Our Work

Health Diplomacy & Security

Health diplomacy has rapidly evolved in the past two decades, shaped by COVID-19, shifting foreign policy priorities, and reduced foreign assistance for health.
Future practice will require rethinking and adaptation, as health diplomacy increasingly intersects with security, climate, digitalization, and humanitarian policy, and must respond to global shifts such as demographic change, inequality, and environmental degradation.
Our work seeks to advance the field of health diplomacy and strengthen global health security by developing new theoretical approaches, engaging directly with decision-makers, and training the next generation of health diplomats in collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
In partnership with the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and the Science, Technology and International Affairs Program, Dr. Katz acts as the faculty director for the Graduate Certificate In Global Health Diplomacy.

Policy Epidemiology

Policy epidemiology expands legal epidemiology by including all governance tools such as laws, regulations, policies, administrative actions, and decrees. This provides a more comprehensive way to understand how governance shapes disease prevention and control.
Policy surveillance forms the foundation of the framework by systematically collecting, coding, and archiving policy texts such as stay-at-home orders and mandates. Rich metadata allow detailed tracking of what policies exist, where they are implemented, and under what conditions.
Integration into modeling and decision-making enables identified and assessed policies to inform predictive tools used during outbreaks. This helps decision-makers evaluate policy effectiveness and adapt governance in real time.

Domestic Preparedness

Our work applies policy epidemiology theories and methods to domestic health security challenges, strengthening the evidence base that guides decision-making during public health events.
We bolster domestic health security by engaging with leaders across all levels of U.S. government, from local municipalities to federal agencies, as well as with consortia supporting the U.S. military, to strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies.
We contribute expertise in biological weapons preparedness by working with stakeholders to strengthen governance mechanisms that mitigate biological threats and enhance national and global security.

Our Courses

Center faculty have taught a wide range of courses that reflect our mission to train the next generation of health diplomats, epidemiologists, scientists, modelers, and public health practitioners. We are committed to teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, mentoring PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, and providing continuing education for industry professionals. Together, these efforts contribute to the advancement of the field. A selection of courses taught by the Center over the past ten years is listed below.