Outreach Publications
Links to publications that attempt to communicate the challenges and opportunities for modeling in Viral Pandemics and human health in general.
1. Perspective in Science, https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6534/1105.long for a scientific audience
"When the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic emerged in 2019, researchers rapidly recalibrated epidemiological computer models originally developed for other pandemics to serve as decision support tools for policy-makers and health care professionals planning public health responses. However, no current tools can predict the course of disease and help a doctor decide on the most appropriate treatment for an individual COVID-19 patient. “Digital twins” are software replicas of the dynamic function and failure of engineered products and processes. The medical analog, patient-specific digital twins, could integrate known human physiology and immunology with real-time patient-specific clinical data to produce predictive computer simulations of viral infection and immune response. Such medical digital twins could be a powerful addition to our arsenal of tools to fight future pandemics, combining mechanistic knowledge, observational data, medical histories, and the power of artificial intelligence (AI)."
(This article written by VP WG members.)
2. There is a discussion of the paper above by Valerie DeBenedette writing for Very Well Heath that includes a discussion of digital twins written for a general audience:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/digital-twin-computer-model-of-patients-5120469
(Mostly discuses the Science Perspective paper, includes quotes from VP WG members. This article may be more accessible for non-scientific audiences than is the perspective in Science.)
3. Quanta Magazine has an article on "The Hard Lessons of Modeling the Coronavirus Pandemic" written for a general audience:
"In the fight against COVID-19, disease modelers have struggled against misunderstanding and misuse of their work. They have also come to realize how unready the state of modeling was for this pandemic"
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-hard-lessons-of-modeling-the-coronavirus-pandemic-20210128/
(Not a publication of the VP WG.)
Link to this page: https://www.imagwiki.nibib.nih.gov/content/vpd-links-outreach-publicati…