CHDS Seminar with Dr. Jagpreet Chhatwal: COVID-19 Policy Modeling: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract: Decision modeling has played a critical role in managing COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. This talk will highlight the work done by the COVID-19 Modeling Consortium that informed the timing and explored the effects of opening and closing businesses in each state, the assessment of COVID-19 risks in US colleges, and the prediction of COVID-19 outbreaks in each county. It will also cover challenges unique to COVID-19 modeling and future directions.

Bio: Jagpreet (Jag) Chhatwal is an Associate Director of MGH Institute for Technology Assessment and Assistant Professor at the Harvard Medical School. His research is centered in decision science and health economics. He has authored or co-authored over 100 research papers. He leads a multi-institutional COVID-19 Modeling Consortium that aims to inform mitigation of COVID-19. In collaboration with the CDC and WHO, his research has also informed the feasibility of hepatitis C elimination. His work is frequently featured in the media including the Boston Globe, CNBC, Forbes, and NPR.