Associate Professor and Head of the Epidemiological Modelling Unit
| Selected winner: | Monash University |
| Solution name: | The AuTuMN platform |
| Origin of the winner: | Australia |
The Epidemiological Modelling Unit (EMU) of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University employs mechanistic modelling techniques to project burden of disease and effectiveness of control strategies across time, space and demographic groups.
Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, EMU focused on modelling for tuberculosis control in partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. From 2020 the unit has collaborated with the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific to support the COVID-19 response in predominantly low- and middle-income countries.
The AuTuMN platform
AuTuMN was developed to assist national public health teams in the Western Pacific Region to develop strategies for COVID-19 pandemic control and gain insights into the epidemic.
Four countries - Australia (Victoria), Malaysia, Philippines, and Viet Nam - participated and applied the modelling platform to surveillance data in collaboration with local experts. The integration of these data and the projections of potential scenarios supported countries to develop strategies for controlling COVID-19 transmission through public health and social measures including national lockdowns, school and workplace closures and vaccination campaigns.
The Challenge winners are solely responsible for their contributions and views. They do not necessarily reflect those of WHO. In no event shall WHO be responsible for the accuracy of information shared by any of the participants. These solutions were judged for their merits as novel, creative solutions but no specific technology assessment was applied, nor any endorsement in practice should be implied.