Digital Health Hub for AMR collaborates with UKHSA to deliver course on Digital Epidemiology

The Digital Health AMR Hub recently delivered an insightful course on the use of internet data in epidemiology. The session was well received, attracting a hybrid audience of up to 181 participants for the full two-hour session.

Delivered jointly by Ingemar J. Cox, Professor of Computer Science, UCL and Elad Yom-Tov, Professor of Computer Science, Ilan-Bar University, the course provided a broad overview into how digital data sources such as search engine queries, social media posts, and online advertising can enhance epidemiological research. Real-world examples demonstrated the advantages and disadvantages of internet data over traditional surveillance methods, particularly in monitoring and responding to public health challenges like COVID. 

The second half of the session focused on practical analytical techniques for natural language processing, covering everything from text representation models to advanced feature extraction methods, and showcasing how these tools can be leveraged for epidemiology.