Governors play an important role in improving infectious disease preparedness and response efforts at state and territory levels. This year’s H5N1 Bird Flu and Measles cases are only a few of the many infectious disease trends the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) is tracking and sharing state and territory best practices on surveillance, preparedness, and response.
The NGA Center and the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation Policy Academy is supported through Cooperative Agreement NU38FT000004 between CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics and Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health launched the Strengthening Outbreak Response through Data, Forecasting, and Analytics Policy Academy.
This policy academy aims to support Governors’ offices in their efforts around infectious disease outbreak forecasting, prevention, and response. Throughout the June 2025 – June 2026 project period, states, territories, and commonwealths will have the opportunity to learn from their peers, federal authorities, academics, private industry partners, and other subject-matter experts through offered activities. Ultimately, Academy participants will be encouraged to develop and leverage tools and resources to support effective, timely decision-making and policy solutions to advance their emergency preparedness infrastructure. The NGA Center, with support from the Johns Hopkins Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI), is launching a policy academy to help Governors’ offices enhance disease forecasting and outbreak response and prevention capabilities. During the project period, June 2025 – June 2026, Academy participants will have the opportunity to delve into the tools and resources available to aid in improved decision-making and effective policy solutions when infectious disease outbreaks occur.
US territories are often more vulnerable to natural disasters, experience higher rates of dual disease (communicable and non-communicable) burdens, and encounter technology limitations that hinder the quality and accessibility of healthcare services, training, and resources. In light of these unique challenges, NGA is committed to providing best practices and technical support to the participating territories and commonwealths in helping strengthen emergency preparedness infrastructure to track, prepare, and respond to infectious disease emergencies as they arise.
Through the policy academy, selected offices will:
- Participate in a kick-off meeting and wrap-up meeting;
- Attend quarterly virtual learning and peer-sharing opportunities;
- Engage with the NGA Center/ CORI team to develop strategic action plans to implement new strategies or strengthen existing ones;
- Work with the NGA Center/CORI team to identify modeling, analytics, and/or decision support tools that participants can test, refine, and implement to aid decision-support in outbreaks and other infectious disease emergencies;
- Request ongoing technical assistance from the NGA Center/ CORI staff and partners in support of project goals, and
- Optional: Participate in tabletop exercises to test modeling, analytics, and decision-support
Participating Governors’ Offices’ Priorities & Focus Areas
American Samoa: Build a resilient, data-informed public health system to protect all residents, particularly in underserved and geographically isolated areas.
- Infectious disease data integration, decision-support tool modernization, and cross-agency collaboration
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI): Strengthen the commonwealth’s infectious disease forecasting and outbreak response capabilities through proactive, data-driven decision making.
- Strategic planning/taskforce development, decision-support tools, cross-agency collaboration
Guam: Address gaps in modeling and analytics capabilities to effectively equip Guam with substantive decision-making tools in the event of a public health emergency
- Assessing and improving vaccination strategies, infectious disease modeling, and strategic planning
Please contact Grace Burns and Asia Riviere for more information on applying for the Policy Academy.
Resources : Governors Public Health Emergency Playbook | CORI Resources for Governors
