director-General in 2018 following the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, provides independent advice and analysis to WHO on potential infectious disease hazards that could pose a threat to global health security. Wardle joins as the only expert in communication and information science.
STAG-IH provides technical and strategic advice in real time during acute outbreak events as well as over the long term, during “inter-epidemic” periods, particularly to the WHO Health Emergencies (WHE) Program. The group prepares independent assessments of emerging infectious diseases and strategies for prevention, preparedness and response. For example, in December 2020 the group provided the WHE Executive Director with a risk assessment of SARS CoV2 variants including recommendations for disease surveillance. In addition to technical guidance, members act as advocates for the equitable use of resources and provide a powerful voice for science and public health, reflected in this opinion piece published in The Lancet.
Wardle’s membership will ensure that the Advisory Group’s assessments and recommendations address the information and media landscape and its role in shaping emerging infectious disease threats.