The PRI roadmap, which draws heavily on ICAPвЂ™s strength in building partnerships in New York City and globally, focuses on data collection, epidemic modeling,В technology innovation, testing,В training and preparing health workers, and crucially, reducing the health disparities and building strong communication channels between stakeholders and community members.

вЂњThe Pandemic Response Institute will create an unprecedented nexus for engagement, expertise, and resources from across our city and beyond that will enable us to equitably prepare, predict, prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from major health emergencies.вЂќ

вЂњThe COVID-19 pandemic has opened our eyes to the critical need for strong and vibrant multisector partnerships to effectively protect New Yorkers from emergent health threats,вЂќ says Wafaa El-Sadr, University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at ColumbiaвЂ™s Mailman School of Public Health, and director of ICAP and Columbia World Projects, who is leading the PRI. That gap, exacerbated by limited coordination between the breadth of critical stakeholders, may have contributed to the magnitude of the impact of COVID-19 on New York City, especially in low-income communities of color. The sweeping vision for the PRI-the winning proposal was developed by ICAP in partnership with CUNY SPH and other collaborators within Columbia University and the City-aims to address gaps in the cityвЂ™s response to COVID-19, particularly in engaging and supporting the hardest-hit communities. The Pandemic Response Institute (PRI) will be led by ICAP at Columbia, which is located at the Columbia Mailman School, along with its key partner, the City University of New York School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), and multisectoral partners across government, community organizations, industry, and academia. Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a bold new initiative to transform the way the city prepares for and responds to pandemics and other health emergencies.

Icap at columbia university