Welcome to the University of Toronto’s Institute for Pandemics

One of the world’s first academic centres dedicated exclusively to preventing, preparing for, fighting and recovering from pandemics.

Forged by our experts’ experience fighting COVID-19, drawn from our deep history in public health and health systems, and ignited by the visions of DLSPH and University of Toronto, the Institute is urgently committed to help Canada and our planet.

The cause of pandemics is complex; beyond any single government or world body to address. But the opportunities are equally strong to couple scientific advances with an intimate knowledge of public health, epidemiology, health systems, communication, economics, the intersectional social determinants of health — and the credibility to influence change . Universities must play a central role if we are to mitigate the human suffering, system disruption and socioeconomic devastation caused by pandemics.

Learn more about our work

Forged by our experts’ experience fighting COVID-19, drawn from our deep history in public health and health systems, and ignited by the visions of DLSPH and University of Toronto, the Institute is urgently committed to help Canada and our planet.

The cause of pandemics is complex; beyond any single government or world body to address. But the opportunities are equally strong to couple scientific advances with an intimate knowledge of public health, epidemiology, health systems, communication, economics, the intersectional social determinants of health — and the credibility to influence change . Universities must play a central role if we are to mitigate the human suffering, system disruption and socioeconomic devastation caused by pandemics.

Research themes

Pandemic Readiness

IfP studies the development and spread of pandemics through innovative, community-based surveillance, real-time monitoring, and advanced modelling methods; transmission modes of infectious diseases and preventive measures; and strategies to minimize risk for the next pandemic emerging at the human-animal interface.

Pandemic Resilience

IfP studies system resilience, its response, and communication in pandemics and large-scale epidemics. These include roles of governance, governments, critical infrastructures and information systems; methodological evaluation of emerging evidence and integration of multiple information streams in policy-making; processes to support data driven, ethical, equitable public health responses; roles of civil society; and effective communication within and across systems, and with the public.

Pandemic Recovery

IfP studies pandemic’s broader impacts on health and society, in short and longer terms; impacts from various containment measures; health impacts on vulnerable and marginalized populations, as linked to the existing material-social deprivation gradient; strategies to reduce inequities in health access and outcomes in pandemics; and the roadmap to build back better and fairer.

Learn more about the Research Themes