Using people's contact patterns to improve outbreak and disease responses
Bridging Network Science and Causal Inference to Improve Public Health Response to Outbreaks and Endemic Diseases
This project uses who meets whom and when to find better ways to stop outbreaks and protect communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11189915 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will map how people are connected and how those connections change over time, then combine those maps with causal methods to figure out which actions actually reduce disease spread. They will work with contact, case, and intervention data and build dynamic network models that highlight individuals or settings that drive outbreaks. Methods will be tested on past outbreak data and realistic simulations to see how the ideas perform in practice. The aim is to turn complex contact patterns into clearer public-health choices about testing, masking, distancing, and vaccination.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are community members, patients, or program partners involved in contact-tracing, surveillance, or outbreak investigations who can share timing of contacts and illness data.
Not a fit: People not affected by infectious disease transmission or those outside surveillance and contact-tracing efforts may not receive direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help public-health teams target testing, vaccination, and other actions so outbreaks are controlled faster and fewer people get sick.
How similar studies have performed: Network methods have helped guide responses in past outbreaks, but combining dynamic network models with rigorous causal inference is a newer approach still being developed.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Onnela, Jukka-Pekka — Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Onnela, Jukka-Pekka
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 below.