News, Videos, & Podcasts
Pandefense experts are actively engaged in bringing the best science and thinking to the public discussion about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Winning By a Nose in the Fight Against COVID-19
The Hill | By W. Ian Lipkin, Larry Brilliant & Lisa Danzig | January 2022
We are still in the early days of the age of omicron, and there is much that we do not know about this variant of COVID-19. But we do know that it is more transmissible than other variants and that it arose in a part of the world where only a small percentage of the population was vaccinated.
The COVID Communication Breakdown | How to Fix Public Health Messaging
Foreign Affairs | By Baruch Fischhoff | October 2021
On paper, the U.S. federal government was well prepared for COVID-19. Personnel tasked with emergency preparedness held posts at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the National Security Council.
Family Guy COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness PSA
Fox TV | By Seth MacFarlane | September 2021
Watch the new FamilyGuy Short! Stewie and Brian travel inside Peter’s body to explain how vaccines work. Have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines? Visit GetVaccineAnswers.org for the most accurate and timely facts, so we can all get back to the moments we love and miss most.
The ‘Forever Virus’ Won't Go Away Until Kids Get Vaccinated
WIRED | September 2021
Epidemiologist Larry Brilliant on the Delta surge, chaos at the CDC, and why the under-12s are key to ending the pandemic.
The known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns of COVID-19
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists | By W. Ian Lipkin | July 21, 2021
Genetic analyses indicate that closely related viruses existed in wildlife before the human disease was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019.
A Strategy for the Long Fight Against COVID-19
Foreign Affairs | By Dr Larry Brilliant, Lisa Danzig, Karen Oppenheimer, Agastya Mondal, Rick Bright, and W. Ian Lipkin | July 2021
It is time to say it out loud: the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic is not going away. SARS-CoV-2 cannot be eradicated, since it is already growing in more than a dozen different animal species.
Larry Brilliant Has a Plan to Speed Up the Pandemic’s End
Wired | April 1, 2021
We'll never get herd immunity, but with speedy, deft combat against new infections, the epidemiologist says we could get back to normalish life.
Policymakers must act on incomplete evidence in responding to COVID-19
Cochrane Library | November 20, 2020
By Karla Soares-Weiser, Toby Lasserson, Karsten Juhl Jorgensen, Steve Woloshin, Lisa Bero, Michael D Brown, Baruch Fischho
Larry Brilliant Says We’ll Beat Covid—After We Go Through Hell
Wired | November 18, 2020
The epidemiologist calls it "the best of times and the worst of times," as good news on vaccines and testing coincides with a terrifying rise in cases.
Herd Immunity Won't Save Us - But We Can Still Beat COVID-19
By Larry Brilliant, W. Ian Lipkin, Lisa Danzig, and Karen Pak Oppenheimer - Wall Street Journal | March 26, 2021
The idea of “herd immunity” against Covid-19 has achieved almost magical status in the popular imagination. Once we reach that threshold, many Americans believe, we’ll be in the clear, and the pandemic will finally fade into history.
Santa Fe Institute - Samuel V. Scarpino: SFI Welcomes Four New External Researchers
Santa Fe Institute | August 4, 2020
SFI extends and refreshes its network of researchers annually when it appoints new external faculty, affiliated with universities and institutions from around the world. This year, we welcome four new researchers.
Larry Brilliant on How Well we are Fighting COVID-19
Wired | July 9, 2020
Three months ago, the epidemiologist weighed in on what we must do to defeat this new threat. We went back to ask: How are we doing, and what comes next?
Bulletin of the World Health Organization - Baruch Fischhoff: The Importance of Testing Messages
WHO | July 2020
Why governments need to test their messages on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before disseminating them. Baruch Fischhoff talks to Fiona Fleck.
Making Decisions in a COVID-19 World
By Baruch Fischhoff, PhD in American Medical Association | June 4, 2020
COVID-19 has prompted a breathtaking mobilization of scientists whose work might inform the decisions of individuals and professionals, if they only had that information in a usable form.
Tracking the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lives of American Households
Survey Research Methods | June 2, 2020
Since March 10, 2020, we have been tracking effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on respondents to the nationally representative Understanding America Study (UAS).
AJPM | May 22, 2020
Perceptions of health risks inform decisions about protective behaviors, but COVID-19 was an unfamiliar risk as it began to spread across the U.S.
Understanding and Communicating About COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Equity
By Baruch Fischhoff, Vaness Northington Gamble, & Monica Schoch Spana | April 2020
Effective communication is needed to ensure a shared understanding of how well COVID-19 vaccines work and whether they are being equitably distributed.
Dewitt and Fischhoff: The about-face on face masks – or, making recommendations fit the evidence
Ottawa Citizen | April 29, 2020
There’s been confusion and criticism about wearing masks in public. At first, depending on where you lived, you were told it wasn’t a good idea – as was the case across Canada… When the research is unclear or shifting, what should one do?
Rapid Expert Consultation on the Effectiveness of Fabric Masks for the COVID-19 Pandemic
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine | April 8, 2020
This rapid expert consultation concerns the effectiveness of homemade fabric masks worn by the general public to protect others, as distinct from protecting the wearer.
The Journals of Gerontology | May 29, 2020
As COVID-19 spread in the United States, this study therefore aimed to examine age differences in risk perceptions, anxiety, and depression.
National Acadamies | 2020
Despite the worldwide effort to develop safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 and ramp up production capacity, it is inevitable that initial vaccine supply will be limited.
Hosts to Help Provide Housing to 100,000 COVID-19 Responders
Airbnb | March 26, 2020
As medical and relief workers require accommodation for response and preparedness, the Airbnb community is in a unique position to help.
-Larry Brilliant MD, MPH
She Predicted the Coronavirus. What Does She Foresee Next?
The New York Times | May 2, 2020
What Garrett has been warning most direly about…is a pandemic like the current one. She saw it coming. So a big part of what I wanted to ask her about was what she sees coming next. Steady yourself. Her crystal ball is dark.
The Doctor Who Helped Defeat Smallpox Explains What's Coming
Wired | March 19, 2020
Epidemiologist Larry Brilliant, who warned of pandemic in 2006, says we can beat the novel coronavirus—but first, we need lots more testing
Dr. Ian Lipkin on Coronavirus and Antibody Testing
CNBC | April 27, 2020
Dr. Ian Lipkin, Director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia, joins “Closing Bell” to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.
Yes, the Public Can Be Trusted in a Pandemic
Wired | March 27, 2020
One thing is now frighteningly clear: Limiting the death toll and broader impacts of this nightmare requires everyone to do their part. Stay put and practice safe hygiene.
A global pandemic calls for global solutions
TED | April 3, 2020
Examining the facts and figures of the coronavirus outbreak, epidemiologist Larry Brilliant evaluates the global response in a candid interview with head of TED Chris Anderson.
Meet the International Team Mapping the Real-Time Spread of the Coronavirus
VICE | March 26, 2020
The researchers of the Open COVID-19 Data Curation Group have seen what's worked in places like South Korea and Hong Kong to stem the spread of coronavirus, and how the U.S. is so woefully behind in its fight.
The COVID-19 Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness in the United States
Council On Foreign Relations | March 13, 2020
Larry Brilliant, Tara O’Toole, and Mark Smolinski discuss the COVID-19 epidemic and pandemic preparedness in the United States and worldwide…
Recovered coronavirus patients' plasma could cure others
Fox Business | March 11, 2020
Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang and Columbia University epidemiology professor and Center for Infection and Immunity director Dr. W. Ian Lipkin discuss China, coronavirus treatment and plasma therapy.
The Global Panic over Coronavirus
The New Yorker | March 2, 2020
In a “Twilight Zone”–like drama spawned by eerie uncertainty, the world is shutting down a bit more each day, as the coronavirus pandemic accelerates across sixty countries on six continents—all in just nine weeks.
Videos & Podcasts
CNN | Larry Brilliant & Dr. Ayoade Alakija | January 2022
Epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant and co-chair of the African Union's African Vaccine Delivery Alliance Dr. Ayoade Alakija tell Amanpour the pandemic "isn't over" amid Omicron and staggering vaccine inequality.
by Marketplace Interview by David Brancaccio | October 28, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine boosters are slowly but methodically becoming another part of the U.S. pandemic response. The Centers for Disease Control recently approved use for people aged 65 and older and for immunocompromised adults.
by KCBS 106.7 | April 16, 2021
We've all been living in a pandemic for over a year now, and a lot has changed. For more on what might come next, KCBS Radio's Stan Bunger spoke with Dr. Larry Brilliant, physician, epidemiologist, and CEO of Pandefense Advisory.
By Grace Cathedral SF | March 1, 2021
A Conversation between Dr. Larry Brilliant and the Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean of Grace Cathedral
By Literature Live! | August 14, 2020
Anil Dharker hosts a conversation between Triple Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman and Dr. Larry Brilliant
In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt | July 2020
The Asia Society | June 26, 2020
By Reimagine | May 12, 2020
Very few people have been at the center of and contributed to, the end of a global pandemic. Dr. Brilliant is one of those few.
More News Sources
By USC Center for Economic and Social Research
The USC Center for Economic and Social Research's Understanding Coronavirus in America tracking survey is updated daily with the responses of members of our population-representative Understanding America Study.
By National Academy of Sciences
Welcome to Science Sessions, the PNAS podcast program. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community.
By American Psychological Association
Fear about the coronavirus has gripped the world. While nearly all cases have been in China, that has not stopped people in other countries from worrying.
By MSNBC | April 16, 2020
Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter covering global pandemics, tells Lawrence O’Donnell that the White House guidelines for reopening communicated one thing: the federal government is not responsible for managing coronavirus testing; it's up to the states.
By WIRED | April 5, 2020
Last week, FIVETHIRTYEIGHT’S Nate Silver teased his latest project on Covid-19 to his 3.2 million Twitter followers: “Working on something where you can model the number of detected cases of a disease as a function of the number of actual cases and various assumptions about how/how many tests are conducted.”
By The Economist | April 4, 2020
When the makers of the film “Contagion” in 2011 needed to vet the plausibility of the script, they turned to Larry Brilliant, one of the world’s leading epidemiologists.
By Stitcher | April 2, 2020
Katie talks with “Contagion” screenwriter Scott Burns and one of the lead consultants on the film, Dr. Ian Lipkin, the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, about why the movie is having such a moment, how they managed to create something so prescient, and ways our own pandemic nightmare might end.
By The Conversation | March 28, 2020
As the coronavirus began to spread in the United States, people faced an unknown risk and evolving health recommendations.
By The Atlantic | March 17, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread in the United States, public-health experts have lately been urging people—especially young people, many of whom may not show symptoms, and spread the virus unknowingly—to limit their physical contacts with others, but Andrew described a raucous scene that seems out of step with this moment of worldwide panic and caution.
By Bloomberg | March 12, 2020
At the Northeastern University Emergent Epidemics Lab, researchers have a convenient petri dish for studying the spread of pandemics: their hometown of Boston.
By CNN | March 9, 2020
Masks were the first to go. Then, hand sanitizers. Now, novel coronavirus panic buyers are snatching up ... toilet paper?
By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | March 8, 2020
With no cases yet of COVID-19 in southwestern Pennsylvania, the sense of fear that has gripped places like King County, Wash., where, as of Friday, 11 people had died, has yet to engulf the Pittsburgh region.
By PBS | March 3, 2020
Dr. W. Ian Lipkin is an infectious disease expert at Columbia University who is fresh out of quarantine after traveling to China, where he was studying the coronavirus outbreak.
By The New York Times | February 28, 2020
It has been nearly three months since the first cases of a new coronavirus pneumonia appeared in Wuhan, China, and it is now a global outbreak.
By National Geographic | January 21, 2020
Almost 20 years ago, a virus appeared in wildlife markets in southern China, and it was unlike any the world had seen. It was winter 2003, and sufferers complained of fever, chills, headache, and dry coughs—all symptoms you might expect during cold and flu season.