The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest public health crisis of our time, creating an urgent need for new ideas across all dimensions of healthcare delivery and policy. As an interdisciplinary institute that brings together expertise from all areas of the Duke community, DGHI is advancing critical research on issues related to the pandemic, including the development of strategies and therapies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and exploration of tools and knowledge that can help prevent future disease outbreaks.

Biology, genetics and detection

DGHI researchers, in partnership with infectious disease experts at Duke Kunshan University in China and Uke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, were among the first to study the SARS-CoV-2 virus and identify key genetic features that have facilitated the development of  novel testing and detection strategies.

Development of vaccines and therapies

Institute researchers are working on the frontlines of clinical treatment of COVID-19 patients, including clinical trials of new drugs and strategies. Several other DGHI affiliates are working closely with the Duke Human Vaccine Institute to study development of a COVID vaccine.

Policy analysis and evaluation

DGHI’s policy experts are helping identify and shape the most effective strategies for controlling the spread of the virus, allocating healthcare resources and mitigatingdisparities in care. Led by DGHI’s Center for Policy Impact in Global Health, our experts have been tapped for in-the-moment advice and analysis by global decision-makers, including the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.

Effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities

With the institute’s breadth of expertise in maternal and child health, mental health and socioeconomic factors in healthcare, one of the unique aspects of DGHI’s COVID-19 research is our work to understand how the pandemic is affecting vulnerable communities and populations around the world.