Fostering Health Innovation: Collaborative Meeting Explores Research Progress and COVID-19 Insights for Informed Policy Making
A collaborative meeting was held on the 15th of June,2023 at “Suvasiripaya”, Colombo, between the the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, esteemed members of the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health and the dedicated team of professors and research assistants involved in the AI4COVID project. The purpose of this gathering was to discuss the progress of our ongoing research initiatives, including the simulation engine's potential usage in Sri Lanka, the development of an AI tool for diversity-aware clustering, and the significant findings regarding the impact of COVID-19 and containment strategies on the general public. The meeting served as a platform to explore the practical applications of these research outcomes in aiding the policymaking process. During the meeting, the team presented the advancements made in the development of the simulation engine, a powerful tool designed to model and predict the spread of COVID-19 and other similar infectious diseases. The discussions revolved around tailoring the simulation engine to be used in the Sri Lankan context. The meeting also provided an opportunity to present and discuss the findings of the research project related to the impact of COVID-19 and containment strategies on the general public. The research team shared comprehensive insights gathered through the use of AI for diversity-aware clustering, on the data collected through multiple surveys, regarding the effectiveness of various containment measures, testing and vaccination campaigns. The Epidemiology Unit members acknowledged the importance of evidence-based policymaking and expressed their eagerness to incorporate these research findings into their decision-making processes. The meeting marked an important milestone in promoting public health and evidence-based policymaking. As the project moves forward, the collective efforts of the researchers and policymakers are poised to make a positive and lasting impact on public health.