Introduction 

Epidemiology intersects the fields of public health, basic medical sciences, and clinical medicine, to understand and improve the health of a population. Infectious disease epidemiology is specific to the study of the spread of infectious diseases, as well as their causes and effects on the population. It involves the collection, analysis, and distribution of health data to identify risk factors, sources of outbreaks, pathogen transmission pathways, and to identify and evaluate appropriate infection prevention and control measures. Data science involves the application of advanced analytics to process and interpret the available data. Techniques such as mathematical modelling can be deployed to uncover trends and help forecast outbreaks and vaccine demand, input to optimal clinical trial and study designs and evaluate the impact of interventions.

Together, these disciplines are pivotal in the development of vaccines, from assessing disease burden and prioritising target pathogens to informing vaccine design through a robust understanding of pathogen characteristics, to supporting the design and roll-out of clinical field efficacy and effectiveness trials. Downstream, epidemiology and data science can support decision making on vaccine inclusion, prioritisation, stockpiling, targeting and roll-out in public health programmes, and coordinating ongoing monitoring for vaccine efficacy and safety.

CEPI’s expertise in epidemiology and data science, coupled with strong partnerships, aims to build and improve investigator capacity to conduct clinical studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, supporting governments in their public health decision-making and response to infectious diseases, and aid the implementation of appropriate medical countermeasures.

The Epidemiology and Data Science department supports CEPI’s mission by providing timely, relevant, and high-quality epidemiological data to inform vaccine research and development, from pathogen prioritisation to clinical study design. The department has several work streams divided into two pillars:

  • Epidemiology Science & Preparedness Pillar
    • Preparedness and Global Threats
    • Enabling Vaccine Research & Development
    • Strategic partnerships
  • Data Science & Advanced Analysis
    • Rapid response modelling for outbreak emergency
    • Knowledge/evidence generation for CEPI 2.0
    • Strategic modelling partnerships

For more detail regarding how the Epidemiology and Data Science department contributes to CEPI’s work on each priority pathogen please visit the dedicated page: E&DS by priority pathogen