Overview

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed first-hand the ethical challenges of managing the global spread of an infectious disease. Fluctuating public health measures, concerns over vaccine safety, inequities in healthcare access, poorer health outcomes in marginalized populations — these and many other consequences have played out in real time. In this research pillar, we ask questions such as: What ethical principles should funders adopt to govern human challenge studies for emerging infectious diseases? How do we leverage existing infrastructures and partnerships to create a new model for collaborative research in epidemic response? How are novel vaccines perceived across diverse social and cultural contexts? How can we work with communities to ensure equitable distribution, access to, and uptake of life-saving vaccines?

In alignment with this pillar, IEPI is a partner in McMaster University’s Global Nexus for Pandemics and Biological Threats, an international initiative launched in September 2020.