Who we are

Primary activities

Who We Are

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), founded in 2001, is a global leader in addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response. Part of the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota, CIDRAP is led by Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director and professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, an adjunct professor in the Medical School, and an internationally renowned expert in public health. The center reduces illness and death from infectious diseases by effecting change through public policy refinement, fostering the adoption of science-based best practices in public health among professionals and the public, and conducting original interdisciplinary research.

An international, collaborative center drawing on a wide range of expertise, CIDRAP focuses on emerging global challenges to public health and those demanding immediate attention, striving to create solutions targeted for the greatest impact. The center's current work focuses on four main areas:

• Pandemic influenza preparedness in public and private sectors, including research on influenza viruses with pandemic potential
• Bioterrorism preparedness and response
• Internet-based infectious disease reporting and publishing
• Education

We deliver on our mission through:

• Consensus building and connecting research to real-world action: Convening experts to assess problems, analyze available information, and develop effective public policy recommendations. Consulting with and catalyzing policy makers, business leaders, and the medical and public health communities to act.
• Conducting research: Conducting targeted research on the detection, epidemiology, ecology, and transmission of infectious disease with a wide range of public health professionals and scientists throughout the world to advance understanding of pandemics and why they occur.
• Synthesizing information: Conducting critical review and analysis of available scientific and public policy information on selected topics and generating authoritative, accurate, and current Web-based content.
• Communicating: Making current information widely available to educate and inform healthcare providers, public health professionals, business leaders, students, policymakers, and people across the nation and around the world.
• Forming interdisciplinary partnerships: Working collaboratively with a wide range of public health, environmental, veterinary, and medical researchers and experts throughout the world to develop and support new infectious disease–related initiatives.

CIDRAP's Primary Activities

Since its founding in 2001, CIDRAP has had significant success in bringing international prominence to issues of preparedness. CIDRAP is widely recognized for its ability to continuously improve our knowledge of emerging infectious disease, share this expertise with decision makers worldwide, and serve as a credible, dependable resource for communities around the world. These activities drive the adoption of science-based best practices among professionals, and, increasingly, the public, to reduce illness and death related to infectious disease.

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

With an emphasis on addressing emerging infectious disease issues that pose a real and significant international, national, and regional threat, CIDRAP has focused heavily on pandemic influenza preparedness.

Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (MCEIRS)

• MCEIRS was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in April 2007 and focuses on the detection, epidemiology, ecology, and transmission of avian influenza (AI) viruses with pandemic potential. MCEIRS is one of six NIH-supported centers in the United States conducting a variety of research and surveillance activities domestically and abroad. The overall goal is to enhance understanding of how AI viruses evolve, adapt, and spread among animal populations and from animals to humans. As an international, collaborative research center drawing on a wide range of technical expertise, MCEIRS also serves as a high-level scientific resource in the event of a public health emergency involving the emergence and transmission of highly pathogenic influenza virus among humans.
• MCEIRS initiatives under way in North America and Southeast Asia are aimed at identifying and analyzing AI viruses in wild birds, poultry, swine, and humans having close contact with animals at high risk of infection. Specific goals include: rapid identification and characterization of AI viruses; collection and storage of viral isolates; provision of genetic and antiviral susceptibility data on highly pathogenic AI viruses; targeted research on key questions and information gaps regarding the ecology, natural history, epidemiology, and transmission of avian influenza viruses; and development of capacity-building education and training programs.

Business preparedness

• CIDRAP Business Source: CIDRAP is an international leader in driving worldwide business preparedness for pandemic influenza and other infectious disease crises. CIDRAP Business Source is a subscription-based Web resource offering current, comprehensive, and authoritative information for businesses preparing for the next pandemic. Subscribers receive a biweekly electronic newsletter, the Osterholm Briefing, featuring expert context from Dr. Osterholm on pressing issues. Every other week, Osterholm Briefing Update provides timely guidance, news, and practical resources. America's top 100 companies have turned to CIDRAP for this crucial information.
• National Preparedness Summits: CIDRAP continues to host highly successful international Business Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza summits. Past meetings have brought representatives from about 200 corporations and other organizations to learn from more than 40 influenza and preparedness experts. Attendees engaged in interaction and practical strategizing within and across their own business sectors. Speakers have included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, former Nightline host Ted Koppel, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Julie Gerberding.

State and local public health preparedness

• Promising Practices: Pandemic Preparedness Tools: In partnership with the Pew Center on the States (PCS), CIDRAP launched www.pandemicpractices.org in 2007. The site offers a peer-reviewed, online database that showcases local, county, and state pandemic planning. The site brings together more than 165 peer-reviewed promising practices from four countries, 26 states, and 36 counties and cities. Compiled as a resource to save communities and states time and resources, the database enables public health professionals to learn from each other and to build on their own pandemic plans. The site highlights approaches that communities across America have developed to address four key areas: models of care; communicating effectively about pandemic flu; delaying and diminishing the impact of a pandemic; and planning for at-risk populations. Users can easily find practices applicable to their communities. The database can be searched by state or topic, as well as by area of special interest, such as materials translated into multiple languages, materials that enhance personal preparedness, or toolkits for schools.
• At-Risk Populations Project: Under a contract from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), CIDRAP has assisted in the development of model guidance for state, territorial, tribal, and local health officials on planning for at-risk populations during an influenza pandemic. This ground-breaking project has involved meetings in three U.S. cities with at-risk population members and stakeholder organizations, as well as distilling the input of more than 65 subject matter experts and an expert Advisory Panel. This project will result in the publication of a national guidance document to assist public health officials in their pandemic influenza planning efforts. Tools for at-risk population planning will also be included on the Promising Practices Web site.

BioWatch

• CIDRAP has served as an important partner in the federal BioWatch air-monitoring program. This program is responsible for the constant monitoring for potential bioterrorism-related agents in cities throughout the United States. CIDRAP provides critical national guidance in the deployment of the BioWatch program across the country. Through its contract with the Department of Homeland Security, CIDRAP provides support for the development of national outdoor and indoor guidance documents, a national epidemiology communications network, and a suite of related program and reference documents.

CIDRAP Web Site

• The CIDRAP Web site is a world-leading source of current, comprehensive, and authoritative information on category A agents and emerging infectious diseases. Over 10 million pages are accessed each year by individuals around the world. We provide current, in-depth information on bioterrorism, influenza, and new hot topics; original news stories; and comprehensive and current lists of guidelines and articles in the literature with Web links. Our site content offers a balance of public health, medical, and public policy information.
• CIDRAP's staff of professionals is dedicated to ensuring that viewers have the best and latest information available by closely monitoring developments in the field and updating our original content and related links continuously. We search numerous Web sites every day—the CDC, other academic-based public health preparedness centers, professional societies, journals, news sources, and other federal, state, and local public health and emergency preparedness agencies—for the most current and relevant information. Our goal is to continue the development of an Internet-based "living textbook" on infectious disease topics.
• These features make our site a "one-stop shop" for professionals who desire to keep abreast of the ever-changing infectious disease landscape. Growing numbers of users report that they look to the CIDRAP site for both late-breaking news and for resources providing in-depth information and analysis.
• CIDRAP News received a 2007 Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism from the Association of Health Care Journalists for its seven-part series, "The Pandemic Vaccine Puzzle."

Education

• Dr. Osterholm teaches the School of Public Health's "Infectious Disease Prevention and Control: Current Policy Issues and Controversies" course designed to engage students in analyzing and discussing practical public health issues associated with preventing and controlling infectious diseases.
• Medical Director Kristine Moore, MD, MPH, and Associate Director Jill DeBoer, MPH, have taught several courses at the University of Minnesota's Summer Public Health Institute, including a course on pandemic influenza preparedness and a course on designing and conducting tabletop exercises to enhance public health preparedness.