Droughts & Floods: Making Sense of Data During a Pandemic
As part of George Mason University's Summer Workshop on Pandemics and Global Health Security, infectious disease epidemiologist, Jessica Malaty Rivera will discuss how The COVID Tracking Project stepped in to fill the enormous data reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. She'll cover the importance of data quality, data infrastructure, and the critical work of increasing science literacy.
How Inclusive Science Communication Builds and Keeps Public Trust
Trustworthiness is achieved when people develop supportive and equitable relationships, and this is especially critical in matters of health. Jessica Malaty Rivera argues that the responsibility for building trust of medical professionals among communities of color must shift to reduce the risk of isolating more people in cycles of fear, shame, and targeted misinformation.
Jessica Malaty Rivera is an infectious disease epidemiologist and award winning science communicator. She has dedicated the last 20 years of her career to emerging infectious disease surveillance, public health policy, and vaccine advocacy. Her specialty is in translating complex public health science into impactful, judgement-free, and accessible information for wide audiences.
In 2021, Jessica was named one of the "World’s 50 Greatest Leaders" by Fortune Magazine for her work on COVID-19 research and data communication and in 2022, Jessica was named of the Top 50 Leaders in Digital Health by Rock Health. In 2023, Jessica was named a Fierce 50 Social Impact Honoree, and in 2024, she was nominated for her first Peabody Award as the host of the COVID Tracking Project Podcast.
Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Infodemiology Initiative at The Public Good Projects, a Fellow at Boston Children's Hospital Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator, and a Researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
In between her day jobs and being a full time mother to three little kids, she also dedicates several hours a week to promoting science literacy and debunking misinformation on Instagram (@jessicamalatyrivera) and on Substack (@makingsciencemakesense).