Session XI: A Public Health Briefing on Epidemic Forecasting and Leadership Essentials: Communicating in a Busy World

Overview

Dr. Josh Sharfstein, Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Dr. Caitlin M. Rivers, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discussed how epidemic forecasting can help mayors make decisions about outbreak control. Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, shared the latest on the White House communication and vaccination efforts. Todd Rogers, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and faculty director of the Behavioral Insights Group at Harvard, delved into the behavioral science behind communicating in a busy world and gave mayors practical tools to make their communication more effective. Jorrit de Jong, Faculty Director of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School, moderated the session.