Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC)

💡𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 & 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 “𝘉𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦”, said Marion Koopmans at the start of the third Congress on Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness, organized by the PDPC on 2 October 2025 at the World Trade Center in Rotterdam. Her opening lecture was the start of an inspiring day, filled with talks, poster presentations and lively discussions focused on the theme of ‘𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴: 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴’. Two important takeaways from the day: ⚙️From worldwide wastewater surveillance to using modelling and AI for preventing crises or mitigating their impact: 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬. 🤝Preparedness cannot be achieved by technology alone, and requires 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬, such as lived experiences, systemic inequalities, and the societal conditions that influence vulnerability and resilience. 💐Thanks to all of our speakers, who presented their cutting-edge research and insights. Special thanks to our phenomenal keynote speakers Tina Comes (TU Delft), Jacopo Margutti (Red Cross 510), Ali Mostafavi, Ph.D., PE (Texas A&M University), Nynke Hofstra (Wageningen University & Research) and Caesar Atuire (University of Oxford)! 🎉Also congratulations to our poster prize winners: Jet G Sanders (RIVM) and Rosaline van den Berg (GGD Zuid-Holland Zuid), who impressed everyone with their insightful and beautifully presented research. 👉Read the full congress summary here: https://lnkd.in/eKBdUZaV We look forward to seeing you at the next congress in October 2026! Tom Emery Anja Schreijer Thom Bogaard Clarize de Korne Hekmat Alrouh, MD, PhD Julie Penders Lois van Eck Tim Florschütz Tom Oreel Charlotte Waltz Tomris Cesuroglu Bart Blokland Sander Herfst Suzanne Mijnhardt Kain Saygan Arghyanir Giri Yunus Tansu AKSOY Miranda de Graaf Pouria (P.A) Paridar Wessel Veenman Reina Sikkema Pauline de Best ClimateHUB-ID Yared Abayneh Abebe Karin van Vuuren Maria Pregnolato PingPing Song Lotte Schrijver Maha Habib Georgie Mills Jeannette de Boer Linda Jansen Schuyler Houser #PandemicPreparedness #DisasterPreparedness #PublicHealth #PDPC #PDPC2025

🌍#𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐌𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭. During the Planetary Health Annual Meeting 2025 (#PHAM2025) in Rotterdam, the Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC) supported a panel on Water Management with the theme “𝘏𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩: 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵”.   The panel, moderated by Henk Ovink of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, discussed the complex interactions between water management and health challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, pollution, heat stress, and inequities in access to clean water. 🦟Panelists included Reina Sikkema and Marit Meier, partners in the PDPC research project 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 1: 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴, who discussed their collaborative approach to address the complex dynamics of climate change, water management, and vector-borne disease risk. 🧫Émile Sylvestre of TU Delft Water Management shared his insights on designing proactive approaches to assessing and managing water-related disease risks. 💧Ashraf Aly Hassan of the United Arab Emirates University highlighted the water challenges in the Middle East and 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧 of the Mohamed Bin Rashid School of Government shared the importance of leveraging indigenous, situated knowledge and interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral partnerships to address water quality challenges. All panelists emphasized the need for transdisciplinary and integrated approaches to water management, to address pressing challenges in planetary health and to help us prepare for a better future. 👉Read more about the insights from the panel: https://lnkd.in/eHP6kdVt  👉Read about the flooding of a Dutch polder, to investigate the spread of mosquito-borne disease: https://lnkd.in/eE_HHpTN Marion Koopmans Eline Boezelman Schuyler Houser Fred Balvert #PHAM2025 #PlanetaryHealth #WaterManagement #Preparedness #PDPC

💡𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐌𝐈𝐇 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 Last week the Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC) organised a scenario-based workshop on integrated scientific advice at the 14th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (#ECTMIH2025), which was hosted by the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg. During the workshop, participants were invited to practice integrated advice and decision-making. Key insights from the workshop included: 💪 Pandemic preparedness requires new forms of collaboration. At PDPC, we are developing ways to bring together experts from the biomedical and societal domains to provide integral advice for policymakers. 🗣️ During a pandemic, data and insights from different disciplines are needed. That’s why it’s crucial to incorporate several perspectives for policy advice.  One of the participants shared: “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦.” As part of the recently launched UNITY project, PDPC will continue developing a new framework to better integrate scientific knowledge into policymaking. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡?  👉Visit our Integrated Science for Policy website: https://lnkd.in/eswSwPKb  👉Read more about the UNITY project: https://lnkd.in/eWNv6f6T  Jeannette de Boer Bart Blokland Anja Schreijer Emma Wijers #ECTMIH2025 #PandemicPreparedness #IntegratedAdvice #PDPC

🌊𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫! Polders are a solution to prevent flooding in cities. But can they become breeding grounds for disease carriers such as mosquitoes and migratory birds? And what does that mean for the spread of viruses? “We know that climate change is causing more and more viruses to emerge, but we don’t know what effect such a water storage area has in relation to those viruses,” explained researcher Reina Sikkema of Erasmus MC. To investigate this, more than a hectare of the Eendragtspolder in Zevenhuizen was temporarily flooded this past August. “For everyone involved, this was the moment they had been waiting on for three years”, said Maarten Schrama from Universiteit Leiden. 🦟🪿After the flooding, the Eendragtspolder became a hub of insect- and bird activity. “We measure temperature, weather, bird behavior, the number of mosquitoes: everything is being documented.” 🦠🔬Which species carry which viruses, and how far they spread them, remains to be investigated. The analysis of the gathered data will take months, but the experiment is already considered a success. “The insights we gain from this research allow us to take preventive measures and to design water storage areas effectively. This way, we can be better prepared for a future in which climate change – and our response to it – continues to reshape our living environment,” concluded Sikkema. 👉 Read more about the experiment here: https://lnkd.in/eE_HHpTN 💪This experiment is one of the Frontrunner Projects of the Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC). The PDPC is a collaboration between Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Erasmus MC and TU Delft. Other partners in this project include: KNMI - Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut, Naturalis Biodiversity Center Nederland, GGD Hollands Midden, GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Staatsbosbeheer, Natuur- en Vogelwacht Rotta, Recreatieschap Rottemeren, Universiteit Leiden, Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland, Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie (NIOO-KNAW), Hoogheemraadschap van Schieland en de Krimpenerwaard (HHSK), Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Gemeente Rotterdam, Nederlandse Jeugdbond voor Natuurstudie (NJN) en Gemeente Zuidplas. Reina Sikkema Marion Koopmans Tijmen Hartung Jordy van der Beek Maarten Boonekamp Pier Siebesma Stephan de Roode Thom Bogaard Nnomzie Atama Sille Pelser Schuyler Houser Robert Spiering Peter Wienbelt #Eendragtspolder #VectorBorneDisease #PDPC #PandemicPreparedness #DisasterPreparedness

Het nieuwe seizoen van MedMic, de podcast van de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Medische Microbiologie (NVMM), is uit en we beginnen meteen ijzersterk. Dit keer interviewen Andreas Voss en ik prof. dr. Marion Koopmans, viroloog aan het Erasmus MC. Marion vertelt ons alles over toekomstige pandemieën en de preventie ervan. Wil je weten hoe het in z'n werk gaat en wat er allemaal bij komt kijken? Luister dan naar MedMic! https://lnkd.in/euSCAbhj

🌟𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 The flash floods in Central Texas over the weekend of 4 July 2025 were the deadliest in the U.S. in nearly 49 years. What can we do to prevent the next one from surpassing that tragic record? Prof.dr. Ali Mostafavi, Ph.D., PE, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Texas A&M University, will address this question during his keynote lecture “𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴: 𝘈𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴”. Professor Mostafavi holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and is the director of UrbanResilience.AI Lab. His research focuses on creating advanced computational models and data science algorithms to reduce the social, economic, and physical impacts of disasters on communities. Mostafavi’s research addresses major questions: 🔗What are the fundamental characteristics in a human-infrastructure network that make a community resilient? 🖥️What new data science methods and algorithms could provide more intelligent ways for decision makers and residents to predict and respond to disasters? ⚖️How can we better address social equality in current urban resilience assessment models and methods? Interested in how his research is applied to real-world crises? Join us for his keynote lecture at the Congress on Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness on October 2. 👉For more information about the program and registration, visit our congress website: https://lnkd.in/gpKPYPRt Marion Koopmans Thom Bogaard Anja Schreijer Tom Emery Jeannette de Boer Linda Jansen Schuyler Houser #PandemicPreparedness #DisasterPreparedness #PublicHealth #PDPC #PDPC2025 #KeynoteSpeaker

Hey #ECTMIH2025, are we ready for the next pandemic? 💪 Pandemic preparedness requires new forms of collaboration. At the Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC), we are developing ways to bring together biomedical and societal perspectives to provide actionable, evidence-based advice for policymakers. Would you like to be part of a realistic, hands-on simulation of a new pandemic? Join us for the PDPC Scenario-based workshop on integrated scientific advice at the #ECTMIH2025! 📆𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Tuesday, 30 September 2025 🕣𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 8.30 – 10.00 📍𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦: Y-Borgefelde   Jeannette de Boer Bart Blokland Anja Schreijer #ECTMIH2025 #PandemicPreparedness #IntegratedAdvice #PDPC

🌟𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲? This difficult question will be addressed during the keynote lecture “𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦” of Prof.dr. Tina Comes, Professor of Decision Theory & ICT for Resilience from TU Delft at the Congress on Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness on October 2. Professor Comes studied mathematics, literature and philosophy and received her PhD from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Institute of Technology. She is the Scientific director of the 4TU Centre for Resilience Engineering and advised the European Union on their Strategic Crisis Management under the Scientific Advice Mechanism. Moreover, she worked with various United Nations agencies, ministries and NGOs on different disasters around the globe. 🖥️ℹ️Comes aims to better understand decision-making of individuals and groups in the context of risk, crises and disasters. Her research focuses on using information and smart technology for better decisions and coordination in complex, volatile and uncertain environments. To this end, Comes develops methods and approaches that connect the analytical and behavioural branches of decision theory to pro­mote societal resilience. 👉For more information about the program and registration, visit our congress website: https://lnkd.in/gpKPYPRt Marion Koopmans Thom Bogaard Anja Schreijer Tom Emery Jeannette de Boer Linda Jansen Schuyler Houser Karin van Vuuren Robert Borst Saba Hinrichs-Krapels Roland Bal Julien Magana Bas Jonkman #PandemicPreparedness #DisasterPreparedness #PublicHealth #PDPC #PDPC2025 #KeynoteSpeaker

🌟𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 We are excited to introduce Prof.dr. Caesar Atuire, Professor of Global Health Ethics at University of Oxford Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, one of our keynote speakers at the 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 & 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 on October 2. Professor Atuire is a philosopher and health ethicist with degrees in philosophy, theology, and bioethics, including a PhD on suicide from Rome’s Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He serves on key international bodies, including the WHO Covid-19 Ethics and Governance Working Group, the Global Forum for Bioethics in Research, the International Association of Bioethics, and the Africa CDC’s ethics working group. ⚖️🌍Atuire’s research explores global health ethics by drawing on African and non-African philosophical ideas that address inequity in the relationships that govern current approaches to global health with an eye to new ethical frontiers, decolonization, and pluriversality. Professor Atuire also investigates the ethics of, and solidarity during, crises related to global health. Be sure to join us on October 2 for this keynote lecture about “𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨”! 👉For more information about the program and registration, visit our congress website: https://lnkd.in/gpKPYPRt Marion Koopmans Thom Bogaard Anja Schreijer Tom Emery Jeannette de Boer Linda Jansen Schuyler Houser

Het programma van het P3Venti eindsymposium is bekend! Kom jij op donderdagmiddag 9 oktober ook naar Zoetermeer? Roberto Traversari, Scientific lead P3Venti bij TNO, overhandigt de resultaten van het onderzoeksprogramma aan een vertegenwoordiger van het Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport. De bekende Belgische viroloog Marc Van Ranst is keynote spreker en hij gaat in gesprek met TNO en het ministerie van VWS hoe je ventilatie inzet om virusverspreiding te voorkomen. P3Venti-onderzoekers lichten hun deelresultaten toe en gaan tijdens workshops met deelnemers in gesprek over handelingsperspectief op drie gebieden: ➡️ Wetenschap: virusonderzoek en ventilatiesystemen ➡️ Beleid: WIR-model en afwegingskader ➡️ Toepassing: ventilatie en gebruik in de zorg en in maatschappelijk urgente sportvoorzieningen Ben jij wetenschapper of ben je betrokken bij de directie, het vastgoedmanagement of de facilitaire inrichting van langdurige zorginstellingen of maatschappelijk urgente sportvoorzieningen?  Meld je dan nu aan! Ga naar https://lnkd.in/e9hyZPZ7 #symposium #onderzoek #pandemischparaat #ventilatie #virusverspreiding #resultaten