The Advance Warning and Response Exemplars (AWARE) project was inspired by the success of the COVID-19 Response project under the Exemplars in Global Health research program. As the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of early detection and rapid response systems, the need for implementing and scaling up these systems for a more comprehensive approach to pandemic preparedness became clear. Recognizing this need, the AWARE project was born, designed to investigate positive outliers in Advance Warning and Response (AW&R) systems that are essential for mitigating infectious disease threats with epidemic and pandemic potential, including climate-sensitive infectious diseases (CSIDs). 

The AWARE project aligns with the Pandemic Center’s mission to enhance global health security by improving the timeliness and accuracy of identifying emerging health risks. The project not only strengthens the knowledge base around advanced warning in resource-constrained settings, but it also promotes evidence-based policymaking to prepare for future infectious disease emergencies.

AWARE is particularly focused on the best practices and core capacities in various contexts and environments to support multi-sectoral outbreak response and informed decision-making. Our country partners – Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam, and South Africa – have been selected for their innovative use of surveillance systems, integration of climate, meteorological, or environmental data, and demonstrated capacity for effective outbreak response. Through these partnerships, we aim to provide actionable insights to strengthen global preparedness efforts, directly contributing to the Pandemic Center’s mission. 

The Brown University project team served as the cross-country research partner (CCRP) for AWARE and collaborated closely with in-country research partners (ICRPs) in Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, and Vietnam, alongside our co-funders and thought partners at the Gates Foundation, Gates Ventures, and Wellcome.

In-country research partners (ICRPs)

Our ICRPs include top researchers at the following universities: 

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City

Principal Investigator: Jennifer Ilo Van Nuil, PhD, Head of Social Science Implementation Research, OUCRU

University of São Paulo, São Paulo 

Principal Investigator:  Lorena G. Barberia, PhD, Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of São Paulo

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Principal Investigator: Janan Dietrich, PhD, Associate Professor, Wits