Pandemic Center
A woman with curly brown hair stands in a library, wearing a blue top.

Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH

Director of the Pandemic Center, Professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health
pandemic_center@brown.edu
Research Profile
Twitter

Biography

Jennifer Nuzzo is a nationally and globally recognized leader on global health security, public health preparedness and response, and health systems resilience. Together with colleagues from the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Economist Impact, she co-leads the development of the first-ever Global Health Security Index, which benchmarks 195 countries’ public health and healthcare capacities and capabilities, their commitment to international norms and global health security financing, and socioeconomic, political, and environmental risk environments.

In addition to her scholarly work, Nuzzo regularly advises national governments and for-profit and nonprofit organizations on pandemic preparedness and response, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2024 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) in 2025. She is currently a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM) Standing Committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Center for Preparedness and Response. She served as a pandemic advisor for ImpactAssets’ Stop the Spread Campaign.

Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, Politico, The Hill, and The Boston Globe. She was featured in Debunking Borat, a television series on Amazon Prime Video, and her work was featured on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. She served as COVID Advisor for the Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

 

Recent News

The Colin McEnroe Show

What do rising measles cases say about public health and trust?

This hour, we look at the spread of measles in the United States. We also talk to health and science communicators who are working to tell the story of that disease in new ways.

GUESTS:

Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo: Director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown School of Public Health, and a Professor of Epidemiology
Brinda Adhikari: Award-winning executive producer, showrunner and journalist, who is Co-Host of the "Why Should I Trust You?" podcast
Teri Mills: Retired nurse educator, grandmother, and Board member and Vice President of Media for Grandparents for Vaccines
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FactCheck.Org

Rising Measles Cases Driven by Falling Vaccination, Not Illegal Immigration

Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who is running for governor, has blamed “rampant illegal immigration” during the Biden administration for measles outbreaks. But we found no link to illegal immigration in several recent large outbreaks, and infectious disease experts told us that the main driver of the cases is falling measles vaccination rates in the U.S.

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Newsweek

Measles-Linked Deaths Since RFK Jr. Took Office Surpass Previous 20 Years

Measles-linked deaths recorded since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office have surpassed those recorded in the previous 20 years combined.

Since 2025, there have been five confirmed deaths related to measles—three CDC-confirmed measles deaths in 2025 and two deaths in 2026.

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Slate

Public Health Advocates Are So Desperate for Help Against Conspiracies They’ve Turned to the Place You’d Least Expect

Public health officials say with the rise of conspiracy thinking at the highest echelons of our national government, the next pandemic response could be so much worse. But they did have one potentially innovative and surprising, if disconcerting, solution to our national public health information crisis: A.I. has the potential to help stave off a conspiratorial catastrophe during the next pandemic.

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Ocean State Stories

Brown’s Pandemic Center tracks infectious disease outbreaks in U.S. and abroad, offers guidance in preventing, preparing, and mitigating

Center’s Tracking Report brings vital information to readers everywhere
PROVIDENCE — “Public distrust of public health guidance from the government is being fueled by what seems to be a never-ending, ubiquitous — and dangerous — current of phony science and false claims,” Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo states in the Pandemic Center 2025-26 Impact Report.
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The National News Desk

'Deeply dangerous': Kindergarten vaccine exemptions reach new high amid measles outbreaks

As kids embark on a new school year, newly released data shows that more kindergartners are heading to class with vaccine exemptions.

Jennifer Nuzzo, the director of Brown University's Pandemic Center, said that rise in vaccine exemptions is enough to cause concerns about disease outbreaks in schools.

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Jennifer Nuzzo in the News

 See all Pandemic Center news
AP

Health sleuths are watching for disease threats during the World Cup

Jennifer Nuzzo and Craig Spencer are both quoted in this article:

WASHINGTON (AP) — While millions of soccer fans cheer or groan over World Cup matches spanning North America, health officials will be on high alert for germs.

A heat wave may be the most obvious health threat. But infectious diseases can spread in a crowd, and experts are set to scrutinize wastewater, hospital visits, even social media for any signs that an outbreak might be brewing.

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, is among the top concerns, sparking a warning this week from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO. With a nearly six-week stretch of packed stadiums, bars and tourist sites in 16 cities, officials are on the lookout for a long list of infections, from the stomach bug norovirus to mosquito-borne dengue fever.