One of Outbreak Observatory’s priority mission areas is to share the operational challenges and successes of outbreak preparedness, response, and recovery efforts experienced by public health departments and healthcare systems. It was established under the pretense that these practitioners often have critical operational insights gained during these events, but lack dedicated mechanisms for consistently collecting and sharing this information. Since its inception in 2017, we have worked with partners to document and share their experiences during outbreaks, ensuring that future response efforts benefit from the collective successes and missed opportunities of others. 

Other future mission areas of Outbreak Observatory include:

• Tracking infectious disease threats using our interactive data dashboard, which will interpret, contextualize, and summarize relevant epidemiological data, in tandem with the Pandemic Center’s weekly Tracking Report newsletter.
• Cultivating a repository of operational research and other resources related to outbreak preparedness, response, and recovery to streamline access for frontline responders and others with a vested interest in health security.
• Translating public health research and data into public-friendly language to help build and strengthen community relationships.