Improving Identification and Contact Tracing

Stephen S. Morse; Professor of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Medical Center; Director, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Certificate Program

The objective is to improve our current capacity for contact tracing. There are two possible components:


1. Training and deploying suitable workers (e.g., PH students) to perform contact tracing.
2. Identifying technological applications to increase efficiency and reduce labor requirement for contact tracing.


My current emphasis is on the first component, as considerable work has already been attempted with number two. However, identifying ways to standardize and optimize the technological approach, and to make it ethical and feasible, are of interest.