WHO and Charité launch new visiting fellowship in public health intelligence
Public health intelligence, the process of monitoring health threats through the collection and analysis of data from diverse sources, has become increasingly important to help decision-makers make better decisions that keep communities safe from epidemics and pandemics. The Research Fellowship in Public Health Intelligence is aimed at post-doctoral researchers from diverse scientific disciplines and aims to closely align academic research with the most pressing current public health needs.
The inaugural cohort of five fellows was selected from more than 250 applications submitted from around the world. The 2025 fellows come from Egypt, Germany, Nigeria, Spain and Zimbabwe and will begin their fellowships in July. Each fellow will spend three to six months in Berlin, working alongside technical teams at the WHO Hub and be embedded in the academic and institutional support of Charité.
“Through this fellowship, researchers can benefit from the strengths of both our institutions; Charité’s academic excellence and research expertise, and the WHO Hub’s innovative, cross-sectoral initiatives that advance public health intelligence worldwide,” said Prof. Beate Kampmann, Scientific Director at the Charité Center for Global Health. “The fellows will contribute much-needed academic research to our shared ambition to address new and re-emerging health threats.”
The research fellowships will address practical public health problems, as defined in the Research Prioritization for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, developed by the WHO Hub in Berlin, WHO’s Science Division, Charité and other partners in 2024, as well as research needs identified by Unit heads at Charité and the WHO Hub. “Germany’s targeted investments have transformed Berlin into a high-impact ecosystem for global health. The Charité Center for Global Health has been a crucial partner since we started the Hub in 2021,” said Dr Oliver Morgan, Director of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. “The fellowship marks an exciting new chapter in our collaboration; it will boost global preparedness for future pandemics and further cement Germany’s role as a global leader in public health.”
Fellows will benefit from mentorship and collaboration opportunities to foster long-term partnerships between their home institutions, WHO and Charité. They will work on specific research outputs that contribute to sustaining the emerging field of research on pandemic and epidemic intelligence. Their experience will help inform and refine the design of future fellowship cycles. Securing sustainable funding for future cohorts remains a key priority for both the Charité and the WHO Hub.
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