The MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine (IHTM) launched its new Pandemic Sciences module last week, building on the programme’s existing outbreak preparedness training.
The launch followed IHTM’s recent shortlisting in the University of Oxford’s 2025 Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Teaching and Learning, where the programme was highly commended for its workshop, “Preparing the next generation for outbreak preparedness and response,” designed and delivered by collaborating partners from the partners from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), International Severe Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
The new Pandemic Sciences (PS) module builds on that momentum by embedding pandemic preparedness more deeply within the core MSc IHTM curriculum, complementing existing modules such as ‘Global Health Research and Practice (GHRP)’.
Led by Prof Alice Norton, head of the Pandemic Sciences Institute Policy and Practice Research Group, the module offers students a multidisciplinary understanding of how epidemics and pandemics emerge, and how evidence, policy and practice intersect during public health emergencies.
Reflecting on the module’s introduction, Prof Norton noted:
This module fills a gap in the curriculum relating to an interdisciplinary understanding of how the drivers of emergence, opportunities and challenges to public health responses and research and, global governance and policy mechanisms shape pandemic outcomes. We recognised that students needed deeper exposure to preparedness planning, crisis leadership and rapid response mechanisms which are critical for effectively addressing epidemic and pandemic threats.
The week began by examining the environmental, socioeconomic and biological drivers of epidemics and pandemics, including the impacts of land-use shifts, climate change, globalisation of trade and travel, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Students explored how outbreaks emerge when pathogens, susceptible populations and transmission dynamics converge, and how these risks are evolving in a rapidly changing world.
The module brought together a distinguished and diverse lineup of speakers from across disciplines, who addressed core dimensions of pandemic science. Sessions covered the use of mathematical modelling in public health decision making, the rapid evaluation of vaccines and therapeutics during outbreaks, the prioritisation of research under conditions of uncertainty, and the ethical challenges of emergency response measures.
Throughout the week students engaged in case-based learning drawn from recent outbreaks, critically examining the trade-offs and bottlenecks that shape response efforts under pressure.
Dr Emilia Antonio, PS module coordinator, explained:
Students will gain insights into how to evaluate evidence under uncertainty and time pressure, a crucial complement to traditional epidemiological training which they receive on the IHTM MSc programme.
The week concluded with two practical workshops led by Dr Gail Carson, Director of Network Development, ISARIC and former chair of GOARN, and team.
The GOARN orientation workshop, introduced students to the principles, structure and purpose of GOARN, alongside sessions on international outbreak response, deployment, community engagement and wellbeing in the field. The second, a One Health Simulation Exercise, challenged students to coordinate cross-sector decision-making during a rapidly escalating zoonotic outbreak crisis scenario.
Together, the week reflects IHTM’s commitment to providing future global health leaders with the skills and tools to navigate uncertainty, communicate effectively across sectors and understand the forces that shape both outbreak emergence and responses.