The EPREP Program at the Harvard Chan School is a co-founder of the IRIS Coalition, a collaborative network of faculty from seven universities, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Cambridge, Sapienza University of Rome, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the City University of London, and Kings College London, working together to understand infodemics and promote healthy information ecosystems.
IRIS Academic is a collaborative project founded by some of the world’s leading researchers and institutions who are driving cutting-edge research and multidisciplinary methodologies across four topic pillars: Susceptibility to Misinformation, Interventions to Counter Misinformation, Vaccine Hesitancy, and Managing Infodemics.
Within each of these pillars, the researchers are working to identify and define measures, drivers and solutions that help to understand relationships between susceptibility to misinformation, the spread of misinformation, vaccine hesitance and effective interventions to protect people from misinformation.
IRIS Academic’s research strategy is structured around three stages: Learn, Engage, and Act. In the Learn phase, the focus is on utilizing advanced network and data science techniques to analyze the nature of infodemics, particularly regarding COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy. The Engage stage involves applying psychological theories to create and evaluate digital interventions aimed at diminishing vulnerability to vaccine misinformation. Lastly, the Act phase concentrates on developing evidence-based, strategic communication strategies to enhance global preparedness for both epidemics and infodemics.
Recent Publications:
Baqir A, Galeazzi A, Zollo F. News and misinformation consumption: A temporal comparison across European countries. PLoS One. 2024 May 8;19(5):e0302473. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302473. PMID: 38717975; PMCID: PMC11078435.
Carosella EA, Su M, Testa MA, Arzilli G, Conni A, Savoia E. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Misinformation Endorsement among a Sample of Native Spanish-Speakers in the US: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Aug 5;12(15):1545. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12151545. PMID: 39120248; PMCID: PMC11311759.
Cinelli M, Peruzzi A, Schmidt AL, Villa R, Costa E, Quattrociocchi W, Zollo F. Promoting engagement with quality communication in social media. PLoS One. 2022 Oct 13;17(10):e0275534. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275534. PMID: 36227911; PMCID: PMC9560150.
Chen TY, Piltch-Loeb R, Harriman NW, Testa M, Savoia E. A Descriptive Analysis of the Relationship between Social Media Use and Vaccine Hesitancy among a Sample of Unvaccinated Adults in Canada. Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Dec 7;10(12):2096. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10122096. PMID: 36560506; PMCID: PMC9785008.
Ecker U, Roozenbeek J, van der Linden S, Tay LQ, Cook J, Oreskes N, Lewandowsky S. Misinformation poses a bigger threat to democracy than you might think. Nature. 2024 Jun;630(8015):29-32. doi: 10.1038/d41586-024-01587-3. PMID: 38840026.
Leder J, Schellinger LV, Maertens R, van der Linden S, Chryst B, Roozenbeek J. Feedback exercises boost discernment of misinformation for gamified inoculation interventions. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2024 Aug;153(8):2068-2087. doi: 10.1037/xge0001603. PMID: 39101907.
Loomba S, de Figueiredo A, Piatek SJ, de Graaf K, Larson HJ. Author Correction: Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA. Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Jul;5(7):960. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01172-y. Erratum for: Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Mar;5(3):337-348. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1. PMID: 34239082; PMCID: PMC8264480.
Masterson E, Anderson E, Savoia E. Interventions to Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Black and African American Individuals in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review. Vaccines. 2024; 12(9):959. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12090959
Nuñez Sahr J, Parcesepe AM, You W, Nash D, Penrose K, Wainberg ML, Balasubramanian S, Chan BXJ, Piltch-Loeb R. Exploring COVID-19 Vaccine Decision Making: Insights from ‘One-Shot Wonders’ and ‘Booster Enthusiasts’. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Aug 12;21(8):1054. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21081054. PMID: 39200664; PMCID: PMC11354829.
Penrose K, Abraham A, Robertson M, Berry A, Xi Jasmine Chan B, Shen Y, Srivastava A, Balasubramanian S, Yadav S, Piltch-Loeb R, Nash D, Parcesepe AM. The association between emotional and physical intimate partner violence and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in a community-based U.S. Cohort. Prev Med Rep. 2024 Jun 8;43:102784. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102784. PMID: 38938628; PMCID: PMC11209635.
Roozenbeek, J., Suiter, J., & Culloty, E. Countering Misinformation: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Implications of Current Interventions, European Psychologist (Preprint)
Savoia E, Masterson E, Olander DR, Anderson E, Mohamed Farah A, Pirrotta L. Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy among African American and Black Individuals in the United States of America: A Systematic Literature Review. Vaccines (Basel). 2024 Mar 7;12(3):277. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12030277. PMID: 38543911; PMCID: PMC10974955.
Savoia, E., Piltch-Loeb, R., Stanton, E.H. et al. Learning from COVID-19: government leaders’ perspectives to improve emergency risk communication. Global Health 19, 86 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-023-00993-y
Checklist on recommendations to improve emergency risk communication practice
Zollo F, Baronchelli A, Betsch C, Delmastro M, Quattrociocchi W. Understanding the complex links between social media and health behaviour. BMJ. 2024 Jun 20;385:e075645. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075645. PMID: 38901860.