In the wake of the recent H1N1 pandemic, there is renewed attention regarding the challenges of detecting and containing disease outbreaks and the economic consequences of pandemics. This 'First Wednesday' seminar, which also marks the launch of Resources for the Future’s (RFF) new Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), will examine some key issues:

• Can markets be used to predict disease outbreaks?
• What are the incentives for countries to look for and report disease outbreaks?
• What are the economic consequences of outbreaks?
• What sorts of policy solutions are most effective?

RWJF's Pioneer Portfolio supports Resources for the Future’s Extending the Cure project, which addresses the growing problem of antibiotic resistance by seeking solutions that manage antibiotics as a shared societal resource.

Seminar details:

What:
The Economics of Pandemics Seminar

Moderator:

• Ramanan Laxminarayan, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, RFF

Panelists:

• Phil Polgreen, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa and Director, Infections Network, Infectious Disease Society of America
  Topic: Using Electronic Markets to Predict Disease Outbreaks
• Anup Malani , Professor of Law, University of Chicago and University Fellow, RFF
  Topic: Incentives to Look For and Report Disease Outbreaks
• Martin Meltzer, Senior Health Economist, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Topic: Assessing the Cost of Disease Pandemics
• Maureen Cropper, Professor of Economics, University of Maryland and Senior Fellow, RFF
  Topic: Policy Response to Pandemic Influenza: The Value of Collective Action

When:
Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 12:45 p.m. - 2 p.m.
A light lunch will be available at 12:30 p.m.

Where:
Resources for the Future
1616 P Street N.W.
First floor conference center
Washington, D.C.

Registration is required.

To RSVP for this event, please visit RFF's event registration page.

At RFF's monthly 'First Wednesday Seminar Series', scholars and experts exchange ideas and views with the RFF community on important energy, environmental, and natural resource topics.