Incorporate Universities in Preparedness Planning

Universities are hubs of innovation and expertise, hosting advanced laboratories, top-tier researchers, and a plethora of resources essential for prompt and effective pandemic response. Their involvement in preparedness planning is crucial for enhancing the predictive capabilities for outbreaks, leveraging academic expertise for evidence-based decision-making, and expanding the workforce for emergency response. It is essential to develop trusting relationships and to initiate formal agreements and collaborations between universities and public health authorities before epidemics and pandemics are underway, to identify university assets available to be mobilized in a crisis, and to establish communication channels for rapid information exchange and coordination among all stakeholders during a health emergency.