GeoSentinel: global tracking of travel- and migrant-related illnesses
Official title: RFA-CK-21-002 - GeoSentinel Database
Funded at International Society of Travel Medicine · NIH-11532419 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A worldwide network of travel clinics collects health and lab information from travellers and migrants to spot new infections and learn how diseases spread.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | International Society of Travel Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Alpharetta, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,500,000 |
| NIH project number | 6U01CK000632-05M001 |
| Project ID | NIH-11532419 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people seen at participating GeoSentinel travel or tropical medicine clinics—especially travellers or migrants with illnesses that began during or after travel.
✕Less likely to help
People without a recent travel or migration history or those who are not seen at a participating or affiliated clinic are unlikely to be included or to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you visit a participating travel or tropical medicine clinic after returning from travel or as a migrant, clinicians may enter your de-identified health and test information into a shared GeoSentinel database. The network links data from dozens of high-volume clinics across many countries to look for unusual patterns, clusters, or emerging infections. Researchers will use these pooled records and samples to answer research questions about causes, routes, and trends of travel-related illnesses while continuing routine surveillance. The project aims to combine real-time outbreak detection with longer-term studies to improve prevention and care for travellers and migrants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this effort could lead to earlier detection of outbreaks, better travel-health advice, and improved diagnosis and treatment options for people with travel-related infections.
How similar studies have gone: GeoSentinel has operated since 1996 and has a track record of successfully using travel clinic data to detect outbreaks and inform public health, so this builds on established methods rather than being wholly untested.
Where this research is happening
-
International Society of Travel Medicine
Alpharetta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Libman, Michael — International Society of Travel Medicine
- Study coordinator: Libman, Michael
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.