Events

The Science and Entertainment Exchange Invites you to a Special Online Event

The COVID-19 Dashboard: Deciphering the Data, Visualizing the Virus

RSVP here.

You’ve likely been using it for months to track the global spread of COVID-19. Certainly you’ve seen the charts, graphs, and gifs that are used to provide regular pandemic updates to the public. The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) COVID-19 dashboard has become one of the most widely used resources for health care professionals, policymakers, researchers, news organizations, and individuals who want to be in the know.

We have assembled the experts from JHU to help us better understand how they gather, segment, and express massive amounts of complex data so that it can be used to improve our understanding of the pandemic and, ultimately, inform our response. Of course, this kind of data collection requires us to consider and appreciate the ethics and
governance of digital contact tracing technologies, so our data experts will be joined by a bioethicist to help fully frame the discussion.

Speakers:

Beth Blauer is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Centers for Civic Impact at Johns Hopkins University. Beth is an international expert on government performance programs. She has successfully worked with over 140 mayors from around the globe to advance the use of data and evidence. Beth will discuss the importance of data transparency and democratization of data related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeffrey Kahn is the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. He works in a variety of areas of bioethics, exploring the intersection of ethics and health/science policy, including human and animal research ethics, public health, and ethical issues in emerging biomedical technologies. Jeff will discuss a rapid-response project on ethics and the role of such efforts in policy making and thought leadership as part of pandemic response.

Jennifer Nuzzo is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. An epidemiologist by training, her work focuses on global health security, with a particular focus on outbreak detection and response, health systems as they relate to global health security, international and domestic biosurveillance, and infectious disease
diagnostics. Jennifer will discuss the implementation of the Johns Hopkins Testing Insights Initiative and challenges related to testing data.

Lainie Rutkow is a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Lainie works at the intersection of public policy, law, and health, using legal, qualitative, and quantitative methods to determine how law influences public health outcomes. Lainie will address the genesis of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, including the multidisciplinary nature of this endeavor as well as the strategic vision for the site.

The Science & Entertainment Exchange, a program of the National Academy of Sciences, connects entertainment industry professionals with top scientists from across the country to create a synergy between accurate science and engaging entertainment. Chartered by Congress in 1863 under an Act signed by Abraham Lincoln to provide crucial scientific advice to the nation, the National Academy of Sciences, a private, nonprofit institution, is uniquely positioned to draw on the expertise of thousands of men and women who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields in science.