For the past few years, if you’ve said the word “pandemic,” most people will have thought of COVID-19. But COVID-19 is not the only pandemic we have experienced in recent history, nor is it the only public health threat that can spread rapidly across communities and borders. For example, in 2009, the H1N1 influenza pandemic resulted in more than 274,000 hospitalizations and more than 12,000 deaths in the United States alone. Other recent public health threats include outbreaks of food-borne illnesses such as cyclospora and the continuing increase in measles cases in the US. We live in an interconnected world today, in which infectious diseases in one area can spread rapidly with little warning. While public health experts lead the way in preparing for the next pandemic, there is much Data for Good advocates can do to support a rapid and effective response to new public health threats.
One vital area in which D4G advocates are needed is often overlooked. We hear a lot about public health issues today through national-level media reporting, but so much of the collection and storage of important data happens far from Washington and the 24-7 national news cycle. In the case of public issues such as infectious diseases, the ultimate source of the data is the more than 3,000 county and local health departments across the United States. That makes data collection and rescue incredibly local, from disease reporting, vaccinations, risk factors, and much more. It’s an area in which local advocates are needed to stand up for science in the public interest without a political agenda. To prepare for the next pandemic, accurate and secure public health data is essential to securing early detection and rapid response.
Nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits are playing a role, as well. An example is the EPIWATCH program from the Kirby Institute at the Australia University of New South Wales. EPIWATCH detects and monitors disease outbreak, acting as an early warning system, to help prevent epidemics from turning into pandemics.
In Data for Good, our voices as scientists often have the greatest impact within our local communities. Statisticians and data scientists are needed to understand, explain, and defend science at school board meetings and local community organizations; speak at events and rallies; and participate in thousands of individual conversations on street corners and at farmers markets and bus stops. We can all learn about how public health data in our own area is compiled and preserved. We can then advocate for best practices and financial support from local governments, because the scientific health of the data directly corresponds to the physical health of our community.
This is not the work of a moment, attendance at a single meeting, or one post on a community social media site. The full power of Data for Good to save lives is realized when strengthening science and data-driven decision-making is reinforced over a period of years until, when the most critical moments arrive, the local community will accept nothing less than the full power of science to keep people healthy and safe every day. This is an area in which we can all be engaged to support the health and well-being of everyone.
These are not abstract ideas with hypothetical results. The real-world impact of data-driven science to prepare for the next pandemic is not a what-if question. It’s something I get to see every day because I am from Detroit. Why Detroit? Because I can stand on the bank of the Detroit River and look across at Windsor, Ontario. It’s just a half mile away. Same metro area, same industries, and more than 40,000 border crossings each day. But as I look across to our dear friends in Canada, there is one terrible truth I confront. Every. Single. Time. The mortality rate in Detroit, Michigan, during the COVID-19 pandemic was four times the rate in Windsor, Ontario, just a few hundred yards away. We need to do everything in our power to keep this from happening again. What happened in Detroit was true throughout the country. We know the next pandemic will happen someday. The results of that pandemic are in our hands today.
Getting Involved
This month, the American Association for the Advancement of Science is accepting applications for two fellowships for the 2027–2028 academic year. The Science and Technology Policy program places fellows with the American Statistical Association’s staff to advocate for the statistics profession, while Pathways to Policy places scientists outside the federal system into think tanks and nonprofits to shape broader public policy. Applications are due by November 1.
Also, the ASA Section on Statistical Learning and Data Science is accepting submissions to its student paper competition though November 15.
David Corliss
With a PhD in statistical astrophysics, David Corliss works as a data scientist in industry. He serves on the ASA Board as a Council of Chapters representative and is the founder of Peace-Work, a data for good nongovernmental organization.
This column is written for those interested in learning about the world of Data for Good, where statistical analysis is dedicated to good causes that benefit our lives, our communities, and our world. If you would like to know more or have ideas for articles, contact David Corliss.
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