Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research

The threat of pandemics will not end with COVID-19. The novel coronavirus is an exclamation point in the middle of a long paragraph that is still unfolding. Climate change, environmental degradation, population increases, economic and ecological injustice, combined with microbial evolution, are all driving the narrative of emerging infectious diseases. This environment is giving rise to new pathogens and more opportunities for spillover into humans. Given our heightened global connectivity, the rapid spread of these infections around the world—and their disproportionate impact on marginalized communities near and far—should be a cause for alarm for all of us. 

Just as the root causes that give rise to pandemics are multifactored, our efforts to combat them must be multidisciplinary. The Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research (CEID, pronounced like “seed”) is carving out the scientific, educational, policy, and cultural space to investigate underlying challenges and discover innovative solutions. 

Our core mission is to improve resilience against threat of emerging & epidemic infectious diseases worldwide through transdisciplinary research, global and local capacity building, training, evidence generation for policy support, and community engagement. Our work will allow us to provide recommendations to communities, governments, and the academic groups aimed at preparing and responding to pandemics at the national and global level. 

Alongside our sister institute, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), BU’s maximum containment research program, we work to improve global response to these threats.