Forum on Microbial Threats
The Forum on Microbial Threats was created in 1996 at the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to provide a structured opportunity for discussion and scrutiny of critical, and possibly contentious, scientific and policy issues related to research on and the prevention, detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases in humans, plants and animals as well as the microbiome in health and disease.
In progress
Any project, supported or not by a committee, that is currently being worked on or is considered active, and will have an end date.
"We generate independent and authoritative discourse on prevention, detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases."
The emergence of COVID-19 brought the topic of pandemic preparedness to the fore in research, policy, and development around the world. The forum has been leading international conversations on both responses to the ongoing pandemic and preparedness efforts for the future.
Examples of Forum activities:
• Towards a Post-Pandemic World: Lessons from COVID-19 for Now and the Future - Workshop Series
• Exploring the Frontiers of Innovation to Tackle Microbial Threats: Proceedings of a Workshop
• Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks: Readiness for 2030: Proceedings of a Workshop
• Rapid Medical Countermeasure Response to Infectious Diseases: Workshop Summary
Infectious diseases do not exist in a vacuum. A comprehensive conceptualization of microbial threats includes understanding their interactions with chronic health conditions, health communication, global health diplomacy, economics, and the lived experiences of communities around the world. The forum’s purview extends from the petri dish to the local public health office to the global stage—exploring every way microbes touch our lives.
Examples of Forum activities:
• The Convergence of Infectious Diseases and Noncommunicable Diseases
• Understanding the Economics of Microbial Threats
• Urbanization and Slums: Infectious Diseases in the Built Environment
• Building Communication Capacity to Counter Infectious Disease Threats
Now more than ever, the world needs a cohesive and integrated approach to health. One Health combines expertise in veterinary, plant, environmental, and human health into one unified conception of public health. The forum brings together experts from around the world and across disciplines to discuss One Health and how to build it into the health systems of the future.
Examples of Forum activities:
• One Health Action Collaborative
• Emerging Viral Diseases, the One Health Connection: Workshop Summary
Drug-resistant microbes pose some of the world’s most rapidly growing challenges, and not only in a clinical setting. The forum taps into all sectors to highlight the critical stakeholders and essential resources in dealing with antimicrobial resistance.
Examples of Forum activities:
Our mission
The work of this forum informs key stakeholders from all sectors related to infectious diseases—from clinicians and researchers to policy makers and leaders in global development. The ideas and dialogues fostered by the forum’s member meetings, public workshops, and Action Collaborative are critical contributions in the international effort to combat microbial threats. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum quickly adapted to the emerging needs of the global health field and achieved unprecedented levels of engagement through its workshops on vaccine uptake and outbreak responses. The forum continues to draw large audiences from around the world and leads conversations on hard-hitting issues in the infectious diseases sphere.
Forum members include prominent leaders from government agencies, academia, nonprofit foundations, the private sector, and international organizations. Forum members come from federal agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Agency for International Development; international non- and inter-governmental organizations such as the World Health Organization; and the biomedical industry. In bringing together the world’s leading voices across multiple sectors and disciplines, the forum enables important engagement in tackling complex challenges, analyzing key topics, and strategizing responses to microbial threats. View members.
Forums at the National Academies facilitate collaboration and dialogue among diverse sectors and disciplines. Forum activities explore key issues, identify research agendas, and develop opportunities for further work by hosting stakeholder meetings, convening public workshops, and generating peer-reviewed publications. Although forums do not issue recommendations like consensus study committees do, they can host Action Collaboratives, which create spaces for experts to convene, converse, and publish external papers and commentaries independent of the National Academies.
The Forum on Microbial Threats hosts public workshops and supports various other events and publications produced by global health leaders through the One Health Action Collaborative and other organizations.
The forum is always seeking to engage with new collaborators and sponsors.
Contact us to learn more about how to engage with the forum:
Description
The Forum on Microbial Threats was created in 1996 at the request of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to provide a structured opportunity for discussion and scrutiny of critical, and possibly contentious, scientific and policy issues related to research on and the prevention, detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases in humans, plants, and animals, as well as the microbiome in health and disease. The Forum brings together leaders from government agencies, industry, academia, and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to facilitate cross-sector dialogue and collaboration through public debate and private consultation to stimulate original thinking about the most pressing issues across the spectrum of microbial threats.
Despite decades of progress, the need for the Forum on Microbial Threats remains. Problems such as MERS, Ebola, Chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, and antibiotic resistance demonstrate how the issue of emerging infections is global and unrelenting. The drivers are ever more pervasive, and the consequences—human, social, and economic—loom larger than ever.
The Forum convenes a few times each year to identify and discuss key problems and strategies in the area of microbial threats. To supplement the perspectives and expertise of its members, the Forum holds public workshops and webinars to engage a wide range of experts, members of the public, and the policy community. Workshops are summarized in high-quality, scholarly workshop proceedings that are available for free download from the National Academies Press.
Collaborators
Committee
Chair
Vice Chair
Vice Chair
Sylvain Aldighieri
Member
Member
Member
Member
John Beigel
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Honorata (Kuki) L. Hansen
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Ex Officio Member
Ex Officio Member
David A. Fidock
Ex Officio Member
Ex Officio Member
Ex Officio Member
Ex Officio Member
Ex Officio Member
Sponsors
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Homeland Security
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Merck & Co., Inc.
Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists
Staff
Shalini Singaravelu
Christa Nairn
Major units and sub-units
Center for Health, People, and Places
Lead
Biomedical and Health Sciences Program Area
Lead